The lost art of overtaking

[Pidgeonpost]

Originally Posted by Ulrikas PA

're the other 98%. Yes, just had one. Saw police car in mirror way back, pulled over with indicator. Car behind oblivious comes up to middle of road on my 'shoulder'' wanting to pass with cars coming other way. Blocks road to siren and horn-blasting police car.

People just drive in their own bubbles these days.

See it all the time. The A-road that we live on (and wish we didn't) is used regularly by all the blue-light services and they're regularly held up by those whose minds are concentrating on fiddling with the mass of in-car tech toys at their disposal, not on their driving and what's going on around them.

[Pidgeonpost]

Originally Posted by Forg

I see a heap of people asleep at the wheel, and have for the last 40-50 years been conditioned to sleep along in a daze at a randomly-varying amount under the speed limit 'cos that way they can afford Random Road Usage Tax without having to concentrate.

These people tend not to like being reminded they're going too slowly though, so when you try to overtake them they speed up ... it's usually not enough to stop you overtaking if you're on the wrong side of the road, because only the stupidest person would stick to the speed limit when on the wrong side of the road despite the incorrect/dangerous laws that say you have to ... however if an overtaking lane appears you often can't get past them without running the risk of Plod putting another "ker-ching" into the government cash-register.

But if you DON'T go past them you're then stuck behind them again soon enough when they dribble back down to that randomly-changing number under the speed-limit & continuing to not notice anything about what's going-on around them. And when they clip the ongoing car or plough into the tree 'cos they're not paying attention, there's a solid risk you're going to be affected. 2% of people (not in a heavy vehicle) who're travelling country roads at under the speed limit are doing so for good reason (eg. they're taking the full bowl of jelly to the party) - the other 98% are people you just don't want to be anywhere near when they're driving.

Although I'm not in the 'jelly taxi' class, I do tend to occasionally drive a little more slowly on the narrow twisty lanes where I spend a lot of my time, as I've often got the dog in the back and don't want her thrown around like a sack of spuds.

[GSS]

Me too. My dogs' wellbeing is a lot more important than someone shaving 30 seconds off their journey time. Besides, slowing them down may save their life....they might meet someone else who drives like they do coming the other way in that narrow, twisty lane.

[andy_d]

Originally Posted by GSS

Me too. My dogs' wellbeing is a lot more important than someone shaving 30 seconds off their journey time. Besides, slowing them down may save their life....they might meet someone else who drives like they do coming the other way in that narrow, twisty lane.

err no, "slowing them down" isnt your job or right
That attitude causes road rage with "that sort"
drive your car within the laws, dont enforce your ideas/views on others how they should drive,,,

moan about them being brain deads,, hell yes, moan about them ignoring the laws hell yes,,

thank you for being part of THE problem not the solution

[Whyman]

Originally Posted by Forg

I see a heap of people asleep at the wheel, and have for the last 40-50 years been conditioned to sleep along in a daze at a randomly-varying amount under the speed limit 'cos that way they can afford Random Road Usage Tax without having to concentrate.

These people tend not to like being reminded they're going too slowly though, so when you try to overtake them they speed up ... it's usually not enough to stop you overtaking if you're on the wrong side of the road, because only the stupidest person would stick to the speed limit when on the wrong side of the road despite the incorrect/dangerous laws that say you have to ... however if an overtaking lane appears you often can't get past them without running the risk of Plod putting another "ker-ching" into the government cash-register.

But if you DON'T go past them you're then stuck behind them again soon enough when they dribble back down to that randomly-changing number under the speed-limit & continuing to not notice anything about what's going-on around them. And when they clip the ongoing car or plough into the tree 'cos they're not paying attention, there's a solid risk you're going to be affected. 2% of people (not in a heavy vehicle) who're travelling country roads at under the speed limit are doing so for good reason (eg. they're taking the full bowl of jelly to the party) - the other 98% are people you just don't want to be anywhere near when they're driving.

Don’t forget that it is a speed limit not a target!

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by Simmy

that overtake in the vid is not good. he only just makes it back before the hatched section of road i hope he never encounters another driver doing the same kind of thing coming in the opposite direction this is how people have major accidents .

I disagree. It was a perfectly good overtake. He went out and had a good look and assessed the situation well noting the two gaps he could have moved into if necessary. Nothing wrong with having clipped the hatched markings. Only thing I would say was he should have informed the overtaken vehicles of what he was doing by considering a long headlamp flash. Remember also, the queue starts with the second vehicle! If it's not safe it's not done!

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by AlwaysLearning

That was an "I'm going too fast to pull in".

Folk think overtaking is going as fast as possible to get past when it should be to go fast enough.

Most people think they're a better than average driver but few do any training after passing. Where I grew up it was common to take a winter driving course so you were better prepared to drive on slippery surfaces, and had kit in your car to survive in a snowstorm.

Question to the viewers ... how many cars in that line would you have passed before pulling in?

Them all.

[Thekilt]

I agree with dibble. Especially at night you can see other vehicles coming from afar or from side roads. Also the hatchings are hatched and not soid line so you are allowed to enter the area.

I tend to use the satnav for overtaking, looking to see how straight the road is coming up etc. I had an awful drive back from Devon to Dorset a few weeks back. You get very few two lanes to overtake, and i was behind a mercedes who would not pull into the inside lane and was crawling overtaking other cars, and then would slow down to way under the speed limit when it went back down to single lanes.

the realy infuriating ones are the german drivers who dont like being overtaken...

[Ulrikas PA]

Originally Posted by Thekilt

the realy infuriating ones are the german drivers who dont like being overtaken...

I refer the honourable gentleman to my post above

[GSS]

Originally Posted by andy_d

err no, "slowing them down" isnt your job or right
That attitude causes road rage with "that sort"
drive your car within the laws, dont enforce your ideas/views on others how they should drive,,,

moan about them being brain deads,, hell yes, moan about them ignoring the laws hell yes,,

thank you for being part of THE problem not the solution

Are you one of the brain dead? I don't deliberately slow them down, I just don't speed just up to keep them happy if they catch me up. I simply continue to drive in the manner I was before they appeared in my rear view mirror. There is a difference. The only thing I do any different to what I was before they appeared is to pull over and let the muppet pass if he/she is riding my rear bumper. I am not part of the problem. As police trained advanced driver I know how to drive defensively do know what I am talking about.