Elephant Racing

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 13:42
Elephant Racing - TheGentlemanThug

Heading south on a dual carriageway section of the A1 recently, I was put in the unfortunate position of being completely surrounded by traffic whilst one HGV took a literate ten minutes to overtake another HGV. Fortunately, I didn't need to exit the carriageway any time soon, but it certainly got me thinking what the hell I would have done if I had needed to. It's just as well an emergency vehicle wasn't behind me.

Surely this kind of driving is illegal? At the least, it has to be inconsiderate.

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 14:46
Elephant Racing - galileo

Heading south on a dual carriageway section of the A1 recently, I was put in the unfortunate position of being completely surrounded by traffic whilst one HGV took a literate ten minutes to overtake another HGV. Fortunately, I didn't need to exit the carriageway any time soon, but it certainly got me thinking what the hell I would have done if I had needed to. It's just as well an emergency vehicle wasn't behind me.

Surely this kind of driving is illegal? At the least, it has to be inconsiderate.

So you were in lane 2 following the overtaking HGV? Not a lot of point if both lanes were travelling at almost the same speed.

You could have stayed in lane 1 and been able to turn off at any junction without a problem. You put yourself in the situation that you call unfortunate.

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 15:01
Elephant Racing - Manatee

I suspect thhat Bicycle Repair Man was in lane 2 before the elephant. Although I don't see the difficulty; slow down and move over - if there isn't a space somebody will make one.

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 15:06
Elephant Racing - TheGentlemanThug

So you were in lane 2 following the overtaking HGV? Not a lot of point if both lanes were travelling at almost the same speed.

You could have stayed in lane 1 and been able to turn off at any junction without a problem. You put yourself in the situation that you call unfortunate.

No, both the HGV and I moved to the outside lane at the same time. I knew where I was going and how far away my exit was, so it didn't matter to me, but what about other drivers who may not have been too sure? Like I said, if an emergency vehicle had suddenly shown up, they'd have been stuck.

Slow-moving vehicles take longer to overtake, absolutely, but this was a literal ten minutes.

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 16:29
Elephant Racing - John F

Even at an overtaking speed of a pathetic + 0.75mph, it only takes a minute to gain 66ft, longer than an HGV. Clearly the overtaking process must have ceased for several minutes. In which case, section 137 of the Highways Act should be enforced....

(1)If a person, without lawful authority or excuse, in any way wilfully obstructs the free passage along a highway he is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine........

We all need give and take on our congested trunk roads. It's high time these either thoughtless or b1oody-minded drivers with a pathological aversion for altering their cruise controls were fined heavily. The multitude of cameras would provide ample evidence of such rolling traffic jams with empty outer lane(s) ahead. Signs should display a number to call the control centre to report such behaviour. One PC could effectively 'patrol' 100miles of road - the fines would easily pay for him/her, and perhaps repair a few potholes. Especially if middle lane hoggers (disproportionately drivers of non-European ancestry in my mainly M1 experience - I often wonder if they are actually licensed to drive - or even to be here....) were included.

Edited by John F on 14/08/2018 at 16:31

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 19:27
Elephant Racing - gordonbennet

I am a lorry driver, but (and i would say this wouldn't i :-) i don't get involved in elephant racing, and those that do are an embarrassment to the rest of us and get us all a bad name.

However there are many reasons for this problem, one of which is the compulsory fitment of speed limiters some 30 years ago, and that is something without fail that car drivers will have foisted on them in due course, probably GPS linked so the car knows the speed limit of the road it's on and automatically limits the speed.

So, enjoy your freedom to judge and condemn and enjoy using speed sensibly for the time being, i used to have that freedom at one time on the lorries, you too will almost certainly find you are in the same boat in due course and then you can show us how not to elephant race when the person who was travelling several mph slower than you suddenly speeds up and keeps you out there.

The roads are at breaking point, just as the country's population is increasing at an unsustainable level causing immense problems, the two are inextricably linked, the roads will be one huge elephant race in twenty years time, so we'll just have to make the best of it.

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 20:23
Elephant Racing - Manatee

I've never really got the defence of elephant racing by some lorry drivers, although I understand the reasons for it, and I have much respect for GB's opinion so I am relieved that he didn't dig in on this one.

I'm not anti-lorrydriver. I try to keep out of their way, mindful that they have to deal with some limitations that I do not - the time it takes to reach cruise speed, to lose speed, the blind spots, and manouevring space needed. Not to mention that fact that they have to timetable themselves around delivery slots and driver hours. I cringe at some of the incompetent and inconsiderate driving by car and especially 'white van' drivers (few of whom seem to know, or at least to heed, the speed limits for their vehicles.)

I agree that we will probably end up with speed limiters on cars, possibly linked to the prevailing speed limit. The best years of motoring are behind us, as it seems are the best roads. But I haven't given up yet.

Edited by Manatee on 14/08/2018 at 20:25

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Tue 14 Aug 2018 23:34
Elephant Racing - John F

..... you can show us how not to elephant race when the person who was travelling several mph slower than you suddenly speeds up and keeps you out there.

It's quite simple really. It occasionally happens to me in a car when creeping past another car. If I am holding people up who wish to exceed the speed limit I can disengage the cruise control and drop back behind the car that has speeded up, then re-engage. Though I do appreciate that this would be more difficult for a lorry if the inner lane is occupied by nose-to-tail HGVs. But then if it had suddenly speeded up there would be space behind it.

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Wed 15 Aug 2018 17:42
Elephant Racing - galileo

..... you can show us how not to elephant race when the person who was travelling several mph slower than you suddenly speeds up and keeps you out there.

It's quite simple really. It occasionally happens to me in a car when creeping past another car. If I am holding people up who wish to exceed the speed limit I can disengage the cruise control and drop back behind the car that has speeded up, then re-engage. Though I do appreciate that this would be more difficult for a lorry if the inner lane is occupied by nose-to-tail HGVs. But then if it had suddenly speeded up there would be space behind it.

In support of GB's post, the problem for a long lorry that's been hung out by one that speeds up is that the gap behind it will often have been filled by a tailgater.

Watch any motorway from an overbridge and count how many vehicles (cars, vans or trucks) actually leave the recommended 2 second gap. Also, a safe separation for trucks behind cars is more like 4 seconds.

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Wed 15 Aug 2018 19:27
Elephant Racing - gordonbennet

John F is quite right, i do know how to deal with being hung out (good turn of phrase that Galileo), but i'll be interested to see how thousands of car and white van drivers cope with having to do this themselves, when every one else is limited the same...only they arn't limited quite the same and this is where the elephant racing gets going, limiters will apply differently, more so on a car without a caibrated speeedo, tyres wear and when you're stuck at 68.9mph you too will find a line of cars nose to tail at 69.6 mph either side of you and NO, no one wants to give way nor does anyone take any notice of indicators any more.

Enjoy when it's your turn, the practice is not quite the same as the theory..:-)

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