Yes BB, absolutely. The really frightening thing about people who drive along slowly and then accelerate while they are being overtaken is that some of them don't even know they are doing it, just as they don't know when their speed is fluctuating pointlessly.
Driving test of course doesn't cover anything much to do with preoper driving. It ought to.
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>>Driving test of course doesn't cover anything much to do with preoper driving. It ought to.
It can't prevent bad manners.
In response to the question, being overtaken by somebody who is prepared to risk his life (in a way that the overtaker may not view as being particularly risky, but in a way that the overtakee may view as risky) more than you are prepared to can be frightening.
On another matter, why bother overtaking? Coming down the A9 recently, in an endless queue of cars doing 60mph, or nearly, there was the odd nutter who spent the whole time pushing his way up the queue. Over 70 miles, with a lot of wasted effort and petrol he might have managed to win a couple of miles. Pointless.
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In my case yesterday, it wasn't an endless queue -- just 4 or 5 cars behind a horse box. All spread out and ambling with no intention of going quicker.
I've had many people speed up / gap close on me before, which is lethal.
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They're dunderheads, pure & simple. They've either not got the wit or 'courage' to overtake themselves or their cars lack power - in which case an overtaker arouses feelings of inferiority and/or envy. Both rather unhelpful emotions when driving.
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Well - two answers so far. One is that they are stupid / dunderheads, and the other is that they lack good manners. Both probably true.
But in a sense, that doesn't answer the question. What is it that upsets these people? Why do they get so bothered?
Perhaps a survey could be done. Registration numbers of the annoyed could be recorded, and then the owners traced and interviewed by police psychologists. I'm sure the report would make fascinating reading, but somehow I can't see the powers that be commissioning such a survey :-)
Ah well, one can but dream.
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They're idiots, basically. The kind of people you really don't want to meet while filtering on a motorbike.
If I'm in the car and something quicker (car or bike) wants to come past, I'll make it as easy for them as possible, whether it's getting as far left as safely possible, or being sure to leave a comfortable gap in front of me for them to get into. Mind you tailgating and swerving all over the road, as some impatient overtakers do, doesn't do much for my goodwill. I don't believe I've ever tried to kill anyone though, which has certainly been done to me particularly on the bike.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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If it is everything that you describe, then I don't understand their attitude. However in my experience when you have a line of traffic like this, then most time the overtaker causes the other cars to brake and take evasive action.
You might see that there is a gap between cars, but that could be the next driver's braking distance so he needs to brake, so is upset at you taking his space.
I must admit it annoys me when someone is overtaking when I am not, if I have taken the decision that it is not safe to do so.
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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I must admit it annoys me when someone is overtaking when I am not if I have taken the decision that it is not safe to do so.
But you have to remember that different cars have vastly different power outputs. An overtake which may be deemed unsafe for a Skoda Fabia diesel might be completely safe in a BMW M3, for example.
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I live in Cheshire and the single carriageway roads don't have many good overtaking spots - what particularly annoys me is people who will cross solid white lines into hatched areas to overtake.
OK, you can see it's clear, but most people obey the law and don't use those areas so they get full of small stones which get sprayed all over the overtaken cars if someone does venture in there.
The A556 outside the quarry at Delamere is particularly bad for this, and if someone is pressing behind me then I indicate right now to try to stop them overtaking me there.
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They are ignorant idiots with small minds is the answer. Just overtake safely and ignore them.
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I think they just don't know how to overtake, it's becoming a lost skill.
I've lost count of the number of times i've been with other drivers who don't appear to know you get more acceleration when you change down, they refuse to go any where near the red line, and if you tell them to floor it in second they're physically frightened by the acceleration.
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Spot on OldHand. I spend lots of time driving the A65 between the Lakes & Skipton. If it is a long queue I sit patiently in my old Defender, wind down the window, (the winder is down by my ankles) count sheep or listen to a CD. Five cars or less, and after a few safe overtaking opportunities and no one has overtaken the tractor/livestock wagon in front, I overtake one or two at a time providing they have ample space between, and keep a very wary eye out for bikers in both directions. Funny how those motorists in a supposedly higher powered car can only go fast on a dual carriageway or if they have a clear road in front of them.
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why bother overtaking? Coming down the A9 recently in an endless queue of cars doing 60mph or nearly there was the odd nutter who spent the whole time pushing his way up the queue.
Of course all adults will agree that in heavy traffic, especially when it isn't mimsing as you rather idealistically suggest, you might as well lie back and enjoy it because when you have got past one mimser there are still all the others. Just not worth the stress and petrol.
However there are many other occasions when someone making progress overtakes a slower vehicle safely on a single carriageway. You seem to be suggesting that people overtaken are within their rights to jump sky-high and get indignant just because they haven't looked in their mirrors and can't read the road. Don't agree with you there. And if the driving test covered actual driving these people might not be in the way and in some carp dream world.
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Last year I was following a coach and a Rover 75 over the North Yorks moors. I pulled out, realised not enough time to clear both so pulled back in behind the Rover. When we got to the next decent straight the rover and I both pulled out, and I floored it in third to minimise my time on th wrong side as it were. I anticipated he would do the same, but no, this flat hat wearer eased passed the coach at 49.5 mph, and then pulled in so close in front of the bus I still had to pass him. Because he took so long I was left on the wrong side of a solid white line, and required a change of underwear at the end of the journey (having safely squeezed back onto the correct side of the road). To this day I am sure he passed slowly because he could see I wanted to pass him.
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Had this today on a Dual Carriageway, toodling along on the bike in lane 2, held up by a slow mover, I'd left enough of a gap between me and him (he being a very large lorry), this black Audi A3 whizzed in on my nearside into the gap, bike up to speed a bit later and for some reason this clown was back in lane 1, I whizz past and he's mouthing stuff at me....what's wrong with these people ? I was riding very defensively, on a bike speed is a very good defence at times.
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Had this happen to me as well. Followed a Mondeo up a road, with it making rather stately progress of less than 30mph on the speedo, even though it was a straight and long road - the driver was in not hurry.
We came up to a set of lights, with me hanging back, as I do to save fuel and make my driving smoother etc. As the lights went amber he was stopped and I still had some momentum so a selected 2nd and nailed the throtle, as this was a safe manuvre. I sail passed him.
The mondeo then proceedes to tailget me and then races off into the distance at about 50mph, in a manic hurry.
What is the matter with these unstable people?
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Torque means nothing without RPM
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We came up to a set of lights with me hanging back as I do to save fuel and make my driving smoother etc. As the lights went amber he was stopped and I still had some momentum so a selected 2nd and nailed the throtle as this was a safe manuvre. I sail passed him.
Overtaking across a set of lights (junction?) sounds a bit dangerous to me.
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Good point Aprilia.
The set of lights is at a standard crossroads where 2 roads cross, before I committed to my overtaking manuvure I made sure the other car was past the junction - and so not likley to veer off and take the right hand turning.
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Torque means nothing without RPM
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the rover and I both pulled out
I do hope that was a one-off abberation on your part - it's *extremely* dangerous to follow someone like that. You should have waited until the Rover was clear past the bus and then overtaken.
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The Rover probably did pass at an indicated 49mph, because that was under the speed limit and so was "safe" whereas to pass quickly would be "reckless". To the unthinking motorist, at least.
I never cease to be amazed by the number of people who overtake me in exactly this manner as I lumber along cross-country roads laden down with dogs and dog gear. Keeping left doesn't help, indicating left to show I'm allowing them pass doesn't help, oncoming tractors don't encourage them to get a move on either. Whhhyyyy?
As to the "Micra drivers" referred to earlier who lose the plot when overtaken, my guess is they've decided its dangerous to overtake anything on a single-lane road, so are convinced you've risked life and limb - yours and theirs alike - by doing so.
It also has to be said that many drivers who overtake lines of slow moving traffic are in the habit of passing as many cars as possible and only jinking back into the line of traffic if there's an oncoming vehicle. To the tootling Micra motorist who hasn't been paying attention, that seems an awful lot like being cut up, hence the flashing and honking.
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On another matter why bother overtaking? Coming down the A9 recently in an endless queue of cars doing 60mph or nearly there was the odd nutter who spent the whole time pushing his way up the queue. Over 70 miles with a lot of wasted effort and petrol he might have managed to win a couple of miles. Pointless.
It's not pointless, it's damn good fun.
Undertaking a perfect, well timed and completely safe overtake in a powerful car is one of motorings few remaining pleasures. If I am in a long queue of reasonably spaced out traffic, and I see a safe gap and can make a safe overtake, I will. Becuase flooring the throttle = enjoyable.
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Can't say I've really noticed all these people flashing lights and waving arms. Then again I tend not to bother 'hopping' along a line of cars all doing 60mph - you end up burning an extra gallon of fuel and end up 5 cars ahead. If I overtake it tends to be swift and I put a good distance between myself and the vehicle I'm overtaking before I pull back in. I think drivers tend to get irate if you overtake and then cut in.
As I've posted on here before, I was once unfortunate enough to witness a head-on crash on the A6 in Derbyshire. I was in a queue of slow moving traffic (behind a big truck going up a modest hill). Guy at the back in BMW decides its safe to overtake and floors the throttle. Gets past about 3-4 cars and is up to around 70mph, very slight curve to the left in the road and truck obscuring view. Ploughs head on into an on-coming Pug estate car and a 9 year old girl was killed. He had time to do something but I think he froze - the lady driving the Pug did hit the brakes and was sliding to a halt when he hit her.
Oddly enough I nearly witnessed another head-on today. guy in a Passat overtook a car in the face of an on-coming Discovery and missed it by the thickness of fag paper.
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It's worse in England, but seemingly not so in Scotland. Up there most drivers will pull slightly left and/or leave you a gap.
I suspect it is because they're expecting you to overtake and are used to people doing it.
In 'nanny' England it's the opposite.
I carry on regardless and ignore them. They can flash their headlights and mutter as much as they like, it's already been forgotten. You're perfectly entitled to overtake if you wish and it's not for anyone else to decide to become a rolling road block just because they don't have the confidence or skill or inclination to do so. Selfish gits.
I can remember driving through Glen Coe in Scotland a couple of years ago at the back of a 6 car queue driving quite swiftly (despite nipping along nicely 3 of them had overtaken me), we all caught up a total 'Albert Rosser'. Every time someone overtook, he'd hover out towards the crown of the road and there'd be all sorts of arm waving and headlamp flashing. I got caught behind him for 400-500 yards (solid white lines over a bridge) and when i went he did the same. What a muppet. Bone dry straight road, enormous amount of vision, bright clear day, 90mph wouldn't have been that out of place and he wants everyone to conform to his 50mph.
Speed kills don't forget.
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It's worse in England but seemingly not so in Scotland. Up there most drivers will pull slightly left
That's probably an effect of all those police signs, in the remoter parts, that hammer home the message that it's the leading car's duty to pull over when one car follows another. Something that could usefully be made universal.
I don't know what's wrong on Skye though; you can pull over and slow to 20 on the most overtakable road imaginable - and they all pull in behind you....??
>>Bone dry straight road enormous amount of vision bright clear day 90mph wouldn'thave been that out of place
Don't forget that they don't need cameras because they enforce the limits with sacrificial Speed Sheep hiding behind every tussock. Effective against nearly all evasion techniques.
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well it depends
sometimes if the lorry/car/whatever in front is only doing 10 mph slower than the limit/what i would do otherwise/safe speed and there is marginal extra risk/hassle in overtaking and you can see you will end up in a similar situation again shortly afterward, then mostly what is the point of all the stress overtaking, the likely outcome is only a few cars length further ahead when you get to the next bit of open road - if some young toe rag in his focus ST or whatever comes barging through he will make himself look like an out of control richard head - normally wouldnt bother to flash unless he is cutting the gaps a bit too close
lots of people do not appear to know how to overtake safely
on the other hand pottering around way below safe speed, or staying at 45 through the 60/70 and 30 limits, is worse
i dont overtake absolutely every time i have an opportunity, whats the point
but, i do often make good progress and smoothly work my way through traffic and get my fair share of idiots lamp flashing, normally from the same folk who pull into the next village going the wrong way up a one way street etc
risking a head on collision should be an automatic ban in my book
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Wisdom and caution come with age and experience. Driving standards have declined and are still declining.
Years ago I used to overtake whole lines of mimsers in the sort of low-powered vehicles I often drove, Citroen Dyane, Skoda Estelle and so on. But I do it very, very cautiously these days. Once on the A29 I was going past about six 40mph mimsers when the second from the front, a Renault 4 with a family in it, pulled out in front of my Dyane (doing 55ish and accelerating hard). I saw my own tyre smoke in the rv mirror as I put two wheels on the opposite road verge, the Renault pulled back in and I just managed to get in front of it before the car coming the other way reached us.
Only on arrival did I notice that the Dyane's n/s front wing was slightly bent along with the bumper, having hit the rear corner of the Renault. No wonder the family in it had all looked so traumatised.
Things have got even worse since then. You have to restrain yourself these days because people are wallies, or about a third of them are anyway.
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Maybe people are happy because they have obeyed all the advice and left a reasonable distance between themselves and the cars in front and behind, as well as telling themselves that passing a couple of cars in a five-car queue behind a lorry might only gain them 30 spare seconds in this life - then someone with less forethought goes and pushes into their safety space.
Just a thought...
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When you are content with the speed of the line of traffic you are in, mh, and someone who isn't content with it is trying to get past the line so that they can continue at a more correct cruising speed, and then has to pull in because something appears over the horizon coming the other way, they may have to pull in before the front of the line. The space they pull into, if there is one, is not the exclusive 'safety space' of the car behind it. It is the safety space of the car that pulls into it too. If that closes the space up too much, surely the right foot eases a bit to open things out again?
Of course people who leave a decent space between themselves and the car they are following are to be congratulated. Many do not, as we have all been saying. But having left a decent space, why get possessive about it?
It's just a space for pity's sake. Plenty of space all around.
Blasphemous comment substituted - DD}
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As I said, just a thought...:-)
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Yes, sorry mh, I don't mean to imply that you are yourself foolishly possessive about space... :o)
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It's just a space for pity's sake. Plenty of space all around.
It is just a space, but for those few seconds it takes to fade back safely and regain your safe stopping distance without compromising the cars behind, you're in the wrong in the event of an emergency brake where the laws of physics win. The driver that created this situation is probably far more likely to cause this too based on very recent behaviour, so the chances of you having a rear-ender are massively (albeit briefly) increased so somebody else can gain one unsafe car length. That's where the frustration comes from - not the process of being overtaken, but that someone has taken pointless advantage of your safe driving and put you at risk in the process.
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If people drove according to the highway code this situation wouldn't occur.
The safety zone around my car isn't fixed and it's something within my control at all times- informed by observation. The actions of someone safely overtaking don't compromise it as I've already compensated and facilitated their overtake.
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I completely agree, and the actions of someone safely overtaking don't cause problems as you can see their intentions in avance and account for them. The problem comes when somebody decides to swerve out from behind you without warning, flash past and then jam themselves in and brake hard to avoid piling into the car in front before you've had a chance to fall back sufficiently - you have to react at least as quickly as them in order to keep things safe but as they're not acting with safety in mind that becomes extremely difficult without causing knock-on effects for the traffic behind you.
I have all the time in the world for people who overtake safely and considerately, but none whatsoever for lunatics who want things their own way with no reference to or consideration for other road users.
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>>then someone with less forethought goesand pushes into their safety space.
While not advocating aggressive driving I'd refer people who think like this to the highway code. It's up to you to facilitate an overtaker and if that means lengthening your safety gap by easing off then sobeit.
www.highwaycode.gov.uk/15.htm#144
the problem is many people have no idea what it says in the highway code particularly the numpties that close up to stop overtakers.
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I always leave lots of space in front for overtakers to pull into. When doing my IAM stuff I was taught all about leaving safety zones front & rear, and even with my succession of lowish powered vehicles I can make satisfactory progress. This AM I was 4th in a queue behind a wide vehicle with escort, and nothing overtook despite several very safe opportunities.By this I mean 3/4 mile clear sightlines with NSL. At the next opportunity I went myself...overtook 3 cars, wide load, then the switched on driver of the slow escort vehicle indicated and pulled over from his central position to let me safely past.
If I can do this in an old Defender it shows a sad lack of driver awareness for those in front of me, and increasing frustration for those behind.
Whether anyone was upset at being overtaken I have'nt a clue, nor would I care.
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We should all be grateful to the compulsive overtaker. Thanks to them we now have crumple zones, abs, traction control and airbags.
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Amen to that. Though we should all drive as though we don't have any of those safety features.
Thinking about it, I don't know whether I even have one of them.
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We should all be grateful to the compulsive overtaker. Thanks to them we now have crumple zones abs traction control and airbags.
don't necessarily agree..........not everyone who overtakes is going to have an accident. It can hone your skills and keen drivers can acquire a high level of ability. The mimser who only ever toodles about and does not have the confidence to overtake, can easily be the one who will come to grief when changing circumstances force an emergency reaction....and they don't know how to react. They are then the ones who need the crumple zone etc.
You create your own luck, whether by restraint when necessary or acquiring skill. That doesn't mean having to drive like a nun.
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Whilst being overtaken in itself doesn't bother me one bit, I do get really annoyed at the arrogance of those who see fit to encroach on 'my' safety zone by cutting in too quickly. I suspect that its this and also the often pointless rush to overtake (screaming engines with only a foot or two to spare) is what irritates me most. Also, as demonstrated in a few posts here, the over confident 'clever dick' who thinks he's a better driver for being capable of carrying out such a daring & difficult manouvre.
Hardly a day goes by when I don't get this happening while I'm doing 50 or so down the by-pass and someone is furiously trying to do 52.
Also, this behaviour is not limited to youngsters.
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Whilst being overtaken in itself doesn't bother me one bit I do get really annoyed at the arrogance of those who see fit to encroach on 'my' safety zone by cutting in too quickly.
your safety zone ought to be constantly changing as you re-assess hazards. It would be easy to drop back a bit when you notice the overtaking car start its' manouver i.e. facilitate their progress, unless of course you'd rather not and try to impede their progress as many do
I suspect that its this and also the often pointless rush to overtake (screaming engines with only a foot or two to spare) is what irritates me most.
who says it's pointless......you?....... Why should everyone else have to conform to your ideals?...Sometimes you use the full rev range to minimise the time you're on the other side of the road and particularly if a gaggle of vehicles don't leave gaps or as increasingly happens one or more deliberately closes the gap
Also as demonstrated in a few posts here the over confident 'clever dick' who thinks he's a better driver for being capable of carrying out such a daring & difficult manouvre.
Some people can drive badly whether they overtake or not...but equally so, non overtakers can drive badly and some overtakers can be perfectly competent drivers who wish to make better progress....a past time catered for in the Highway Code, accepted practice in many countries, if not most.... and perfectly legal.
Also this behaviour is not limited to youngsters.
I should hope not, people of all ages can be keen drivers and wish to use their vehicles performance to overtake slower traffic when they wish to and the conditions permit.
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Doesn't really bother me except when the car I'm overtaking thinks that it's clever to floor it just as I pull alongside.
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I have to drive into Lincolnshire quite a bit and see a lot of bad overtaking. Basically they start an overtake without being able to see that the road ahead is clear to complete the move. Then an oncoming car 'appears' (from around a bend or on a crest) - cue frantic cut-in. I am a past IAM Observer and always leave plenty of room and don't mind 'giving it up' - but that should not include having to stamp on the brakes as someone's tail lights narrowly miss my front RH bumper corner.
Let's be honest, its a mix of impatience and over-confidence that causes people to do this. I rountinely overtake, but I'd rather wait 5 mins for a clear spot than attempt an overtake where forward visibility is poor.
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but I'd rather wait 5 mins for a clear spot than attempt an overtake where forward visibility is poor.
So would any adult or experienced brisk driver Aprilia.
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>>>your safety zone ought to be constantly changing as you re-assess hazards.<<<
Exactly my point. The overtaking vehicle has generated a hazard by reducing my braking distance.
The highway code is quite clear that you should not cause others to brake or swerve to avoid you. I concede that its nigh on impossible to do so in todays dense traffic.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not in the slightest bit bothered by correct, appropriate and safe overtaking, its just that its such a rare event to see.
Also, regarding your comment "Who says so...you?" You bet its me! Its my family & I that are being put at risk so I have every right to think & say so.
Hardly a day goes by when I'm astounded by how close these idiots come up to my tail before violently swerving into the other lane, smoke pouring from their exhaust and pulling back in with inches to spare. A clear demonstration of panic & bad judgment of the pace at which their overtaking together with the inability to judge the clearance needed to pull in front of me safely.
Obviously, if the manouvre is carried out correctly and safely and DOESN'T encroach on my braking zone then its of no concern to me whatsoever.
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Your 'braking zone' isn't fixed and you should take account of the actions of an overtaker (even one you regard to be rash) and lengthen it. As the better driver it's upto you to make the road a safer place.
I'd also refer you to this I posted earlier.
www.highwaycode.gov.uk/15.htm#144
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I don't get upset by being overtaken. I'd rather have some hot headed loon in front of me and going away than 6 feet off my rear bumper being a chav!
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driller,
I suspect we're mostly in agreement then.....but......my pet hate is having a long journey to do on an 'A' road, being lucky enough to own a half decent car and be reasonably well trained in using it .... and finding a snake of vehicles right up each other's backsides, showing no inclination to overtake and not leaving any gap or any gap worth considering.
or even worse, there is/was a gap and some clown closes it on purpose to prevent you from being able to use it
i think it's selfish........in the same fashion that overtaking badly can be selfish
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>>>your safety zone ought to be constantly changing as you re-assess hazards.<<< Exactly my point. The overtaking vehicle has generated a hazard by reducing my braking distance. The highway code is quite clear that you should not cause others to brake or swerve to avoid you. I concede that its nigh on impossible to do so in todays dense traffic.
driller, I agree with you completely on this. This is the case even with so called 'responsible drivers' who think they are 100% safe but have never given it a single thought. It's not just the reckless ones. The trouble for you and me is that we don't know in advance which drivers are going to pull back in too soon. So should we hit the brakes every time someone overtakes us?
To the OP, this has to be the reason people are flashing you. You are cutting in too soon. Why else would anyone flash?
>So I do my usual stepwise overtaking to get past the queue -- without cutting in, and ONLY when I am not causing any other driver to have to swerve / brake / take any avoiding action.
It's likely that they don't have to swerve/brake to avoid hitting you, but they probably do have to brake to regain their safe stopping distance. Two different things. Just because you can get past without hitting anything doesn't mean it's safe. In other words, one car can follow another with only 3 car lengths separating them all day without having an 'accident' but only if the leading car doesn't have to stop. Perhaps you yourself are prepared to take the risk, but you shouldn't force the overtaken car to take the same risk.
My point is that these overtakers don't necessarily have an arrogant mindset. They simply have not thought about the overtaking process and were never taught about this when learning to drive. Let's face it - the highway code is very vague and can be interpreted in many ways. The 'violent swerving' types are a small minority. It's the 'good' drivers who annoy me when they leave me 3 car lengths stopping distance.
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Rich66 and other people - I agree in a the perfect world which you (apparently) live in people would react in the way you propose.
The thread started by asking the question why do people get so angry when you overtake. In the world where we are all the people who are overtaken are perfectly rational and do things by the book rich66 post would answer the question that started this thread.
However I have a feeling that people are not rational and we don't live in a perfect world - a world that the overtaken are angry even when not put in any danger what so ever.
Personally I hate being overtaken if I am in a line of cars that are holding me up since I can't see an overtaking oportunity, and then someone overtakes me and 'pushes' in front of me.
We are nowhere nearer to answering the question of why some people who potter about NSL roads get so angry when someone overtakes them safely, in the absence of anything holding the slower car up - just crazy behavour.
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Torque means nothing without RPM
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I know i'm not the OP, but...... the problem with this subject is this:
The overtaken car driver, ought to be able to see the overtaking manouever 'before' it's even happened. They should notice the car behind positioning itself, maybe the driver checking mirrors, in other words preparing for an overtake. Similarly if someone caught you up quite quickly, there's an indication they might want to overtake.
Most of the time it should not be much of a surprise when the overtake happens. Mostly, if you're surprised by it, you are not paying enough attention to what's going on. (I do appreciate some people do drive like total clowns and they are harder to spot).
If someone is preparing for an overtake and you aren't preparing for one yourself......THEN LET THEM DO IT......try to help them, throttle off a bit, leave a decent gap. There shouldn't be any need for any braking by the overtaken car, unless of course you're too close to the vehicle in front anyway.
The 'brakers' on overtakes are usually only necessary because soemone else hasn't left a decent gap. Once you get to the situation where 4 or more cars are trundling along nose to tail, too close, unless you've got an awesome accelerating car, the overtaker has to either have to abandon all hope of an overtake at all or be prepared to pull in and cause someone to brake.
Not ideal, to do this, but similarly not ideal for selfishness/ignorance in the people driving too close together.
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Well said, Westpig.
Unfortunately, there are far too many cars on the road in top gear with their drivers minds are in neutral. Good observation and anticipation are skills which require some effort on the part of the driver. Sadly, in-car toys, gadgets and passengers seem to occupy many drivers' minds at the expense of roadcraft.
Speaking, tangentially, of Roadcraft, I have found that the 'correct' use of the horn or lights when overtaking can actually make the overtaken driver react in an aggressive manner!
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grateful to the compulsive overtaker. Thanks to them we now have crumple zones abs traction control and airbags.
With all the weight, complexity and expense they imply. I would rather cars were lighter, cheaper, more athletic and more economical.
The manufacturers do very well considering. But I don't like the obese tendency of the modern automobile. I have said so here many times. Don't expect everyone to understand though.
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BTW legacylad, if you don't think your old Defender has crumple zones, try giving the side of a front wheelarch a sharp thump with the side of your fist!
Great stuff, that Birmabrite - at least it doesn't rust when the paint cracks off...;-)
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To be honest this thread puzzles me. I spend most of my driving time on single carriageway roads and overtake quite frequently and I can't remember the last time I overtook someone and they flashed their lights - in fact in over 30 years of driving I don't think its ever happened. I really don't think its that common.
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Can't say I've noticed it a lot either but I have seen it occur in my rear view mirror when other people have undertaken what looked like a neat and safe overtake to me.
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