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To make the point that you’re in the middle lane of the motorway yet shouldn’t be.
there it is; exactly the point i was about to make.
The absolute worst thing about this is when you move from a car with cruise to a car without and you find yourself doing it, unable to stop yourself only recognising it when you notice that car you just overtook is pulling out to overtake you.... you think "what an idiot whys he speeding up now when i've just overtaken", and glance at your speedo and realise you've slowed.
I think many drivers have poorer eyesight than they're willing to admit and simply can't read their speedometer (digital or otherwise).
They rely on the car in front to moderate their speed and just go flat out until they catch someone up.
Car drivers I think its the catch up mentality, i.e. when someone is ahead they are a target to catch, once caught and passed there is no target so they slow, also agin they don’t adapt their throttle input to the changing gradient.
I think this is spot-on actually.
Must be some latent competitive urge.
mahalo
To make the point that you’re in the middle lane of the motorway yet shouldn’t be.
there it is; exactly the point i was about to make.
Thanks for playing, but nope.
Adaptive cruise control could also somewhat explain the original annoyance.
Go past a car whilst sitting in cruise at say 80 (high but using as an example)
Get past car, pull in then your car immediately slows as the next car in the lane is triggering the ACC radar.
I find this if I leave my ACC on the longest range but tbh don't use the bloody thing as it is frustrating.
Much rather use the speed limiter instead and gauge speed by conditions etc. That way if somebody comes past me I don't have the option to follow them instinctively without mashing my foot into the floor to overcome the limiter.
One that hasn’t been mentioned that also pees me off, drivers that don’t increase the acceleration when driving up a hill, often behind drivers whose speed at the top of the hill is a good 20-30 mph (nsl) less compared to the speed we were travelling at the bottom
Speed cameras? Slamming on the anchors in case there's a sneaky camera under the gantry.
One thing that I've noticed is that I like to drive at my preferred speed (assuming light traffic) whereas a lot of other drivers seem to want to drive in their preferred lane. If I'm cruising along at 70mph and there's a car in the lane going slower than that, I'll overtake (before then going back to the inside lane, I'm not a moron) and aim to maintain a steady speed. But some people just seem to stick in their lane irrespective of traffic, with their speed varying between 60 and 80. That has never made sense to me - at least from a fuel / time efficiency perspective. I suppose this might happen more now because more people have adaptive cruise control.
I can't actually remember the last time I drove on a motorway, though. September, perhaps.
To make the point that you’re in the middle lane of the motorway yet shouldn’t be.
there it is; exactly the point i was about to make.
^^^^^^^^^^^ very much this, quite often see people sat at 60 in the right hand lane for no reason whatsoever, completely oblivious to the world around them
pothead
To make the point that you’re in the middle lane of the motorway yet shouldn’t be.
there it is; exactly the point i was about to make.
^^^^^^^^^^^ very much this, quite often see people sat at 60 in the right hand lane for no reason whatsoever, completely oblivious to the world around them
Yes, er, but - as I've said before - I wasn't!
Setting the Cruise to a slightly higher speed usually solves this.
I find that the vast majority of people can’t reliably hold 70mph or chose not to at certain times. Setting it at 76/77 means that your remove a lot of the variability in speed. Most of the time, it’s you doing the overtaking.
Back when I was doing lots of motorway miles, and I discovered the wonders of cruise control, (up until last August I’d never owned a car with it fitted), I used to set it for 80mph, which related to an actual 72-74mph, according to my satnav and the make/model of car.
This meant I was staying at a comfortable speed, slightly faster than those sticking to an indicated 68-70, come hell or high water, and low enough for everyone else in vans and posh German cars to tear past and dwindle into the distance. I’ve not driven anywhere far enough on a motorway to really use it yet - maybe next year...
The problem is that no-one, absolutely no-one, actually drives at 70 on a motorway. You've got the speed-limited trucks doing mid-50s; less-confident drivers cut from the "it's a limit not a target" cloth doing 60; the self-righteous "I'm doing the speed limit, everyone else is wrong" brigade doing an indicated 70 on their overreading speedo which is actually about 65; folk playing the 10%+2 card and doing an indicated 78; the same doing an actual 78 when it's probably displaying about 85; the ones in expensive cars who are far too loaded to give a damn about any potential fines so long as they're sub-100 and not into licence-losing territory; and the very occasional one who absolutely gives zero shits, thinks they're on the Nurburgring and probably stole it.
The traffic police don't do 70 even, or they'd just end up surrounded by a little bubble of the same well-behaved drivers for miles and miles.
I try not to let others wind me up, occasionally I fail though and it’s the middle/outside lane hoggers that do it when they’re holding up a stream of vehicles.
And yes at times I do either undertake them or swing across 2 lanes and back again in front of them. Apart from that I’m pretty laid back.
If someone Overtakes and slows so what, I just go past them again.
It's perfectly acceptable to pass slower-moving traffic on the left. Just be conscious that the docile pricks probably haven't seen you and might do something random.
Used to notice a fair few of the overtake and then slow down brigade when I drove a company van with a limiter. Very annoying.
Before I had cruise control, on a long motorway drive I would often look for a car doing the speed I wanted to do (about 75mph) then use them as a pace setter. Makes for a less tiring drive where you're constantly looking at your speedo. I've noticed people doing the same to me now I've got cruise control.
One guy I used to work with admitted that on long motorway drives he would challenge himself on how long he could close his eyes for, what a cock!
It’s perfectly acceptable to pass slower-moving traffic on the left.
Its really not. Illegal and dangerous and will get you prosecuted if spotted
It’s perfectly acceptable to pass slower-moving traffic on the left.
Its really not. Illegal and dangerous and will get you prosecuted if spotted
Potentially dangerous definitely yes. The illegal part depends on your preceding actions I was told. If you have been in the left lane continuously before hand then you are not undertaking - they are in the incorrect lane. If you have been changing lanes before hand for what ever reason then it can be argued that you are undertaking. I think it would be discretion of the officer and I suspect it would be easier to prosecute you than the middle lane moron.
The problem is that no-one, absolutely no-one, actually drives at 70 on a motorway. You’ve got the speed-limited trucks doing mid-50s; less-confident drivers cut from the “it’s a limit not a target” cloth doing 60; the self-righteous “I’m doing the speed limit, everyone else is wrong” brigade doing an indicated 70 on their overreading speedo which is actually about 65; folk playing the 10%+2 card and doing an indicated 78; the same doing an actual 78 when it’s probably displaying about 85; the ones in expensive cars who are far too loaded to give a damn about any potential fines so long as they’re sub-100 and not into licence-losing territory; and the very occasional one who absolutely gives zero shits, thinks they’re on the Nurburgring and probably stole it.
The traffic police don’t do 70 even, or they’d just end up surrounded by a little bubble of the same well-behaved drivers for miles and miles.
This.
In a past life when I was doing +30k pa and before all the 'smart' tech my normal speed was as fast as was safe (aided by a radar detector) - plus as someone who'd spent a lot of time driving in Germany and the like, felt total comfortable well in excess of the speed limit.
I still speed, but no where near as I use to - but for me it's all about the conditions (probably +30 years of motorbikes mean I'm more 'appreciative' of varying conditions and their impact than the average car/van driver).
And if I catch you up on a single carriageway road, I will overtake when it's safe.
Re: passing on the left, what you do after it would matter as well.
Continue in the left lane at the same speed= no problem.
Cut across the car in the next lane to your right= definitely not on.
Also it depends why you are passing them, have you put your foot down to do it?
Or, is the guy in lane 2 or 3 slowing down for no perceptible reason.
If you’re going to do it, you need to bear in mind that a percentage of drivers don’t actually realise they’re in a car.