People overtaking in 30 zones

On my commute it’s mostly urban roads with regularly spaced traffic islands/bollards, and have had drivers overtake me on the wrong side of the bollards as I trundle along at 30mph.

The newly 20mph limit (used to be 30) in my part of SE London is an interesting place to observe… most, I think will drive around 30, some stick to 20, some are doing 40+.

I suspect to a small minority of stupid/psychotic people, speed limits are seen as some kind of challenge to their freedom and when they see a 20 or 30 limit their response is to drive faster as some kind of protest/stick it to the man effort. Maybe we can include an immaturity test in the driving test?

Given the efforts so far of our political class to solve dangerous driving, self-driving cars seem like a more likely solution to this problem than hiking up the standards of the driving test or more police… bring them on. Tests are already underway in the UK…

I usually ride to work or get the train. On Tuesday I took my car to the garage for it’s MOT so I had to drive in the morning rush hour – bloody pandemonium – people driving with so much emotion and no sense! – I’m so glad I hardly drive these days

I think someone on here mentioned using rear foglights (only if there is one either side of course) to faux brake. People do seem to get puzzled if you do this and accelerate at the same time!

I guess this could be filed under ‘driving like a dick in the same way the person behind is doing’ couldn’t it?

As above aggravating someone else when you are both engaged in a potentially dangerous activity is the mark of a premier-league bell end

Jeeeessssss, not yet another thread for the self righteous to vent their frustrations on yet another person who’s driven in a way they don’t personally like? Sounding like the Jeremy Vine show on here at the moment 🙄

It is funny tho. Maybe BMW lady won’t tailgate as much anymore after her lovely interior (and kids) got soaked? Maybe not.. but it was funny seeing steam coming out of her ears. It made me feel better anyway knowing I had inconvenienced her in some way.

Jeeeessssss, not yet another thread for the self righteous to vent their frustrations on yet another person who’s driven in a way they don’t personally like? Sounding like the Jeremy Vine show on here at the moment

Other STW Motoring threads are available…

Jeeeessssss, not yet another thread for the self righteous to vent their frustrations on yet another person who’s driven in a way they don’t personally like? Sounding like the Jeremy Vine show on here at the moment

It’s not about liking it or not, most of the driving folk are talking about in this thread is illegal. I can sort of see an argument for why motorways should be 80mph speed limit or whatever but 30mph zones exist for a good reason.

Complete sh##ts to break a speed limit. I have a stretch near me that has a 30 limit that often sees tossers overtaking me . I wait until I see a twitch or an indicator then indicate right and flick the fogs on. That buggers them up nicely

OP,

Stay calm nothing to worry too much.

Just drive your car defensively by sticking to the limit.

If other drivers want to break the limit let them be as they are the ones that are going to run over someone not you.

If people want to run into the street let them be so long as you are not the one driving over them. Others will run over them like road kill so let them be.

As they say … chill man … chilllll …

You do the speed limit anywhere and you’ll get someone right up behind you looking angry.

As a safety precaution, I reduce my speed further in such circumstances…

What really pisses me off are the people who just sit at 40.

The road from work to my house goes from 60-40-30-40 and the number of people who just sit at 40 just amazes me.

I overtake them in the 60, and then by the end of the 30 they are up my chuff!

Either that or they steam past you in the 30 bit, then are under your feet still doing the same 40mph once you’re in the NSL. So, what, you’re speeding, performing a risky overtake, and still going to get to where you’re going later than if you’d driven at the limits? People, I swear.

Is there a regional aspect to this? I see little of this here in Scotland.

Best one ever was someone overtaking on the way to Gisburn – 30mph zone through Sawley village – that is really going to make mtbers popular with the locals. He then blasts off into the distance down narrow lanes with blind bends.

All for about 1 minute time gain. We did a steady safe drive to the forest and as we drove past Cocklett he had just about finished parking. Twunt.

I wait until I see a twitch or an indicator then indicate right and flick the fogs on. That buggers them up nicely

As a safety precaution, I reduce my speed further in such circumstances…

And you guys think you are better drivers than the people overtaking you? You need to take a look at your attitudes too.

[Quote] As a safety precaution, I reduce my speed further in such circumstances…

And you guys think you are better drivers than the people overtaking you? You need to take a look at your attitudes too. [/Quote]

That’s actually the correct hing to do, as per the highway code iirc.

Differences seem to be more local than that. There’s a 30mph limit all the way from my old house in Balerno into the centre of Edinburgh and I’d regularly get overtaken when adhering to the speed limit (and allowing for speedo error).

That’s actually the correct hing to do, as per the highway code iirc.

The Highway Code tells you to slow down if someone is driving too close to your tailgate?

168
Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.

Ahh, slowing down to let a vehicle pass is a different situation to what I assumed was being described above where the driver advocates slowing down merely to irritate the other driver – the sentiment I assumed the above poster was making.

But I could never see a situation where (realistically) someone driving a car in a 30mph zone at 30mph should ever have to slow down to let another vehicle overtake.

Slowing down makes sense. Stopping distance are determined by speed. If the driver behind is driving too close for the speed we are doing then I’ll slow down to a more suitable speed for his stopping distance.

(I realise no one actually bothers with a two-second stopping distance, but once it gets into the sub-500ms range it is too damn close!)

Why would someone be driving driving on your tailgate if they aren’t trying to get past you?

@GrahamS I wager you would be failed on a driving test if you did that.

Scotroutes – see my above post – I don’t see why a road user should have to slow to allow such a driver past – see the first part of the text you posted If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed[/i]

Yep and they’d have failed theirs for driving too close.

Two second stopping distance at 30 mph is 26.8 metres.
Some people seem happy to leave less than a metre. 🙁

Yep and they’d have failed theirs for driving too close.

Agreed there.

Ahh, slowing down to let a vehicle pass is a different situation to what I assumed was being described above where the driver advocates slowing down merely to irritate the other driver – the sentiment I assumed the above poster was making.

No, I meant what I said. If someone is tailgating me, they are increasing the risk of an accident, so it makes sense for me to reduce speed in order to mitigate it.

On my speed awareness course the instructor advocated pulling over when you’re being tailgated and just let the idiot be on their way. takes away the conflict and a lot less stressful for you.
I’ve done it a few times and can recommend it… it makes life a lot easier. Why prolong the stress?

johndoh

@GrahamS I wager you would be failed on a driving test if you did that.

I recently took my test – the line is, if you’re being tailgated, you increase the distance to the car in front, so that you won’t need to brake as hard if anything happens.

I had a massive tipper truck tailgating me on an A road at 60 the other day. I was cruising in the MX5, top down, hair blowing in the wind – as you do.
Getting tailgated by something that big when I’m in my ladies go-kart isn’t very pleasant.

Anyway, they overtook me and the car in front in a single overtake that had someone on the other side of the road slam on the brakes and beep horn etc.

Watched him do another few dodgy overtakes ahead.

Eventually all the other cars between us turned off and I kept cruising along at 60 (I just keep it sitting at 60 all the time – the fun for me is going round the corners at 60).

Just as we got to the roundabout to go on the motorway they were right in front of me, waiting to go on – this was about 20 mins after they overtook me.

His dodgy driving didn’t really help him get anywhere faster.

Driving standards seem to be on the same downward curve as humility, graciousness and consideration towards fellow bean s. Could be they are all related…could be I’m another ageing fart harping on about the good old days, but I get close-passed on my bike in 30 zones all the time, and they ain’t doing 30.

Dear fellas, I can’t believe how fast things move on the outside. I saw an automobile once when I was a kid, but now they’re everywhere. The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry.

Why would someone be driving driving on your tailgate if they aren’t trying to get past you?

Because they are idiots who are either texting, faceaching, instachatting or whatever they do and driving is the last thing on their mind.

simmy – Member

Why would someone be driving driving on your tailgate if they aren’t trying to get past you?

Because they are idiots who are either texting, faceaching, instachatting or whatever they do and driving is the last thing on their mind. [/quote]

Or they don’t have any idea about stopping distance thinking that a car can stop immediately whenever they brake.

I get tailgate all the time not because I am driving slow, I am not, but for whatever reason people just misjudge the stopping distance. I either speed up a little to keep the distance or slow down to let them pass.

😯

I speed everywhere because:
a) I can get away with it. b) modern cars can handle it. c) there is little to stop me from doing so.
The near future will bring automatic speed limiters fitted to your car and a bit further on, self driving cars, the later of which I am really looking forward to, I can black out the windows and watch porn on my boring commute.
Driving is no longer a pleasure it is a chore and for these last remaining years I will continue to speed on an early Sunday morning when every other bod is still in bed and no one else is one the road.
F.U you boring heath and safety toupee wearing old men.

I speed everywhere because:
a) I can get away with it. b) modern cars can handle it. c) there is little to stop me from doing so……..

F.U you boring heath and safety toupee wearing old men.

Thank you, you’ve made my night. Welcome to Sanctimonious Track World. 🙂

chrismac – Member
The trouble round where I live is that speed limits that have been in place for 30 years have suddenly and for no apparent reason be reduced by between 10 and 20 mph. Given that nothing has appeared to change with either the road or the use of the land either side of it then I find it difficult to see the reduction as having anything to do with road safety and everything to do with cash generation.

The city ringroad has been 70 for the last 30 years, now they have increased the number of lanes its a 40
– Reducing noise for surrounding residential areas?
– As a reaction to accidents in the area?
– Controlling the flow of traffic joining roads in the area to reduce congestion?

There is normally a reason behind speed limit changes. You might not be aware of it, or agree with it, but it will have been done for a reason.

The road is rural and doesnt have any houses along that stretch, just fields and no accidents before or since.

There is no rational reason for it. Even the council when asked couldnt come up with one.

As for the ringroad its has been a disaster, wider and slower and it spend more time resembling a car park than a road. It used to flow reasonably well, now its a crawl at best during peak times that didnt happen a year ago when it was 70

Only selfish morans speed in a 30 mph area.

F.U you boring heath and safety toupee wearing old men.

Well done for perfectly proving Malvern Rider’s point. 🙄

Me, me, me, screw everyone else.

I wager you would be failed on a driving test if you did that.

I also concur that slowing down is the correct thing to do as per driving instruction. Make more distance/ available stopping time.

Thing is tail gating must work or people wouldnt do it. I slow down but most people must speed up or jump out of the way or something otherwise people wouldnt do it.