Scots dislike overtaking

I’ve lived here a while now and this is something I’ve come to learn through experience.

On a nice open, dry NSL you meet someone doing 40mph. Wishing to move at a higher speed you choose to overtake, look, check, indicate, overtake, pass cleanly and swiftly, pull back in miles from person to be followed by a barrage of flashing lights and fingers waved. And if you’re unlucky enough to have chosen a time when there’s someone coming the other way too, despite them being half a mile off, you get abuse from them too.

Come to a NSL road with broken-outline cross hatching designed to allow peole in a southerly direction to turn right (a whole lorry-width lane cross hatched in the middle). Person doing 30 in the NSL, not going anywhere fast. White van coming the other way but some way off, person in front not about to turn right (old woman, won’t be entering the brickworks and isn’t indicating to do so). I indicate, pull out into the hatching (which is legal if you’ve checked it’s safe to do so, which I had and it was). Almost completed my overtake, pulling back in, when the van driver gets to about 300 yards off and starts full beaming me and giving me the finger despite the fact that I’m pretty much back in my lane and have absolutely no impact on him whatsoever.

What is up with these people? Why does it seem that a significant proportion of people up here dislike people overtaking them or overtaking anywhere near them? I’ve driven all over the UK and never met an attitude like it! I’m not the kind of guy who goes for mental overtakes, I’ve a fairly slow car so I tend to go for ones that are safe, easy and obvious – if I were buzzing around people on a tight twisty NSL country road I could understand people getting twitchy but these are **** roman-road straight, wide clear roads. Very odd.

Perhaps the van driver knew you at high school ??

Perhaps the van driver knew you at high school ??

Unlikely, but possible! Doesn’t explain the rest though!

14 years of driving in Scotland and I can’t say I agree with your conclusion.

It does seems odd, were you on your iphone typing this blog at the time? Do you look famous?

What you can absolutely guarantee is that the bell end doing 40 on the NSL A-road will then maintain that speed through the 30 zone in the next village.

Mono-speeders – the curse of the A702.

Kit – Member
14 years of driving in Scotland and I can’t say I agree with your conclusion.

34 years in my case and I don’t agree with your conclusion either.

This is after 3 years so I don’t have the length of experience of you Kit, but it’s a definite obvious “thing” around here. Maybe it’s regional.

rewski – no, no phone and while I do have a jaw like Coulthard I don’t think I could be mistaken for him, even when overtaking.

Mono-speeders – the curse of the A702 country roads across rural Britain.

FTFY

racist

Were they driving a Nissan Micra?
Lived and driven in Scotland all my life, however when I have been Down Sarf with work, I have noticed the drivings a bit more hectic i.e. cars closer together, cutting each other up on the Motorway, leaving less room to overtake etc.

maybe your idea of safe overtaking isn’t the same as the people you’re overtaking or driving towards?

the only time i ever get frustrated enough to raise a hand and gesture or flash my lights at an overtaker is when they’ve cut too close back into the lane or hung about in my lane driving towards me not giving a shit about the speed at which i’m approaching them…. why should i have to slow down cos they couldn’t be patient?

philconsequence – Member
maybe your idea of safe overtaking isn’t the same as the people you’re overtaking or driving towards?

That’s the obvious answer, but that would suggest that the OP is in the wrong and everyone else is in the right.

what car do you drive?

Where’s local for you then coffeeking? You get some right tools pulling overtaking manoeuvres, but the only times I’ve seen me or others flashed have been justified! 😳

Maybe they just don’t like you.

What you can absolutely guarantee is that the bell end doing 40 on the NSL A-road will then maintain that speed through the 30 zone in the next village.

Indeed, a big bug-bear of mine. I don’t mind people driving slowly at all, I’m all for nervous people sticking to a reasonable slow speed to keep them happy, but at least follow the limits in built up areas and CHANGE your speed in faster ones OR don’t get upset when someone overtakes.

druidh – maybe I’m just over-sensitive then! Must have happened to me on 60% of my overtakes here, suggesting either I’m useless at overtaking (not apparent in other UK locations) or others are easily upset.

It just confused me this morning, I’m strangely taken aback by strangers abusing me.

Are you a bmw driver by any chance?

I’m in Scotland too and I concur with Kit and druidh, I generally find the roads a lot more chilled out than down south. I mean, at Christmas I was down in Essex visiting family, and I was so busy flicking V’s at people driving aggressively I went the wrong way twice on the way to Bluewater. It’s crazy down there.

EDITED for druidh

coffeeking – maybe it’s the big, wide, open spaces confusing you and your spatial perception is being affected 😉

mean, at Christmas I was down in Essex visiting family, and I was so busy flicking V’s at people driving aggressively I went the wrong way twice on the way to Bluewater.

😆

thegreatape – Member
I’m in Scotland too and I’m with Kit and druidh

Not in a menage á trois fashion btw.

I have been accused by non-crowded sarf-eest dwellers of going for gaps that they wouldn’t have considered while in their neck of the woods, when I considered them absolutely fine.

A lot of seems to be what you’re used to. I drive in the southern rush hour most days and have driven through London quite a lot.

The above was on a wide Cornish road with little traffic and plenty of visibility.

Horses for courses.

Are you a bmw driver by any chance?

Or an Audi? 😉

That’s the obvious answer, but that would suggest that the OP is in the wrong and everyone else is in the right.

Not quite, I was posing the statement as a question really, as I’m a bit baffled. My overtaking has never been questioned by passengers including IAM members, but it seems to cause some offence up here. I have pulled some stupid moves in my time but I do tend to be much more courteous these days and try to consider everyones feelings on the matter (hence the post).

Where’s local for you then coffeeking? You get some right tools pulling overtaking manoeuvres, but the only times I’ve seen me or others flashed have been justified!

Just north of Glasgow.

Were they driving a Nissan Micra?
Lived and driven in Scotland all my life, however when I have been Down Sarf with work, I have noticed the drivings a bit more hectic i.e. cars closer together, cutting each other up on the Motorway, leaving less room to overtake etc.

Actually yes, one was a micra a while back. But I’ve had BMWs, white vans, you name it. These overtakes were nice and safe, huge amounts of room – you could get a bus through. Thats why I’m genuinely baffled by it, I specifically take the time to ensure it’s safe and don’t go for random darts or anything that might frighten people. Down near bristol/bath area the driving is scary and no-one has any road manners, up here it seems to be too far the other way (though no-one has any bloody lane discipline)!

what car do you drive?

306 Diesel estate. Not sure that matters.

Maybe they just don’t like you.

Tis possible, but I’m a nice guy, they should stop and chat.

racist

hmmm.

If its such a re-occuring theme, perhaps your unaware of something your doing to upset them?

Do you leave a good safe distance behind you before pulling back in?

Do you drive over the loose stone and gravel that tends to build up in the cross hatched area, throwing it up all over the car your overtaking and pebble dashing their windscreen?

Do you drive right up their arse for miles before passing?

Does this happen mostly with shakey old giffers in nissan micra’s? Theres nout you can do about the latter, but they occur everywhere not just scotland? are there more old people driving in scotland? Hmmmmm

No, its not just you, and its not just in Scotchland.

I find it too, but then I also overtake people.

In fact I’m sure ‘been overtaken’ was in the top 5/10 things that drivers hate a while back.

f its such a re-occuring theme, perhaps your unaware of something your doing to upset them?

Hence the question (posed as a statement).

Do you leave a good safe distance behind you before pulling back in?

Yep, more than the distance I’d leave when driving behind them.

Do you drive over the loose stone and gravel that tends to build up in the cross hatched area, throwing it up all over the car your overtaking and pebble dashing their windscreen?

Nope, there’s very little gravel in the section I’m talking about, already considered that one – I’d use that as a reason not to overtake.

Do you drive right up their arse for miles before passing?

Nope, I have to hang way back as the Hdi is so slow at getting up to speed I’d never overtake without a run up! This gives me loads of time to check the road out.

Does this happen mostly with shakey old giffers in nissan micra’s?

Mostly, yes, but not always – like this morning, it was a youngish chap in a white van with his mate coming the other way. He was so openly aggressive about it too I was a tad confused, if I had been in his lane rather than a parallel wide lane I’d have accepted that maybe I’d scared him/made him brake.

Theres nout you can do about the latter, but they occur everywhere not just scotland? are there more old people driving in scotland?

Good question, I’m not sure. I know there’s a nice laid-back driving style here, it’s very noticable, but it’s almost as though people don’t like me shaking their world of dawdling. I don’t do it all the time, very often I do what everyone else does and sit like a sheep 20mph below the limit in a queue 20 cars long, but on rare occasion that I do overtake it seems to be taken very badly!

I’m always willing to learn what I’m doing wrong, but a bit confused as to why this doesn’t raise an eyebrow elsewhere, especially as my driving style has mellowed a lot while up here which is a good thing.

What is up with these people? Why does it seem that a significant proportion of people up here dislike people overtaking them or overtaking anywhere near them? I’ve driven all over the UK and never met an attitude like it!

I have. I’ve seen it everywhere. For some odd reason some people just can’t STAND to be overtaken, or to see someone overtake.

When I did my driving lessons (in 1987) I lived in a small village near Newar on Trent, and I had to drive 7 miles to Newark to practice. My instructor taught me how to overtake back then, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I don’t take the slightest risk, because that’s pointless, but I’m very good at spotting spaces others just don’t consider, and I tend to line the overtakes up from some distance away (Being to close to the vehicle in front is cutting your own throat, and I’ve never had a fast car) then swoop quickly past.

I think people consider it an insult to be overtaken, to be honest, a slur on their driving if you like? I’m used to it now and I don’t even let it register any more, I’m past and gone, so, like, whatever dude!

NB – Try riding a motorbike and seeing how many people try and block you from overtaking, which REALLY IS pointless and petty!

Overtaking is not a crime! 🙂

I find drivers in Scotland to be far more considerate than those down south when it comes to overtaking. Many of them actually leave a gap between themselves and the vehicle in front, if they don’t fancy overtaking themselves.

And the lane discipline is much better than anywhere else I’ve driven in the UK too.

Don’t worry Scottish drivers, I like you even if Coffeeking doesn’t.

Not in a menage á trois fashion btw.

Oh… oh, OK then… 🙁

For your perusal…
One overtake, using hatched area (right turn in hatched area in the middle distance is the right turn to an industrial unit), further down there’s a house driveway on the right but that’s much nearer the other end and the speed difference between me and the car being overtaken was big enough that I was back in before the end of the right turn. In this case it was a van coming the other way that got upset and he was at the far end of the second hatched area in the distance.
http://tinyurl.com/6y4s9t7

Second one:
http://tinyurl.com/6zgl9dy

Nothing coming the other way, clear road, dry, other car doing 40mph in the NSL. Right turn is right down near the white dot of a van here, but that’s plenty clear enough to overtake IMO. Car I overtook got REALLY upset and was flashing lights and having a fit.

Baffled.

coffeeking….http://goo.gl/maps/f99E 😆

I indicate, pull out into the hatching (which is legal if you’ve checked it’s safe to do so, which I had and it was)

I wasn’t sure about this so I did a quick Google for “Highway Code chevrons” and got this:

“109. Areas of white diagonal stripes or chevrons painted on the road. These are to separate traffic lanes or to protect traffic turning right…”

(Skip a bit about areas of chevrons with solid borders.)

“…If the area is bordered by a broken white line, you should not enter the area unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so.”

Was your overtaking necessary?

I wouldn’t have gone on the first one (through the hatchings) personally, unless the car was going silly slow and there was nobody else around at all anywhere, second one, fair game IMO

That said, it’s not illegal to enter a hatched area surrounded by a dashed line, but maybe they thought it was?

PeterPoddy – Member
I wouldn’t have gone on the first one (through the hatchings) personally, unless the car was going silly slow and there was nobody else around at all anywhere, second one, fair game IMO

That said, it’s not illegal to enter a hatched area surrounded by a dashed line, but maybe they thought it was?Wot he said

Ive lived in Scotland all my life and drove for the last 18 years, I also visit my brother in law in Welwyn Garden City quite regularly and there is a massive difference in the driving styles.

What I can say is there are a massive amount of tools on the road regardless where you stay who either rely on sat-nav and end up driving into a river or they’re too interested in tweeting/facebooking every move they make on their smart phones to pay attention to the car/cyclist/pedestrian they have stuck to their windscreen.

Some people are just flash happy, although according to the highway code, a flash of the lights is only to let other traffic know you are there.

I think the problem is, speaking as a regular overtaker, a lack of knowledge/understanding/application of the Highway Code. Not sure that it is specific to Scotland but the perceived higher intolerance may be due to the fact that it happens less, due to the more laid back driving style generally.
The white van man was probably trying to get at you for being on the hatched area which he assumed (wrongly) to be highly illegal, taking the moral high ground if you like.
What really gets me is the long queues doing 40 on NSL roads but sitting far too close to each other, so if you overtake and try to get back in you have to cut it a bit tighter than they like due to the lack of space which they should be leaving in the first place! I really want a message screen on my back window to point them to the relevant rule in the Highway Code on this one. Or maybe I should just wait like a sheep.

I generally won’t overtake anywhere near a junction – people do forget to indicate – a lot of drivers seem to be in a dream half the time. I know it’s unlikely a little old lady is going to enter a brickworks / industrial estate, but what if sh’e taking a packed lunch to her son and likes to take corners at 40 / almost overshoots her turn off? Unlikely but perfectly possible.

I also visit my brother in law in Welwyn Garden City quite regularly and there is a massive difference in the driving styles

I drive differently in WGC as well to be fair.

You have to boot it to overtake anyone because there’s a roundabout every 200m (v slight exaggeration).