|
Am I alone in getting really annoyed by drivers on motorways who change from outside to middle lane, 'undertake' 1 or 2 cars and cut back to outside lane. Watched a van on M40 today perform this move several times. He probably 'saved' 20 seconds. It was noticeable how some drivers closed the gap to prevent this happening - that of course is tailgating.
|
If there is free space in the middle lane and space in front of the lead car in the outside lane group then, provided the requisite safety margins (2 second rule) are being maintained the fault MAY lay with the lead car in the outside lane for impeding other traffic by not moving over into the empty middle lane.
However, it is difficult to judge without more precise data on the speeds, spacing, vehicle numbers, weather conditions, etc..
|
|
I would not risk actually undertaking. Occasionally the threat to do it has brought the offender in. That does not do any good if their is a queue behind you, because they then all whiz past leaving you bottled up!
|
|
|
|
Whenever I see this happening there usually isn't enough room for the car in question, never mind TWO safety gaps - one for the undertaker, and one for the car he's cuitting up.
Whatever happened to the weaver bird ads ?
|
|
|
|
There is a non-motorway version of this game. Driver 1 not making spectacular but steady progress, Driver 2, establishes a good braking distance, Driver 3 overtakes 2 and fills the gap.
|
|
|
On my way into Manchester the other day, I got caught behind a young lady driver and her friends. She was coasting along at about 32mph in a 40 limit. She didn't seem to realize that she should be over to the left (this was on a normal widish A road) instead of stuck out near the white centre line.
After about 2 mins of frustrating 'will-she-won't-she', I made a dramatic show of undertaking her, slowing down as I pulled opposite and glaring into her car. When I got about 50 yards in front, she finally saw the error of her ways!
I wouldn't normally dream of this kind of manouvre, but some drivers just don't seem to know where they are, what they are doing, or why.
|
|
|
I agree with Brian. Robert demonstrates a curious obsession among the Brits to slavishly follow rules and laws for the sake of it, even if the rules and laws do not represent common sense in the circumstances. He should go to a country like Indonesia, hire the cheapest most horrible little jeep he can find, then take to the roads and find out how to drive the Indonesian way. Instinct, common sense and simply getting on with it take precedence over anything else apart from the occasional red light. No one ever impedes anyone else's progress or gets into a silly huff about bad driving. I didn't see a single accident anywhere.
HJ
|
|
|
We would all agree with Brian that the fault often lies with the lead vehicle.
However the usual situation is a queue of traffic in outside lane waiting their turn to overtake slower moving traffic. The undertaking vehicle is simply jumping the queue by cutting in and reducing the gap.
Not sure what point HJ is making; is he saying this is OK.
Pleased that HJ didn't see an accident in Indonesia do we deduce that driving is safer/better there? From my experience of Far East, including driving a horrible little Suzuki jeep, it isn't.
|
|
|
Driving is better because people drive by their natural instincts rather than by attempting to follow a complicated set of rules they can't remember and which are not appropriate to every situation anyway.
HJ
|
honest john wrote:
>
> Driving is better because people drive by their natural
> instincts rather than by attempting to follow a complicated
> set of rules they can't remember and which are not
> appropriate to every situation anyway.
>
> HJ
That's a good point. It should have occurred to me when I was asked about Sao Paulo driving.
|
|
|
|
I totally agree with Andy (Post #5)
It gives me great *pleasure* to sneak up the inside of somebody after keeping a safe distance behind them (in an attempt to make them aware of their position) in the 1st lane whilst they amble along in the middle lane, blissfully unaware of the ensuing jam behind them. You can clearly see them looking at me in their rear view mirror. I then slowly & carefully blast up the inside - making good progress when other lanes are running considerably slower.
Rgds
David
|
|
|
|
On motorways I find the inside lane is the most relaxing to drive in as it is usually the emptiest. Usually the drivers are nose to tail in the fast/outside lane. Sometimes I find that the inside line is the fastest - drivers will not pull over even though there is no chance of overtaking for miles.
|
|
|
Exactly!
Thanks Andrew
Rgds
David
|
|
|
|
sir, travelling the motorway network 6 or 7 days a week we/you often see the near side lane empty so why don't the other drivers return to that lane as we/you are supposed to do any way therefore not causing congestion in the righthand lane (the overtaking lane). having driven through some other countries on the continent we have no problem with people diving in the "overtaking lane" other than the "Britts"
|
|
|
|
Maybe people don't move over because their speedo tells them that they are doing say 67 mph, or whatever, and they can't understand why anyone would want to travel 3 mph faster to save a minute or so on a 60 mile journey.
|
|
|
Why are the people Brian refers to allowed anywhere near a road that has to be used by business drivers?
HJ
|
honest john wrote:
>
> Why are the people Brian refers to allowed anywhere near a
> road that has to be used by business drivers?
Come on HJ, its not often I take issue with you for a host of reasons, mostly cause in the main you talk sense, but these are public roads, not just for business users.
The right and middle lane appreciation societies are an irritation to everyone, but just because someone has a nice car or is there on business does not mean they are better or have more rights than anyone else. Would not hurt to remember that if you don't mind me humbly saying so.
|
|
|
|
My point was that unless we think about it carefully we tend to assume that we are in the right and others wrong.
The people to whom I referred probably quite honestly think (if they think at all) that their speedo is 100% accurate and that everybody should absolutely obey the law so that as a 3 mph overtaking differential is likely to be unsafe so there is no point in moving over as nobody is going to come past.
The thought that their speedo is just as likely to be over-reading by 10% so that they are only doing 61 mph and causing an obstruction on a perfectly clear road simply does not enter their heads.
Always assuming, of course, that they ever look in their mirror or are so scared to be doing over 60 that they are staring at the road in front with their white-knuckled hands gripping the steering wheel for dear life!
|
I think someone who has to drive high mileages on business and has no choice deserves a little priority over those who can travel when they like. When I see someone coming up fast behind me why not move over. All it costs me a few seconds and over a 6 hour journey I would lose at least one hour on stops anyway!
The only way to survive longterm is to constantly scan in front, sides and behind. I really sympathise with those driving artics who have limited acceleration, restricted speeds(despite their experience) and restricted hours. It amazes me when I meet them to find they enjoy driving for a living and would not want to do anything else!
|
|
|
|
"I think someone who has to drive high mileages on business and has no choice deserves a little priority over those who can travel when they like. When I see someone coming up fast behind me why not move over."
Are these high mileage businessmen the same people as the ones coming up fast behind?
Perhaps if they they drove sensibly people would pull over.
How many times do you stay in the middle lane after passing someone just before an exit slip road, leaving the inside lane clear for people joining, only to find the speeding BMW that had been coming up behind you has decided to nearly ram you and flash his lights before taking advantage of of the empty third lane.
Or when you are in the outside lane, having decided that the gaps in the middle lane are too small to be safe even for pulling into briefly and dropping your speed to that of the middle lane, how often does Mr Businessman decide to demonstrate that a one foot gap between cars is quite adequate.
And if you do pull out of someone's way - how often do they suddenly forget what their right foot had been for only moments before, and block you into a lane that is about to pile into the back of a truck trying to overtake one doing 40 for so long that every car behind you on the motorway has joined them in the outside lane?!
And as for the ones screaming past the traffic jam caused by their colleagues who cut in at the roadworks up ahead................
Personally, when I see a fast, safe, courteous driver, I usually see a driver who gets all the priority he deserves.
And as for the other lot, they usually take far more than anything entitles them to.
|
|
I usually look at the car passing me and often see piles of papers, jacket on hook at back. So yes, often the person desperate to get on is on business. Why deliberately upset them by holding them up?
|
Andrew Hamilton wrote:
>
> I usually look at the car passing me and often see piles of
> papers, jacket on hook at back. So yes, often the person
> desperate to get on is on business. Why deliberately upset
> them by holding them up?
Who is talking about deliberately holding them up? I am totally with Bogush here, metaphorically speaking not on the road of course.
We are talking about sharing road space, not one person believing they have priority over others.
Are these same businessmen the people who drive 10 feet behind perhaps flashing their lights and shaking their heads in order to try and make you drive faster, ignoring the fact that to do so removes the safe distance up to the car in front of you. No they are bullying you to move over into a "space" on the left which is probably already less than 2 seconds gap, and would be 2 x 1 second gaps if you moved into it.
Nobody wants to hold anyone up, deliberately or accidentally, have a bit of patience please! You will find life much more enjoyable and it might give some an opportunity to grow up!
|
|
|
|
