It might just be a local thing (I'm in delightful Staffordshire ;-) ) but I have been involved a couple of the following incidents recently:
While overtaking (not recklessly and just the usual 45mph in a NSL zone drivers) and coming alongside, the vehicle in question has 'drifted' to the centre of the road thus making me drive in the gutter to successfully overtake them or else cause a collision.
I'm familiar with those individuals who like to accelerate whilst being overtaken, but this 'drifting' is new to me and IMO really dangerous for both parties involved and potentially other oncoming vehicles.
Is this a recent thing or have I just been overtaking the sensible drivers for the last 10 years?
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I reckon I overtake a car once every few hundred miles or so - it's generally not worth it as there's always one in front (except on dual carriageways of course). So no, I haven't noticed any trend.
Do others have a similar view of overtaking?
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I agree with you, mapmaker - overtaking is rarely worthwhile unless it is a long-ish journey and matey is practising for a funeral. How many times have you been overtaken with lots of noise and even more risk, only to pull up behind the same clot at the next bottleneck?
In my experience 'drifting' is often an indication of phone use, hand-free or the illegal sort - they are both a major distraction for the brain.
CG
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It's the same factor that leads motorcyclists to hit the drain cover they were trying to miss because they are looking at the object they wish to avoid rather than looking at where they wanted to be.
So shocked are these 45mphers that you have woken them from their contemplation of [insert name of execrable local radio chat show of your choice] that they find their eyes and consequently their car inexorably drawn towards you.
To an extent I agree with Mapmaker, not because there is always another car in front of you (this is Staffordshire you're talking about!) but because when you slow to 30 at the next built-up area they will catch up as they continue past the school, hospital and old peoples' home at the same 45 that was so irksome just a few miles back.
Hanging's too good for 'em.....
ND
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I think that overtaking is in many cases an 'ego' thing. Recently, driving on a country B road in Surrey, which was clearly signposted as a 40 limit a Golf followed me at a respectable distance and seemed quite happy to drive at the speed limit. On joining the A3 dual carriagway the Golf, with considerable engine revs, overtook me and then within 200 metres turned left into the Royal Horticulturist Society gardens! What was that all about but ego.
How often do you find on motorways that cars must overtake and then settle back to the speed that you are driving at.
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How often do you find on motorways that cars must overtake and then settle back to the speed that you are driving at.
That's when you're lucky! A lot of them do the overtaking and then settle back to just under the speed I'm driving at.
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Driving down the A12 (dual carriageway)last week I had two cars overtake me and then go off down the slip-road.
Thing was, they left it so late that they had to go over the hatched markings (clouds of dust and debris).
Why didn't they just turn off behind me, I wonder, unless they misjudged my speed (I was on the NSL).
Poor driving in either case.
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every night I go through a set of lights where, 200 yds immediately either side of the lights the road is double lane, but beyond that, the road is single lane (narrowed by bike lane & central hatching), and at the time I travel, traffic is always solid.
100 yds after the lights is a small residential left turn. I reckon on at least 2 nights out of every five, someone will make the effort to move into the RH lane at lights, where there is realistically no chance of passing something in the LH lane, even though they want to turn L within 150 yds
what do you think their thought processes are ?
--
just 'cos I know what I'm saying doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about
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I've not seen that in Staffs yet. But I don't do that much overtaking as there is usually another convoy of 45mph piddlers just after the one I would be overtaking so it doesn't seem worth it. There seems to be a greater polarization between piddlers that are scared of any speed above 30 mph around a bend and the reckless loons that will overtake 5 cars at once on a wide road and aren't bothered about being 3 across. I have also had cars nearly take off my door mirror when they are overtaking in the opposite direction and the see the nice gap behind me so they jump out to go past, usually from on the backseat of the car in front as they have no idea of safe gaps either.
The art of overtaking properly seems to have been lost.
teabelly
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Hi
Given the situation that you described, wouldn't this be the right time to use your horn, in order to warn these road users of your presence? It does, of course, also run the risk of waking them up.
regards
Vercin
PS when i've encountered the situation, its usually related to now illegal phone use.
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Nothing wrong with overtaking provided you make sure you have the time and space to complete the manouvre. In this part of the world I probably overtake someone everytime I go out, as there is always the obligatory Rover which has it's own built in speed governer (The drivers right foot) which prevents it exceeding 35mph. Sit behind and there goes another missed appointment, tho' I would not let that fact make me risk my life if a safe opportunity never arose.
In fact you would now fail an 'L' test if you ignored a clear opportunity to make safe progress when following a slow moving vehicle.
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If you have local knowledge of a road then overtaking can be worth while. We have a few A-roads which can be very quiet at times and overtaking can provide a boost to progress.
The person you are overtaking probably is watching you overtake so much they tend to drift towards you-natural thing some how.
One thing I do kick myself is when I don't take an overtaking opportunity, only for the car in front to get slower when I can't then overtake, or decide to turn rigt and wait for any car within a mile to go past before turning.
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I don't generally overtake much myself despite often driving on roads where you can - there's often very little point and the roads tend to be too busy to let you overtake safely anyway.
But I have been known to nip past the odd car occasionally at the weekend. Not because it gets me to my destination quicker but because its fun!!!!
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?There is usually another convoy of 45mph piddlers just after the one I would be overtaking so it doesn't seem worth it.?
On the other hand, *if the conditions are right*, it is legal and safe to progress at 60 mph along a road which has a 60 limit, and one should be allowed to do so.
-The reason one keeps encountering convoys of 45 mph ?piddlers? is that they are composed of people who don?t overtake. They are thus part of the problem; unwittingly conspiring to reduce the road?s throughput.
It then only takes one driver, who only wanted to make reasonable but legal progress, to have that ounce too much frustration and that ounce too little self-control, to take the plunge into attempting a risky overtake of 5 vehicles at once.
The least the ?piddlers? could do is always leave large enough gaps for those wishing to make faster (but still legal) progress to overtake comfortably (I?m sure all BR?s already do this). That way, everyone?s happy, everyone?s more safe.
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My favourites are those who do 60 on the straights and slow down to 30 evey time there's a slight bend. This, of course, makes them impossible to overtake legally.
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It's certainly easier to overtake if driving a high-up vehicle - say an empty (!) Luton van, or a Hilux. The lower I sit, the less confidence I have - I suppose it's harder to judge distances - something to do with parallax I imagine. So why sports cars are so low slung...
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Ah, but if you start your overtake from a reasonable distance you can see past rather over the vehicle you are going to overtake.
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'Ah, but if you start your overtake from a reasonable distance you can see past rather over the vehicle you are going to overtake.'
Aha! but my point is that because you can actually see the tarmac it is much easier to judge the position of an oncoming vehicle when seated higher. If lying flat on the road, you cannot see any tarmac whatsoever and so distances are much harder to judge.
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"Given the situation that you described, wouldn't this be the right time to use your horn"
I've certainly considered the use of the my horn either before or during the manoeuvre but imaginging how this action could be interpreted incorrectly has always prevented me from doing so.
It appears to me that nowadays there's either a lunatic or ignoramus behind almost every wheel, their response is likely to be as dangerous or bad as their driving.
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I've certainly considered the use of the my horn either before or during the manoeuvre but imaginging how this action could be interpreted incorrectly has always prevented me from doing so.
Agreed. Flashing of lights and/or horn is still meant to be a warning of your presence but has become intrinsically linked to roadrage and retribution. If out on NSL single carriageway roads and considering an overtake I tend to drop back before switching on dipped headlights. This is to bring my presence to the attention of the driver I am planning to overtake. Their reaction or otherwise to this is often the deciding factor in whether to proceed, even when the road is clear.
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I never fail to flash my lights as I overtake someone (just before in fact) If that upsets them, well thats their problem....
most of the time they just let you go, which is as it should be, sometimes they attempt to stop me overtaking by accelerating, I've never had a driver drift over tho' :-s
Not that accelerating is gonna do them any good if I'm already up to overtaking speed :-D
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I have a vague memory that it's the law in France to use the horn before an overtake - anyone able to confirm that?
With a piddler a blast on the horn usually makes them jump and lift off slightly, making the overtake easier.
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As I understand it it's common practice to use your horn in France before performing any manouver including turning at junctions and moving off from second position at traffic lights ;)
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I like overtaking it's fun. Can't stand driving in a convoy. Also I can't understand why drivers flash their lights at me! Are they telling me it's safe to pull back in? I will stop and ask one one day.
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Andy, you are the second person who's mentioned overtaking being fun in this thread!
Now now, don't go saying you ENJOY driving or you'll get it taxed or banned... :-)
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Smokie, naw don't really enjoy driving that much anymore, overtaking sort of relieves the monotony of following some slowcoach type person who usually wears a hat or smokes a pipe. You must have come across them.
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What is it about people wearing hats in cars - guaranteed to do 35mph everywhere and ignore people crossing zebras.
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Is a baseball cap a hat in this context?
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I like overtaking it's fun.
Andy, I totally agree. Nothing quite despatching a few 'follow my leader' types...
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Ppaul, in their opinion, you are probably, unknowingly, tailgating them or passing too close to them when you overtake, they think you are encroaching their bit of the road that they own.
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