I see them all the time. There appears to be a particular mindset which thinks that if you are going fast enough then you can overtake anything anywhere, because they will be past before anything else can get in the way.
Also at about 80 mph on an ordinary road I think people's sense of fear switches off, and they become immortal.
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it seems i never drive fast enough for some people, in my car i drive at the limit in built up areas villages etc, but theres always someone not satisfied and try to push me to the side. I used to get angry but now i realise it`s their license they`re risking and not mine!! On the open road with little traffic about i will throttle up a bit but i`ve got my eyes and ears open.
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....a suicidal black Bentley driver, a suicidal BMW X5 driver....
Perhaps these two had just had their cars valued. ;)
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Ive found that I get overtaken in my Daihatsu more than when I had the van, even though I drive at the same speed. My misses reckons that the colour and small size of it create a perception that it must be going slowly, plus some people just dont want to follow on behind a lilac car.
Ive had several young drivers do the double white line jobs on me recently. Too many parents dont bother to exercise their influence on their teen driver children.
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In France, on long straight sections of N-roads, some drivers use the oncoming lane as a 'fast lane', staying out to pass strings of slower vehicles, nipping in when something approaches, then straight back out again. It's not just the French - Brits so this in France too.
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In France on long straight sections of N-roads some drivers use the oncoming lane as a 'fast lane' staying out to pass strings of slower vehicles
Isn't the reason you see that more in France simply that there are more hugely long straights where it's possible than there are in this country?
Within all the bounds of safety, there's nothing wrong wth overtaking ten vehicles in one manoeuvre if the straight is long enough.
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Within all the bounds of safety there's nothing wrong wth overtaking ten vehicles in one manoeuvre if the straight is long enough.
you can do that on the A82 through Glen Coe, although not advisable early morning or after twilight... as you might meet up with a big beastie with antlers
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staying out to pass strings of slower vehicles,
I was once riding, observed by a bike plod, on a 'bikesafe' day.
After being stuck behind a string of traffic, we came round a bend and the road opened out with excellent visibility - I gunned it and got past the lot (about 5 cars). At the next coffee stop I was told "one is OK, two is good, three is excellent but five is outstanding."
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Ive found that I get overtaken in my Daihatsu more than when I had the van even though I drive at the same speed. My misses reckons that the colour and small size of it create a perception that it must be going slowly >>
one of the motoring mag journalists mentioned this a while back. It might have been Steve Cropley, but whoever it was had bought something like a Citroen Berlingo and then wondered why the whole world wanted to overtake him. It would seem the type of vehicle you drive, dictates others perception of you, which can translate into their actual driving.
Many years ago, as a youth, i had an XR3i. It was a right nuisance which i only really noticed when i swapped it for a plainish looking V6 Sierra... all of a sudden people weren't trying to race me away from the lights if i went for the empty lane or overtake if i was nipping along... and the Sierra was far quicker than the Escort
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which i only really noticed when i swapped it for a plainish looking V6 Sierra... all of a sudden people weren't trying to race me away from the lights
You've had some flying machines WP.
Not surprised no one tried it at the lights, those V6 sierra's had a certain look about them that even the most modded normal model couldn't duplicate, even though many tried. Took a very quick car indeed to leave one of those behind.
When you say plain looking, i assume it was a later 4 x 4 as the earlier 2WD would have been the XR4i with the huge wing, and looked anything but plain.
I always promised myself one of those, but with having the youngsters at the time just couldn't afford it. Mighty envious i am.
Never wanted an XR3, took a mate to the Luton airport inhis, and i was worn out when i got back, the road roar and the vibrations through the car were just too much for me.
This use of the roads width for overtaking can be quite safe, provided a bit of good observation by everyone.
I use the A5 between Shrewsbury and Wrexham most weeks and its marked out as a 2 lane road, but would easily be wide enough for a 3 lane, so myself and most of the other truck drivers keep well left, as do the oncoming and all the cars and vans pass us quite safely. Never seen a real problem with this, if someone else is doing the same the other way, it seems to be the vehicle with the less slower vehicles to pass drops in behind a truck and when clear again will often get a left blinker from the truck in front to let him know its all good again, well they do from me.
It works well, better than a queue of 20 to 40 vehicles behind the 40mph bod.
Sometimes see people flash their headlights on that road and stick their thumbs down, what could that signify, are they Masons?..;)
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>> which i only really noticed when i swapped it for a plainish looking V6 Sierra... >> all of a sudden people weren't trying to race me away from the lights You've had some flying machines WP.
it was a manual 2.3 GL, not unfortunately the XR4x4 (i wish, but at 20 the insurance would have crippled me). Did nip along though for its' day and that V6 sounded gorgeous. Was far, far quicker than the XR3i, but only looked like a normal Sierra, real Q car.
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it was a manual 2.3 GL not unfortunately the XR4x4
Well, you learn something every day, i never knew there was a 2.3 V6 sierra.
Granada, yes a friend had one, and it went pretty well too, but sierra was much lighter.
I had an ex police 2.0gl manual and that went pretty well too, and handled.
Underrated cars, and a doddle to work on, maybe one of the last cars able to be diagnosed and fixed easily by the home/small indy mechanic?
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For the Sierra fans, totally off-topic, and apologies Mods for that, go and google 'Ford XR8 South Africa '.
There's one in my neighbourhood, and it is still a beast 20-something years after...
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most of the 2.3's were automatic, mine was 18 mths old and sat on the forecourt of my then girlfriend's family Ford dealership. It was unusually a rare manual, originally ordered by a co. director from new as a no cost option, he was my mate's dad's boss (if that makes sense), so i ended up knowing who'd had the car before etc.
was a brilliant car, i kept it for three years and only sold it when it got to 80,000 miles and some of the internal plastics etc started looking a bit tired. I had it painted two/tone silver and red and thought it looked the dog's danglies. It had what looked like a personal plate as well, but it was the one issued to it.
DTT4Y where are you now?....p.s. I was 22 not 20 when i had it, bought it after i'd sold my XJS!!
(sorry for the thread hijack)
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And there I was, thinking this thread was about overtaking dawdling morons.
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And there I was thinking this thread was about overtaking dawdling morons.
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same thing flashed through my mind as well
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And mine.
Do you think there are enough of us to hijack it good and proper? :o}
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I thought that too.
Far too many people haven't got a clue about how to drive on a road and panic and curse whenever they see someone making safe progress.
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Well done to the 2 policemen who today caught the souped up monster mobile that frequently races around the area. With no front number plate and countless modifications the police were all over the car, bonnet up checking for mods, the lot, whilst a mid 20s man looked on in horror and the audience applauded the police, nice work guys.
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