I've noticed recently that I'm being held up more by people driving slowly. I'm not talking about people only doing the limits it's the ones who drive 5 or 10mph under every one. I also see more people slowing right down before turning left or right and dithering to turn and then getting back up to speed slowly. I do think its down to more than just my impatience. Is it all just down to people trying to drive economically?

In town or motorway? In town, I stick to the limit, on country road/B-roads say I stick to the limit, but motorway, if I am in no hurry, then yeah 60-65mph, saves petrol!

With the price of fuel nowadays more people are feeling the pinch when it comes to fill up.

Cutting your speed by 10mph can typically give you an extra 10mpg.

Personally I go to work to earn money, not to spend it getting to and from there, so if I can leave 5 - 10 mins earlier then it can make a big difference at the end of the week.

If you recently bought a faster car... it's because of that.

Never notice when I'm driving the Greenline II.

But when you have 200+ bhp under your right foot... people do seem to be trying to hold me up by driving under the limit, where I'd rather be at the limit.

Motorway speeds have on average dropped: this must be because of fuel costs. Elsewhere seems the same to me- some dawdlers, a few nutters.

I'm seeing the same. That and pulling away from junctions, lights and roundabouts slower all increasing congestion.

Motorway speeds have dropped dramatically, I know as I'm one of them!

What annoys me though is the driving constantly below the speed limit on every type of road and the virtual slowing to a stop at junctions. Dual carriage ways are the worst. I'm literally flying past people when I do 70mph!

Yeah I've noticed a big increase in people driving everwhere bar motorways at 40 - 45 mph. Does my head in as it isn't necessarily the most economic way to drive.

I've noticed a big increase in shall we say 'older people' 55-ish to over 60's who have obviously retired(early) and are just out for a drive or to the shops but are in no hurry, this inevitably adds to congestion outside of peak 'rushhour times times and talking of 'the rush hour' this is now from 6am-11am and 2.30pm till 7.30pm !!

Yeah I've noticed a big increase in people driving everwhere bar motorways at 40 - 45 mph. Does my head in as it isn't necessarily the most economic way to drive.

That drives me mad on open, NSL roads. Not many of them round here though...

Driving behind older retired people does my head in, I even know what they thinking " I've got all day and I won't be rushed" My mum says this a lot.

I must be driving slower myself, getting significantly more to the gallon in the last couple of months.

Biggest change is I used to drive at 125km/hr on the motorway, and do a lot of motorway miles, which was a calibrated 74mph, now running routinely at 120km/hr, around exact 71mph on the motorway, and theoverall consumption has improved by around 3mpg at least! (Tend to set the cruise comntrol and not touch throttle or brake unless I have to.)

I have to admit to being one of those that drive slower. Partly deliberate to improve fuel comsumption but also down to driving a more conservative car - there is no doubt that the 1 series was programmed with an invisible man that sat on my shoulder and whispered "boot it" into my ear at ever opportunity

Edited 28 August, 201114 yr by slider

It's mostly round town and it's all sorts of cars to eco boxes to BMW's. Just seems to be no one is in any sort of rush to go anywhere. Don't drive on motorways that much but when I do I always have an Audi on my bumper regardless of what speed I'm doing.

One thing I see more of is people hesitating at junctions. Seen so many people at mini roundabouts stop completely and then indicate their intentions. Really annoys me and because I have to slow down and stop to see where they are going I use more fuel to get back up to speed.

I've certainly been watching the loud pedal but I know what you mean about these irritating old giffer that drive everywhere at 40mph. NSL road = 40mph, urban area outside a school = 40mph.

The road I commute on it quite twisty and you do regularly get people (usually old people) slowing down to 20mph at every corner, often they seem to travel in convoy. then there are the people who are scared of the dark and hit the brakes every time another car drives down the other side.

Met a lot of them in Wicklow on sunday afternoon aftyer a day on the hill...they were soon dispatched once the road straightend!!

K:)

For me it's not always about being in a rush or wanting to get somewhere fast but what I don't want is to pootle along an NSL road doing between 40 and 50 mph having to change down to 4th and 5th all the bleeding time.

If I have momentum going up an incline then I barely have to touch the throttle. Behind some pleb doing 40 I'm changing right down are pressing down hard on the throttle and instantly notice the fuel consumption drop.

People think that because they're going slow they are getting better economy.

I was behind a brand new Hyundai or Kia or something the other week (it was too boring and non-descript to even take any notice). Going up a slight incline on an NSL road doing less than 40 mph with black smoke pluming out the exhaust. I saw the white hair in the drivers seat and just thought "poor car"!

I'm pretty sure that wasn't the most economical way to drive as well as putting a lot of strain on the engine and drive train.

My favourite is to blast past a Prius going slowly... safe in the knowledge that I'm going considerably faster and getting better mpg than them!

Phil

My speeds on all roads have reduced. Had one of those Homer Simpson epiphany moments and realised that if I carried on taking UK Speed Limits as general guidelines for other less competant drivers of slower cars, I was going to loose my licience and not be able to drive at any speed.

I think its driving standards in general. Nobody cares, as you almost never see a police car.

The "Mr Magoo" school of driving seems to have a rising number of adherents round here too.

Its becoming so prevalent around here, that I'm suspecting that there must have been some instruction recently in one or other of the idiot media - Daytime TV, womens magazines, Daily Mail.

I've even seen people stoppimg on clear main roads and letting bods out of side turnings (Contrary to the Highway Code) - something that I've only seen before in the West Country.

I think a lot of this behaviour is due to the fact that car transport today is an essential component in the successful conduct of most peoples working lives. So people are loath to put this facility in jeopardy, particularly those who are newly arrived to the car driving club, or possibly to this country and Western life styles.

Also, I wonder whether worry in the back of their minds about motoring scammers and the potential damage to their NCB, especially after the recent round of rises to premiums, is making people extra cautious.. As motor insurers will tell you, the increase of this sort of activity is well related to the economic downturn. The number of instances you hear today involving the provocation of accidents where, the provoker/alleged injured party then claims consequential disabling physical injury(ies) and clobbers the victim for damages. Faced with that ever present and increasing possibility, people may be saying to themselves, if I am going to be clobbered, then at least when it happens I will be on the right side of the law.

The driving around towns at 25MPH may also be a continental thing - i.e. 40KPH.

All this cautious driving doesn't, in my experience, make people much safer. The same people that did silly, dozy things in a car at 35mph will still do them at 25MPH.

Nick

Edited 30 August, 201114 yr by Clunkclick

The "Mr Magoo" school of driving seems to have a rising number of adherents round here too.

Its becoming so prevalent around here, that I'm suspecting that there must have been some instruction recently in one or other of the idiot media - Daytime TV, womens magazines, Daily Mail.

I've even seen people stoppimg on clear main roads and letting bods out of side turnings (Contrary to the Highway Code) - something that I've only seen before in the West Country.

I think a lot of this behaviour is due to the fact that car transport today is an essential component in the successful conduct of most peoples working lives. So people are loath to put this facility in jeopardy, particularly those who are newly arrived to the car driving club, or possibly to this country and Western life styles.

Also, I wonder whether worry in the back of their minds about motoring scammers and the potential damage to their NCB, especially after the recent round of rises to premiums, is making people extra cautious.. As motor insurers will tell you, the increase of this sort of activity is well related to the economic downturn. The number of instances you hear today involving the provocation of accidents where, the provoker/alleged injured party then claims consequential disabling physical injury(ies) and clobbers the victim for damages.

The driving around towns at 25MPH may also be a continental thing - i.e. 40KPH.

All this cautious driving doesn't, in my experience, make people much safer. The same people that did silly, dozy things in a car at 35mph will still do them at 25MPH.

Nick

All this cautious driving doesn't, in my experience, make people much safer. The same people that did silly, dozy things in a car at 35mph will still do them at 25MPH.

Up to a point but, and it's a big but, when somebody gets it wrong the faster you are going the more it hurts.

I tend to drive more slowly these days, partly it's a question of saving money and partly it's a question of being ever more aware of the risks involved in driving. I'm not a snail, my inclination has always been to drive quickly and I still do when it's appropriate. I do slow down a lot more than I used to when the situation is potentially hazardous. Just because nothing has ever happened at a particular point it doesn't mean that it never will. You get no bonus points for adopting a high risk driving strategy!

As far as letting people out of side roads is concerned, there is nothing in the Highway Code to say that you shouldn't do this so long as you make your intentions clear to all concerned. Because you have priority in a given situation you don't have to take it, you can cede it to another person if you so desire. Here in a civilised country we still do courtesy and consideration, knowing how difficult it can be to get out of some of the junctions we do help one another.

My local B road joins the A30 (dual carriageway so 70mph limit) at a T junction, there are no slip roads. On a summer Saturday morning you can sit there for 5 minutes waiting to get out, nobody other than a local would think of moving out a lane or holding back a bit to let you out. What goes around comes around.

If we were all a bit more patient driving would be much more relaxed and it really wouldn't make much difference to journey times. From Redruth to Launceston on the A30 the difference between cruising at 70 and cruising at 60 is about 2.5 minutes, the difference in fuel consumption in my Roomster is about 10mpg. It's a no-brainer really.

Rob.

Driving at 22mph (it actually halves my indicated MPG v. 30mph as I can get into 5th) and crawling up to speed actually wastes fuel. And inconsiderate consideration - stopping to let someone out when the road behind is clear for miles. Arggggh! So many idiots on the roads, and you can't possibly ram them all off. And all the messages from Police and pressure groups, speed kills, lets encourage everyone to drive at 20mph everywhere, means all the sanctimonious self-appointed policemen types enjoy the ‘power’ they have been handed to annoy. Won't be long before if you dare to overtake on a country road, there'll be a knock on your door that night and you'll get carted off for re-programming.

Driving at 22mph (it actually halves my indicated MPG v. 30mph as I can get into 5th) and crawling up to speed actually wastes fuel. And inconsiderate consideration - stopping to let someone out when the road behind is clear for miles. Arggggh! So many idiots on the roads, and you can't possibly ram them all off. And all the messages from Police and pressure groups, speed kills, lets encourage everyone to drive at 20mph everywhere, means all the sanctimonious self-appointed policemen types enjoy the ‘power’ they have been handed to annoy. Won't be long before if you dare to overtake on a country road, there'll be a knock on your door that night and you'll get carted off for re-programming.

+1 for sure.

I've even seen people stoppimg on clear main roads and letting bods out of side turnings (Contrary to the Highway Code) - something that I've only seen before in the West Country.

Nick, this really made me laugh...

I've only lived in the West country for 9 months and I see this all the time.

I'm an ex London bus driver and I often wonder if these idiots even have the

faintest inkling that what they are doing contravenes the Highway Code.

I bet they sit there wondering why the bloke behind is getting in such a

state. I've also noticed that everybody waves a lot too