The last thing I want to have to put up with is a timid driver doing 40 on the straight, flat bits when 60 is completely possible.

Just because it's completely possible it doesn't mean everyone wants to do it. Sometimes it's quite pleasant to just sit at a gentle 40. If someone wants to overtake then fair enough, but try to intimidate me by sitting on my bumper and you can be pretty sure I'll go out of my way to intentionally annoy you.

I wonder if they still get applicants to this day. (assuming it's a real job vacancy)

They are creating a potential hazard (but then all cars are hazards anyway aren't they?). As would a tractor, a caravan, a lorry, a moped, etc. If they can't make reasonable progress does it really impact your life? If it bugs you that much, overtake them (straight flat roads in good conditions are ideal for this ), pull over to buy yourself some clear road, take another route, or drive at a less congested time.

Chris

Damn you with your reasonable counter-arguments

I suppose it just comes down to the fact that you expect a tractor/lorry to be slow. Caravans are just wrong though and inexcuseable. :thumbdwn:

I tend to find when I leave home at 6:15am it seems to be less congested

edit: getting the smilies to work

Hmmm lots of good points here. My 2p's worth:

Yes, people who drive up your chuff in the 30s are annoying. Occasionally it may make me drift slightly over the limit, or increase speed slightly before the change of limit, if it's safe to do so.

Roads are not the place for racing. Save it for the track. If someone overtakes you, either overtake them back, when appropriate, or slow down and let them go. I don't think chasing them into a ditch is a good idea. We can be more grown-up than that

The speed limit is posted as just that, a LIMIT! That doesn't mean it's a goal to see if you can do a constant 60mph on a narrow twisty road in freezing rain, or thick fog. You need to drive to the conditions. On the other hand, making "due progress" is part of the test (again, that doesn't necessarily mean driving at the speed limit in all conditions).

I'm getting older, so my urge to race every young oik in a Saxo is diminishing, but whatever your age, it's possible to drive responsibly, and arrive alive. Each time you're tempted, try stopping and thinking "is what I'm about to do going to get me, or somebody else, into difficulties?". You'll know if the answer is "yes".

None of the above means I'm a grandad in a hat, yet Sorry if it comes over as a lecture - not intended like that.

Sometimes I find it quite necessary to drive at 40mph in a NSL - whether it's admiring the scenery, hunting on the floor for the mobile phone I've just dropped or eating a Ginsters steak slice.

Always drive to the conditions and ignore speed limits. That way you will probably be doing 20 or less in some 30 zones but maybe 80 on a clear dry day in the right place. The exception being going past speed cameras! If you can't tell what the conditions are stay at home!

Speaking of bad driving - just had a complete loon who would've rear ended me if I'd stopped as the lights were turning amber (thank **** for mirrors!). Yes, he jumped the red light because I just had time to turn right before they did. He then proceeded to overtake me whilst I was stopped at a road works "wait here when lights are red". It's to allow buses to get passed the roadworks you ****. This was all in a 30 zone. Alas, I was in my petrol Polo & not SWMBO's furby otherwise I probably would've overtaken him at a good opportunity and sooted him! :flamed: Worst thing is, he had 4 kids in the back (in a vauxhall astra - surely that's a third motoring offence in 2 minutes?). I have his number so revenge will be sweet one day! :cop1: Seems like people with slightly larger cars than the Polo/Fabia also have some sort of envy......! Rant over.....

On the other hand, making "due progress" is part of the test

Failed my first driving test for that - 25 in a 40 zone on a clear sunny dry day. Oops!

Seems like people with slightly larger cars than the Polo/Fabia also have some sort of envy......!

Always struck me as the other way round with the littler cars having something to prove

Chris

Always struck me as the other way round with the littler cars having something to prove

Chris

We don't have anything to prove but we are like Jack Russell's nipping at the ankles of the bigger cars that fail to see us! We hate being stepped on! To be honest, when i was driving a passat, no problems. Merc 190E, no problems. Merc 300E-24V, no problems (except when going around bends - that car is seriously twitchy). Switched to the Polo and I get grief everyday! Probably because there's loads of sad people around my way that think tinted windows and alloys on a 1.0 polo make you the best driver in the world, so we all get tarred with the same brush. Mine's un-modded, has a nice 60hp engine with the right amount of power that I know its limits. Don't get any hassle driving SWMBO's furby and neither does she as she usually leaves other cars standing! Glad I didn't persuade get her to get a VRs!

Or to the untrained, what was intended as a gentle jab with the left foot can equate to stomping on hard enough to make ABS kick in.

Yeah, so make sure you get good at left foot braking first or you will get rear ended.

Plus don't most VAG cars cut the accelerator when you apply the brake anyway?

Yes, but if you push the accelerator down or lift off it and push it back down the thing will start fueling again with the brakes on.

None of the above means I'm a grandad in a hat, yet Sorry if it comes over as a lecture - not intended like that.

You sure, I heard something about a pipe and slippers, or has Chris borrowed them now

Hello, great site!

Interesting thread, wanted to add my thoughts.

Maybe it should be mandatory to ride a motorbike as part of driver training. I remember being told by an instructor that its all very well being in the right but if you are squashed in the road it means nothing.

Cheers

Simon

Ironically roads in Scotland have signs to display "helpful" messages - one of which is "frustration causes accidents" which causes me and Mrs A all sorts of laughs but that is for, er, private reasons:cool:

This is a serious cause of accidents though - slow lorries, 2 lane roads, overtaking, crash etc. Most A-roads are really painful to travel on, which is why they invented motorways in the first place.

JJ Leeming did a lot about this years ago - see linky.

One of the reasons I got rid of my Vrs was because to many people wanted to race, sometimes I took the bate but other times I saw sense. I like to stick to the speed limits but drivers were expecting me to drive faster and a few times I just pulled over and let them passed, but yes it was great to put my foot down and see them disappear:rofl:. Since I swapped the Vrs for the 1.9TDI estate I have noticed less tailgater's. It is better to be a few mins late then never to arrive at all.

I had a similar experience owning a vRS, the problem was that I more than often took the bate which was a bad thing and had to get rid of it or get points on my licence. I did enjoy flooring it going out of 30 limits though, was great to look back and see their face fade into the distance I mean no one (apart from bmw drivers) is going to tailgate a crystal green t reg 206!! As you say people expected you to drive fast all the time which was very annoying.

Around where I live you get the i'm going to drive 40-45 in any speed limit, if you go out of Banbury on any NSL road in the day time you never get more than a mile without getting one, i'm sure they think they're safer by going so slow on the open road but in fact it's far more dangerous imo going 40 in a 30 than 70 in a 60.

I suppose it just comes down to the fact that you expect a tractor/lorry to be slow. Caravans are just wrong though and inexcuseable. :thumbdwn:

Simple Lorries should only be on the road for certain hours of the day.

Tractors should be made to clean the mud off their vehicles when joining a road (as per the continent) and really really really pull over at the earliest convenience or just be arrested!

Simple Lorries should only be on the road for certain hours of the day.

Tractors should be made to clean the mud off their vehicles when joining a road (as per the continent) and really really really pull over at the earliest convenience or just be arrested!

You forgot to mention that all caravans should also be destroyed and their owner's driving licences torn up

Chris

No, they should just be made to travel at night with the lorries, and restricted to roads with 2 or more lanes in each direction

You forgot to mention that all caravans should also be destroyed and their owner's driving licences torn up

Chris

Seem to recall Richard Hammond's mob on Brainiac trying to resolve this problem by blowing up caravans! :cool:

Maybe the should redo the Bravia advert with Caravans?

If you know somebody is doing that behind you, you can have a lot of fun by left foot braking to get the lights on and still accelerating away. Confuses the fook out out of them usually

Doesn't work on a drive by wire, though :mad:

Lorries are great though - you get to sit in their slipstream at 50mph (or 35mph if it's a Tesco lorry..) and get great fuel savings.

Lorries are great though - you get to sit in their slipstream at 50mph (or 35mph if it's a Tesco lorry..) and get great fuel savings.

But if you sit that close behind them you do run the risk of losing half your bonnet & windscreen to stone chips:thumbdwn:

But if you sit that close behind them you do run the risk of losing half your bonnet & windscreen to stone chips:thumbdwn:

And always arriving everywhere late

Chris

I love it when you join the Motorway from the sliproad and cars drive past about 60ish... only to in turn be passed by you at 70 less than a couple of seconds later

Middle-lane missiles who carve across the hatched area on the slip road to overtake you before you've even joined the carriageway:mad: