What on the roads has annoyed you today?

[tom27111]

40 minutes ago, Benguin said:

I agree with all of that and don’t like middle lane hoggers but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s an offence to go above 70mph and you have no reason to be overtaking 70mph cruisers. 
 

Most of the near misses I have seen on the roads are from speeding and tailgating and they would be my priority for police rather than middle lane hoggers. 

 

I get what you're saying and I'm not particularly arguing with it.

 

But the root cause is the lane hoggers.

 

I drive on average 8000 miles a month, mainly on motorways. 

 

I could be doing 85 on a motorway and have a tailgater. Once I've safely passed what's inside me, I'll pull in and let them overtake me.

 

But the people incorrectly positioned cause more problems than speeders. They encourage people to undertake, which is highly dangerous. 

 

And in all those miles I drive on a motorway, I see a police car about once a fortnight.

 

You'll never stop speeding, doesn't matter what type of road you're on, but you could educate people to drive correctly on a motorway. 

 

I've left my house at 2am to arrive in Edinburgh at 8:30 am. The roads are dead, its a great time to drive, but you'll still get someone in lane 3 of a 4 lane  motorway and there isn't a single vehicle within 500 metres of them. Its outrageous. 

 

And the worst culprits? Taxi drivers. It's always taxi drivers.

[HighPeakFox]

The whole speed argument is a red herring - if a car is doing 65 in lane 3 whilst not passing anyone else, they're effectively taking 3/4 of the motorway away from any other driver wanting to go faster.

 

Whilst it's true that 70mph is the limit, the reality is that it isn't the place of any driver to dictate the speed others drive at, and also that in fact I know that 75mph (at the very least) is tolerated anyway, given their cameras never flash me when I am using my limiter at that speed.

 

I do think they set the limit at 70 fully aware that the intention is to give a margin to the driver - it certainly explains the argument against raising the limit to 80, as then the tolerance would then be nearer 90.

Edited 18 May 2023 by HighPeakFox

[tom27111]

31 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

The whole speed argument is a red herring - if a car is doing 65 in lane 3 whilst not passing anyone else, they're effectively taking 3/4 of the motorway away from any other driver wanting to go faster.

 

Whilst it's true that 70mph is the limit, the reality is that it isn't the place of any driver to dictate the speed others drive at, and also that in fact I know that 75mph (at the very least) is tolerated anyway, given their cameras never flash me when I am using my limiter at that speed.

 

I do think they set the limit at 70 fully aware that the intention is to give a margin to the driver - it certainly explains the argument against raising the limit to 80, as then the tolerance would then be nearer 90.

 

I think certain areas of motorways could have increased speed limits, but particularly curvy selections should have the limit reduced.

 

What I absolutely detest is section's of smart motorway when signs display '50 - report of obstruction'. It says it for about 20 miles and there's never an obstruction!

 

Some people think you should scrap the limit totally, like the Germans. But you're twice as likely to die on the Autobahn than you are on a British motorway. 

 

To be fair, it's tough to get above 30mph on some sections of the M6 and M25, although some people are still in the wrong lane 

[HighPeakFox]

3 minutes ago, tom27111 said:

 

I think certain areas of motorways could have increased speed limits, but particularly curvy selections should have the limit reduced.

 

What I absolutely detest is section's of smart motorway when signs display '50 - report of obstruction'. It says it for about 20 miles and there's never an obstruction!

 

Some people think you should scrap the limit totally, like the Germans. But you're twice as likely to die on the Autobahn than you are on a British motorway. 

 

To be fair, it's tough to get above 30mph on some sections of the M6 and M25, although some people are still in the wrong lane 

One of the genuine issues is that different drivers are comfortable at different speeds.... I very much doubt I'd be comfortable at 90 for long,  but then again, perhaps that is down to conditioning. 

 

I also think that some people are a) not fit to drive and/or b) not fit to drive on motorways.

[tom27111]

1 minute ago, HighPeakFox said:

One of the genuine issues is that different drivers are comfortable at different speeds.... I very much doubt I'd be comfortable at 90 for long,  but then again, perhaps that is down to conditioning. 

 

I also think that some people are a) not fit to drive and/or b) not fit to drive on motorways.

 

Totally agree with all that.

 

I drive different vehicles ever single day and adapt to what I'm driving.

 

On one day, I could be driving a Luton van, adapted with fitted with racking on the side. On that occasion, I'll sit in lane 1, doing 56mph like an HGV.

 

You really feel gusts of wind in things like that.

 

2 hours later, I could be in a sports car. You've touched 90 and you don't even realise you're going that fast.

 

The next day, I could be in a VW Polo, you think you're hammering it and I'm only doing 60.

 

In normal, good conditions, I probably cruise at 80. But I always leave myself a ton of space, I'm very aware and alert of things around me.

 

I know my capabilities, but I'm very wary of others around me who don't.

[HighPeakFox]

Just now, tom27111 said:

 

Totally agree with all that.

 

I drive different vehicles ever single day and adapt to what I'm driving.

 

On one day, I could be driving a Luton van, adapted with fitted with racking on the side. On that occasion, I'll sit in lane 1, doing 56mph like an HGV.

 

You really feel gusts of wind in things like that.

 

2 hours later, I could be in a sports car. You've touched 90 and you don't even realise you're going that fast.

 

The next day, I could be in a VW Polo, you think you're hammering it and I'm only doing 60.

 

In normal, good conditions, I probably cruise at 80. But I always leave myself a ton of space, I'm very aware and alert of things around me.

 

I know my capabilities, but I'm very wary of others around me who don't.

Dunno about the cars you drive, but if I set mine at 80, it is actually 75.

[tom27111]

Just now, HighPeakFox said:

Dunno about the cars you drive, but if I set mine at 80, it is actually 75.

 

I'm never sure on how true it is, but the rumour is you're always going 10% slower than what your speedo says 

[HighPeakFox]

3 minutes ago, tom27111 said:

 

I'm never sure on how true it is, but the rumour is you're always going 10% slower than what your speedo says 

Google tells me the actual speed, and I use my limiter, so I am reasonably confident in this instance.

 

How is your back?

[tom27111]

Just now, HighPeakFox said:

Google tells me the actual speed, and I use my limiter, so I am reasonably confident in this instance.

 

How is your back?

 

It's alright thank you.

 

Ask me tomorrow after my first round of golf in a month!

 

Google maps is also fantastic for speed camera notifications, including the random ones on motorway gantries.

[Benguin]

Not convinced me I’m afraid. Speeding and middle lane hogging can both get in the bin. I appreciate you said you give space but the correlation between speeding and tailgating is undeniable. 
 

It might well be the case that a higher speed limit would be a good thing but until one was in place your arguments are irrelevant. 

[Parafox]

21 hours ago, tom27111 said:

 

I'm never sure on how true it is, but the rumour is you're always going 10% slower than what your speedo says 

From what I understand, the speedo has a 10% margin of error either side of the indicated speed. That's why speed cameras don't flash at 54mph in a 50 mph limit. And that's also the reason more and more average speed cameras are being introduced.

[Parafox]

11 hours ago, Benguin said:

Not convinced me I’m afraid. Speeding and middle lane hogging can both get in the bin. I appreciate you said you give space but the correlation between speeding and tailgating is undeniable. 
 

It might well be the case that a higher speed limit would be a good thing but until one was in place your arguments are irrelevant. 

The issue for me is, a higher speed limit would encourage some drivers to drive even faster. Anyway, on British motorways it's almost impossible to drive above 60mph due to the volume of traffic.

[adam1]

On 18/05/2023 at 21:32, HighPeakFox said:

Dunno about the cars you drive, but if I set mine at 80, it is actually 75.

Mercs are 2mph below. So if your speedo says 40 you are doing 38mph.

 

 

[Kopic]

In my shitheap the needle bounces up and down so I just guess how fast I'm going.

[SeCrEt FoX]

3 hours ago, adam1 said:

Mercs are 2mph below. So if your speedo says 40 you are doing 38mph.

 

 

I thought they were 60mph below. I normally see most of the high powered ones doing 100mph in a 40mph. 

[Parafox]

Dicks that pull out from a side road in front of me as I'm travelling on a main road, when there's a massive gap in traffic behind me. but only a few metres gap between me and the car in front, forcing me to brake, Just ****ing wait you imbeciles.

Edited 20 May 2023 by Parafox

[Bayfox]

13 hours ago, Parafox said:

Dicks that pull out from a side road in front of me as I'm travelling on a main road, when there's a massive gap in traffic behind me. but only a few metres gap between me and the car in front, forcing me to brake, Just ****ing wait you imbeciles.

Only to drive at 10 miles an hour under the speed limit. Cheers glad you were in such a rush to get in that gap then slow everyone down.

 

My favourite drivers are those that insist on sitting at one speed. Which oddly seems to be 40 , 40 n a 30 and yet still 40 in a 60

[CUJimmy]

On 18/05/2023 at 21:30, tom27111 said:

 

Totally agree with all that.

 

I drive different vehicles ever single day and adapt to what I'm driving.

 

On one day, I could be driving a Luton van, adapted with fitted with racking on the side. On that occasion, I'll sit in lane 1, doing 56mph like an HGV.

 

You really feel gusts of wind in things like that.

 

2 hours later, I could be in a sports car. You've touched 90 and you don't even realise you're going that fast.

 

The next day, I could be in a VW Polo, you think you're hammering it and I'm only doing 60.

 

In normal, good conditions, I probably cruise at 80. But I always leave myself a ton of space, I'm very aware and alert of things around me.

 

I know my capabilities, but I'm very wary of others around me who don't.

Sounds like we do the same job.  I typically drive 3 or 4 different vehicles a day averaging over 2000 miles a week, mostly on motorways.

 

The 10% theory originally goes back to when your speedo had to be calibrated to an accuracy of 10% either way (which didn’t help if it read slower than your actual speed) but it seems to be widely accepted now that cameras are set to limit plus 10% plus 2 or 3.  When the 70 mph speed limit was brought in that was about as fast as most normal cars could go.

 

Personally I would review speed limits then enforce them at the limit rather than leaving drivers to guess what they are going to get away with.  20/30/40/50/60 limits can all stay as they are for safety reasons given how busy our roads are but 80 mph on a motorway as in most European countries is fine.  Tailgating, lane hogging, overtaking on the inside etc are covered by the Driving without due care and attention law.

 

My biggest gripes on the road are variable speed limits for non-existent hazards such as ‘report of debris/obstruction/pedestrians’ or ‘Queue ahead’ at 6am which has clearly not been cancelled from rush hour the previous day.  The latter causes what traffic there is on the road to concertina making collisions more, not less, likely.

 

The other is HGVs in lane 3 of a 4 lane road or lane 2 of a 2 lane road.  This is particularly bad on the M42 even the stretch where they are prohibited from being there which is never policed so completely ignored.

[Unabomber]

People who get offended when being overtaken. Had some guy flashing me on the drive home cos I overtook him.

[HighPeakFox]

1 hour ago, Unabomber said:

People who get offended when being overtaken. Had some guy flashing me on the drive home cos I overtook him.

It's a bit like hitting people for clapping.

[Unabomber]

20 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

It's a bit like hitting people for clapping.

How come? 

[HighPeakFox]

21 minutes ago, Unabomber said:

How come? 

It's equally unreasonable. 

 

To be clear, I'm supporting your position, not theirs. 

Edited 28 May 2023 by HighPeakFox

[Unabomber]

Just now, HighPeakFox said:

It's equally unreasonable. 

But this is the what annoyed you on the road thread? Why mention hitting people for clapping? What’s that about? Who is hitting who? 

[HighPeakFox]

Just now, Unabomber said:

But this is the what annoyed you on the road thread? Why mention hitting people for clapping? What’s that about? Who is hitting who? 

It was a topical allusion to what is supposed to have gone on post match today. 

[String fellow]

Driving east on the A47 from Bushby towards Houghton this evening, some idiot coming down the hill the other way decided to overtake 2 cars at once, forcing me to jam on the anchors and almost up the kerb to avoid a head-on collision.