Driving etiquette………..

I think Tony is right on this, but I hate 70 mph so would stick in the nearside lane unless this slowed down to less than 50. Then I'd bite the bullet and go 70 in the overtaking lane.

In the days when I had a Volvo 240 I knew that the speedo was roughly ten per cent optimistic at 70, and the 77  indicated speed was 70 actual. I therefore always stuck to a maximum of 75 mph indicated, which amounted to 68 or 69 mph. Always legal, and I accepted that my overtaking at this speed might baulk traffic that was content to break the law, and would take the chance to get back into the nearside lane ASAP.

ATB from George

The thing I find a little unbelievable about this scenario is that there would be a motorist travelling at or under the speed limit at all. In my experience pretty much all motorists break the speed limit pretty much all the time unless physically impeded by corners or other motorists. Speed limit signs are given less respect than corner-speed as advisory signs. Motorists do not, of course, see this practice as dangerous.

Dear Winki,

In the Halcyon days of my Volvo, I found a neat solution to pacing the journey if it was long and involved 70 mph M-ways or dual carriageways.

Find a nice big lorry governed to 56 or 60 mph, and follow it at quarter of a mile and keep station. Not so close that traffic could not safely get back in between me and the lorry, but close enough for me to read the lorry and his brakes. If his brake light came on, I'd feather the throttle. This got fuel economy levels of 40 to 43 mpg for a 2.3 litre car not noted for particular fuel economy.

It is a fairly stressless way to drive and given that I was watching the lorry, I had a pair of professional eyes a quarter of a mile ahead as a bonus ...

ATB from George

PS: I have been driving since 1977 [when I passed my agricultural tractor test on my sixteenth birthday. Since then I have never had a conviction or speed ticket, though twice I over stayed on parking of less than an hour!

Dear Tony,

Some lorries used to pass me, and I immediately layed off and let them back in. I never did the half mile battle of wills as the lorry was going a quarter of a mile and hour faster, and some idiot would stick rigidly to his chosen speed!

ATB from George

Nope. Never have. Never will in all likelihood.

Don's scenario is sadly not far removed from reality in UK where speed limits are increasingly being enforced via a multitude of speed cameras.  The theoretical driver sitting at 65mph could on occasion very well be me!

Given the choice, I would accelerate to 70mph or thereabouts, provided there is adequate space to not 'cut up' the motorists in the outside lane.

The slightly more tricky (and just as likely) scenario is where the stream of traffic approaching in the outside lane are sitting at 80-85mph.  Not always apparent in the rear view mirror.  They are all breaking the law so should you concern yourself about placing your car in front of them at 70mph, causing their train to slow down?

Peter

You are clearly over it then Tony.........

Yesterday I was stuck behind an inconsiderate motorist who insisted on driving at 25mph on a 40mph road with very few opportunities to overtake.  People like this cause accidents. 

Lovely town Bury St Edmunds.

While I sympathise, they don't cause the accidents. The person deciding to overtake inappropriately causes the accidents. Frustrating as it is, and on the A14 as on many others, it is, but no worse that the endless idiots that drive in the middle lane on motorways rather than always pulling over to the inside which is/when it is free etc!

now that got that off my chest!

Totally agree on your post ...

I've never understood why folk get so hot under the collar about people stuck in the middle lane, or driving slowly when overtaking. So you get held up for a few seconds, does it really matter? Too many people are discourteous and aggressive when driving, and have no interest in the skill of driving.

Hi Tony

It is not that I get hot under collar but rather that driving like that clearly indicates either someone who isn't paying attention or doesn't know the highway code, (which they had to do when they passed their driving license) or is arrogant enough to believe that everyone else on the road can accommodate their arrogance.

And of course it means that you do have to overtake into a lane full of people who are often only in that line because of idiots driving in the middle lane!!!

That's usually what's at the front of the line of vehicles in the nearside lane. Or perhaps four or five lorries, all doing 56mph (90kph), so the situation is realistic.

Dear Don,

It is good speed, especially followed at a distance - quarter of a mile or more - so that you avoid crashing into the vehicle in front or annoying the speed merchants. You get there in one piece with exceptional fuel economy.

ATB from George.

PS: Drining to Norfolk [in a hired Vauxhall 1200 cc van with my Carlton] on Friday on a route entirely devoid of M-ways or even many A-roads. I expect a six hour drive from Worcester. But then I have never been in a hurry over anything ... Stratford, then towards Banbury [all A 442, but it might as well be a B-road], then catch the Fossway toward Leicester, but cut south on B-roads to the A 47 to Peterborough and via the March corner on to Norwich and further north east. No reason to consult a road map ...

Again, that could well be me ! I don't like to be late for work, so I leave home in good time and take it easy.

If I travel at about 63mph I get just over 70 mpg out of the little Merc (C220 cdi), whereas at 75mph the fuel drops to less than 60mpg. Also, if the traffic (yes I know that's me as much as everybody else) is a bit heavier and slower in places, I can usually pick up speed from time to time and recover my arrival time.

Peter, nicely put, That was going to be my next scenario and question.

How many pseudo law-enforcers do we have in our midst ?

Like George I often travel at 68-69 mph on motorways and dual carriage ways (car speedo calibrated against a GPS), but I rarely drive much slower than that on these roads.  I also find that, apart from slower and speed restricted vehicles, I'm the often slowest driver on the road. 

I also have no qualms about moving into the outside lane and then keeping to that speed to overtake lorries or other vehicles travelling significantly slower then myself. If for any reason I'm travelling below that speed I'll bide my time before overtaking.

I also believe that if drivers choose to exceed the speed limit, then they are inherently taking upon themselves complete responsibility for the safety of law abiding motorists in respect of their own actions.

GPS is how I calibrated the Volvo. 77 indicated was 70 actual on GPS.

So 75 indicated was always legal on a 70 speed limit.

ATB from George

It's not "pseudo law-enforcement", it's simply a refusal to be intimidated by those who choose to break the law.

In most circumstances, I have no wish to break the law, and neither I nor they have a right so to do.

Curious thread this!

I never carve up others, nor drive too close. However I enjoy speed where it is safe to do so. In my view people who hog the middle lane when there is space to return to the inside lane are inconsiderate, and on busier roads are dangerous, causing bunching of other drivers. It doesnt matter if the driver concerned is sitting at the speed limit, as it is nothing to do with him/her whether others choose to travel faster: yes, they're breaking the law, but actually so is the one hogging the middle lane! i believe that more accidents are caused by frustrated motorists, whatever the cause, than by speed itself. 

A few years ago when I used to commute for the weekend between Tyne & Wear and Berkshire late evening I found cruising between 90 and 100 quite respectable, only short bursts higher on occasion. if lucky I'd find like minded drivers to keep as front and back markers 1/4 mile away. I found at that speed I switched into hyper observation mode and no feeling of fatigue. One day I lost my back marker and foolishly thought it was back again , then it gradually started to gain. I slowed, but a tad late and recognised the police car when still in high 80s, and was pulled over. The very polite discussion that followed advised me to keep my speed down because they normally prosecuted over 85 - and I know they knew full well that I'd already dropped my speed. Then I was told mine was by far the best driving they'd seen all day...  (always allowing space around me, always moving back into the leftmost lane after overtaking, always slowing when visibility was reduced by anything, etc)

Now my 39th year of driving, probably about half a million miles, and no prosecutions (Yet) and I'm a member of the IAM - have been since I was 25

But I didn't answer the question: good driving dictates that you should try to avoid causing others to have to change speed or direction because of you! and certainly not sharply. So the answer is if the 70mph (+) is close, you should speed up to match (but not necessary to exceed speed limit), or slow down and wait for them to pass. If they are further back such that they can ease off to your speed without braking hard (better still without having to brake at all), then pull out maintaining your speed and they should be happy to match your speed, provided that when you have past what to you is a slower moving line of vehicles you move back in is soon as it is safe to do so, which is a gap of a yard per mph of the vehicle you've overtaken ( which is almost exactly a gap of 2!seconds).

A little off subject but it would be so much easier and relaxing on the roads if drivers would use their damned cruise control instead of constantly changing speed !