Speeding Rant

Balfa

declanoneill wrote:

There was enough space for about a car and a hlaf in front of me. Some fool in a colt comes up behind me going like a bat out of hell, swerves over to the other side of the road to get around me and goes into the gap between myself and the learner

A car and a half is roughly (i'm being generous here) six metres. So you were driving six metres behind him? Do you remember that little bit in the rules of the road that suggested one metre behind the car in front for every mile an hour you're doing? So you were doing six miles an hour at the time? No wonder the colt wanted past you so badly!!!

I do generally drive above the speed limit (about +5mph, but sometimes more), but i always leave huge distances (i always need that huge distance to plan my overtaking and accelerate up to speed in the Domino ). I can't stand people who sit right on the bumper. The worst thing is when people sit right on the bumper of the car in front and have absolutely no intention to overtake. This prevents other people from overtaking as safely as possible as they have to pass both cars at once.

You should be leaving a lot more than a car and a half between you and the one in front.


edit: one more thing: the original poster suggested that people who speed do so simply because they're not paying attention and don't realise it. I very much doubt this is the case. I'm sure most of us just choose to do it. No matter how bad a driver is, one thing they're usually aware of (especially if they're bad drivers in the fast sense, rather than the slow sense) is their speed. Now being aware of other road users, as green blood has shown us, seems to be a lot harder for most people.

528i

//one metre behind the car in front for every mile an hour you're doing? //

60M ? or 12 car lengths at the legal limit ? this can't be right.. are they landing an aeroplane or something, what kind of retards dream up this stuff :rolleyes:

6mm is more than adequate if you're driving a bmw.

declanoneill

I admit I don't usually leave 1m for every mile per hour I'm doing, but I never sit on peoples bumpers either. That aside unless it was an emergency there's no reason he should have wanted to overtake to cars and go shooting off like a rocket beyond being a little boy racer, in which case he deserves to die screaming.

DBK

It's the same with speed ramps on roads. I nearly had some bloke run up my ass cause I slowed down to go over a speed ramp. A$$hole. Then he overtakes me and hits the next speed ramp like the dukes of f*cking hazzard. Bloody idiots. :mad:

fletch

DBK wrote:

It's the same with speed ramps on roads. I nearly had some bloke run up my ass cause I slowed down to go over a speed ramp. A$$hole. Then he overtakes me and hits the next speed ramp like the dukes of f*cking hazzard. Bloody idiots. :mad:

Don't know if this applies to your situation just described, but personally I hate those people that accelerate between ramps & slow down as each one approaches. I prefer to maintain a steady speed through them all, leaving one wheel on the flat(where possible) so as to smooth out the bump. Plus I use less petrol not accelertating & braking for each ramp.
Anyone else got any thoughts?

klaus23

fletch wrote:

leaving one wheel on the flat(where possible) so as to smooth out the bump.?

That's the worst thing you can do... wears out your driveshafts and can knock the tracking out. Another bad habit people have is hitting the bump with their foot on the brakes.

Balfa

fletch wrote:

I hate those people that accelerate between ramps & slow down as each one approaches. I prefer to maintain a steady speed ... any thoughts?

I maintain a steady speed, too. but it certainly doesn't bother me what other people do! It's always about tradeoffs and happy mediums, though. You may as well claim to coast gently from one car park exit a mile down the road to another car park entrance. You'll be rolling at about 3mph by the time you reach your next turn, but you'll save plenty of petrol

klaus23 wrote:

That's the worst thing you can do... wears out your driveshafts

That smells thoroughly brown to me.

FuzzyWuzzyWazza

fletch wrote:

She was doing about 50mph with at least 10 cars behind her wanting to go past her....eventually one car undertook her & then the rest followed suit. So by her hogging the outside lane, she encouraged at least 10 other people to break the law in frustration.

It's not breaking the law as long as you do not exceed the speed limit, you are permitted to 'undertake' in the driving lane if the traffic in the overtaking lane is moving slower then the traffic in the driving lane.

fletch wrote:

Had she actually glanced in her mirror once in that 3 mile distance & noticed the train of cars behind her & moved over, all of those cars would not have been forced to break the law.

I reckon that as long as she was able to see out of the corner of the mirror she wasn't using for fixin her hair/makup/or checking on the kid in the back, she wouldn't be arsed about moving out of the way, probably thinks 'well I am not breaking the speed limit, and I am entitled to drive in whatever lane I like, they can just go around me'

Drives me up the walls!!!! That and people who's car only do around 100kph, they zoom past you in the 60 or 80 zones only for you to blow past them when you hit the motorway and they are still doing the same speed :mad:

Calibos

I enjoy testing the acceleration of my car up to the legal limit when it is safe to do so. ie coming off a slip road onto an empty motorway, I enjoy flooring it up to the speedlimit. Its nice having the power to quickly and safely pass a line of artics (in the lefthand lane) in the overtaking lane before I get back into the left hand lane. So I am not anti speed or acceleration persay, but to be honest it really is a waste of time at the end of the day.

For example last week I was bringing an old fridge from Bray to a re-cycling centre in Wicklow town for my mother. She was in my brothers car with an old washing machine. On a side note, what a lovely drive that is now with all the new bypasses! Anyway, needless to say we took it very easy on the way down. On the way back however I left the old dear behind and made 'good progress' if you know what I mean. Pretty much adhering to speed limits but lots of overtaking in the overtaking lane. In and out of the lefthand lane the whole journey. Passed out a neighbours car about half way home and he had disappeared from my rearview very quickly.

.....We all pulled into our estate at the same time. All I had gained was the privelege of being the car infront.

So while I enjoyed the motorway/dual carriageway drive as 99% of the time I just drive within Bray and would drive that way again traffic and conditions permitting, if for some reason I couldn't then tbh I wouldn't get frustrated like a lot of drivers do when they feel they aren't making 'good progress' because I know that at the end of the day in all likelyhood I'll arrive at my destination at pretty much the same time anyway.

FuzzyWuzzyWazza

528i wrote:

6mm is more than adequate if you're driving a bmw.

Knob head

green-blood

thanks balfa, I feel suitably chastised.

528 - he paid me to take the swedish lump off his hands

just as further info, the chap joined the m50 at the knocklyon/firhouse junction, I had already moved to the outside lane to over take the pair of artics struggling up the hill.

He moved to the outside lane immediately (without indicating) and raced up my ar.se. Is that observant enough for you. It was a red Almera 5 door, 03 KE and he was wearing a suit and glasses... I misbehaved, yeah...sorry Da

MrPudding

FuzzyWuzzyWazza wrote:

It's not breaking the law as long as you do not exceed the speed limit, you are permitted to 'undertake' in the driving lane if the traffic in the overtaking lane is moving slower then the traffic in the driving lane.

I don't think that is actually correct. AFAIR to can only pass on the left if the traffic in the right hand lane are stopped while waiting to turn right accross oncoming traffic or if both lanes are in heavy traffic and the inside lane happens to be travelling faster.

In the case where someone is holding up the overtaking lane and you move to the clear inside lane and undertake, you are breaking the law.

MrP

green-blood

nope. that would mean if somebody was to stop in the outsidelane you would be stuck there indefiitely...

you shoudl drive in the left most available lane unless ovrtaking. If the left most lane is available and is moving faster than any other lane you may indicate and move to that lane when safe. Nothing unsafe or illegal about that.

what is numptie-ish is where a faster moving car, especialy one way over the limit moves to a left lane and back to the righ lane undertaking a fellow wally sitting in th outside lane when the inside is available

MrPudding

I think you will find I said that where traffic is stopped in the right hand lane it is acceptable to pass on the left. I should have have said "for example, where traffic is stopped while waiting to turn right......" I never suggestest that you would have to wait if a car in the right lane had stopped.

We are actually more or less saying the same thing, try reading my post again.

MrP

DBK

fletch wrote:

Don't know if this applies to your situation just described, but personally I hate those people that accelerate between ramps & slow down as each one approaches.

Nah, I'm not the type to race up to speed ramps, brake hard, over speed ramp, rinse and repeat. It was the first speed ramp on the road and I slowed down, not by a whole lot as I wasn't driving that fast in the first place. Man, it mad when you see people not even bothering to slow for the ramps. The nearly hit the roof of their car and do it again on the next one. What the hell are they thinking?

Boggle

Man, it mad when you see people not even bothering to slow for the ramps. The nearly hit the roof of their car and do it again on the next one. What the hell are they thinking?

That if the ramps are higer than 10cm they can claim for any damage maybe??

Seriously though, the ramps that you see around now are a joke and clearly exceed the max height. As far as I'm concerned I should be able to drive up a road at the speed limit (note I said should be able to - not would) - if that limit is too high then lower it but dont build mini mountains for me to bounce off...

green-blood

I'm confused - why would a car be stopped ona motorway waiting to turn right!!!!!! :-)

fletch

green-blood wrote:

I'm confused - why would a car be stopped ona motorway waiting to turn right!!!!!! :-)

Maybe they were waiting to merge on to the M50 at half 5 in the evening

ds20prefecture

DBK wrote:

Nah, I'm not the type to race up to speed ramps, brake hard, over speed ramp, rinse and repeat. It was the first speed ramp on the road and I slowed down, not by a whole lot as I wasn't driving that fast in the first place. Man, it mad when you see people not even bothering to slow for the ramps. The nearly hit the roof of their car and do it again on the next one. What the hell are they thinking?

In my own car, I drive at a constant 30mph over speed bumps, without slowing and with no hitting of heads. I made the mistake of trying that in my friend's 4.0 Lexus/Toyota coupé - ouch. Don't they need suspension in Japan?

Generally, as a driver of a very slow left hand drive car, I get the hell out of the way. Having said that, there's nothing worse than having spooled up to 70 or 80mph on the motorway only to lose all that momentum to some half wit asleep in the outside lane with the finger up their nose.

DubTony

FuzzyWuzzyWazza wrote:

It's not breaking the law as long as you do not exceed the speed limit, you are permitted to 'undertake' in the driving lane if the traffic in the overtaking lane is moving slower then the traffic in the driving lane.

The rule is simple. The only time you are permitted to overtake in the left lane is to go past slowly moving traffic. That'd be the cars doing 20, 30 or maybe at a stretch 40 km/h. So when you're in a line to pay a toll and the left lane has less cars than the right lane, it's ok to undertake. It's very definitely not ok at 60 to 100 km/h. Sure, sometimes for sanity's sake it has to be done. But it's still illegal, as is hogging the overtaking lane.

Tony

unkel

ds20prefecture wrote:

I made the mistake of trying that in my friend's 4.0 Lexus/Toyota coupé - ouch. Don't they need suspension in Japan?

I presume your friend has a SC430? If so there's slightly more to it then that. Lexus are made for the USA really. So when the SC430 was launched in Europe, all journos were complaining it was ridiculously wobbly and unsporty and unsuitable for European roads. Toyota promptly stiffened the suspension for the models sold here...

ds20prefecture

unkel wrote:

I presume your friend has a SC430? If so there's slightly more to it then that. Lexus are made for the USA really. So when the SC430 was launched in Europe, all journos were complaining it was ridiculously wobbly and unsporty and unsuitable for European roads. Toyota promptly stiffened the suspension for the models sold here...

Nope it's the Soarer thing with the 4 litre v8 from the lexus saloon. '93 I think.

I think the tyres are 260/25 profile I also think the previous owner had stiffened the suspension considerably.

It is a dreadful car with a nice engine. I suppose the auto isn't bad for a 4 speed of that vintage either. Traction is very poor, even in dry conditions. The interior is unrelentingly beige with an irritating digital speedo. The car is huge, for a 2+2.

ando

528i wrote:

6mm is more than adequate if you're driving a bmw.

what a muppet :rolleyes: bring back motornet so we can get rid of him

Dades

fletch wrote:

Don't know if this applies to your situation just described, but personally I hate those people that accelerate between ramps & slow down as each one approaches. I prefer to maintain a steady speed through them all, leaving one wheel on the flat(where possible) so as to smooth out the bump. Plus I use less petrol not accelertating & braking for each ramp.
Anyone else got any thoughts?

I definitely accelerate between ramps & slow down as each one approaches. Not because I like it, but because I HATE RAMPS! :mad:
Well, ramps AND coasting along a snails pace.

(And I ain't no boy racer ).

unkel

ds20prefecture wrote:

I think the tyres are 260/25 profile

Huh, 25? :eek:

Even an Enzo still has 35

ds20prefecture

unkel wrote:

Huh, 25? :eek:

Even an Enzo still has 35

Hence the smiley. Well that's what it feels like!