Discussion
Travelling along a single carriageway NSL road at 60mph. You come across a car doing 40mph. You follow at a safe distance looking for safe overtaking opportunities. You see a 30mph zone ahead so you decide to stay behind. As you reach the built up area the car you were following doesn't change his speed and disappears. You come back to a NSL and make safe progress only to find the same car still doing 40mph. The same thing happens again, no safe overtaking opportunities and you reach another built up area. Then they disappear again. Back onto another NSL stretch and you find the same car. This time you come across a dual carriageway and overtake safely. The road again becomes single carriageway and then eventually a built up area again. You are travelling at 30mph and the same car comes flying up behind you. They now proceed to follow you, inches from your rear bumper. I pulled over and let them pass, what would you have done?
Nah, no way I'd feel bullied into moving over for these sort of muppets. Come the next nsl they're an obstacle again rather than a rapidly fading annoyance.
But I do have a bee in my bonnet about folk taking the piss in urban areas then doddling on 60/70 roads.
I have been overtaken and seen overtaken done being more obedient of 30/40 limits in villages and towns.
But I do have a bee in my bonnet about folk taking the piss in urban areas then doddling on 60/70 roads.
I have been overtaken and seen overtaken done being more obedient of 30/40 limits in villages and towns.
Don Veloci said:
Nah, no way I'd feel bullied into moving over for these sort of muppets. Come the next nsl they're an obstacle again rather than a rapidly fading annoyance.
But I do have a bee in my bonnet about folk taking the piss in urban areas then doddling on 60/70 roads.
I have been overtaken and seen overtaken done being more obedient of 30/40 limits in villages and towns.
Yep. They are slow when legal to make progress but way too fast in built up areas. And yes they overtake before the NSL sign. These are the people I am talking about!But I do have a bee in my bonnet about folk taking the piss in urban areas then doddling on 60/70 roads.
I have been overtaken and seen overtaken done being more obedient of 30/40 limits in villages and towns.
Edited by blunder13 on Friday 23 September 10:53
blunder13 said:
Yep. They are slow when legal to make progress but way too fast in built up areas. And yes they overtake before the NSL sign. These are the people I am talking about!
Not only "before the sign". I've seen it done on urban streets not leading to NSL sections and anyone familiar with the A702 will know Dolphinton is a straight 40 limit where for some people overtaking at any point is considered fair game. Yet it is never patrolled. The police and scamera vans are way more interested in the famous straight north of the place which is actually a perfectly safe place to get by trucks, caravans, and doddlers to make progress.Edited by blunder13 on Friday 23 September 10:53
I'd probably have continued through the 30 aware that they might decide to overtake at some point. I very much doubt I'd have bothered pulling over. If a tailgater is making you so uncomfortable that you can't focus on driving then pulling over and getting rid of them is the thing to do. But you're under no obligation whatsoever to do so - only do it if it's what you want to do. I can't remember the last time I was that uncomfortable with a tailgater. Taking it gently and giving myself plenty of time to react is sufficient.
I get this kind'a thing occassionally on the last stretch of my commute home.
There's a NSL with a good long straight travelling towards the village I live in. I often pass cars on it then go through the following set of twisties without braking because, well, I can. So by the time I get to, and adhere to, the 30 limit I'm quite a good distance in front of them and often they're out of my sight.
From there it's another 3/4 mile or so through two villages to my house which is to all intents and purposes on the main road. Regularly by the time I pull up at my house they've caught up with me and are quite often shaking their fists and flashing lights.
I do wish they'd stop and explain themselves to me sometime.
There's a NSL with a good long straight travelling towards the village I live in. I often pass cars on it then go through the following set of twisties without braking because, well, I can. So by the time I get to, and adhere to, the 30 limit I'm quite a good distance in front of them and often they're out of my sight.
From there it's another 3/4 mile or so through two villages to my house which is to all intents and purposes on the main road. Regularly by the time I pull up at my house they've caught up with me and are quite often shaking their fists and flashing lights.
I do wish they'd stop and explain themselves to me sometime.
Agree with the others - if you're not comfortable with how they're following you, it's better to have them in front of you. For the most part though, I've found driving confidently in 30's and not moving into the gutter as many people seem to do means they just fall in behind you, and you can leave them to it at the next NSL sign.
Chris
Chris
blunder13 said:
You are travelling at 30mph and the same car comes flying up behind you. They now proceed to follow you, inches from your rear bumper.
Pulling over is probably the most definite way to avoid them plowing into you.I would normally just drive to take into consideration their reduced braking area - leave a bigger gap to the car in front, be more aware of escape paths if you need to stop suddenly and maybe even slow a bit to 20-25mph.
I've noticed you can also build up big gaps on roundabouts
What is described in the first post happens to me on many occasions but I always hope for hazards to present themselves because it usually transpires then I can safely and legally negotiate hazards quicker than the numpty who only knows hows to speed in a straight line
One 30 limit near me has straight bits of road between many roundabouts and chicanes so I lose them at the hazards then they catch up just before the next hazard then I lose them and so on
One 30 limit near me has straight bits of road between many roundabouts and chicanes so I lose them at the hazards then they catch up just before the next hazard then I lose them and so on
Sadly this kind of behaviour is all to common and as previous comment, where does the scamera vans and little men with guns sit, oh just outside these places where they know you are going to take these idiots.
I had a smiliar experiance on some fun roads, blast off between the villages leaving muppet boy for dead, and then hey presto next village they come from no where right up your arse
I had a smiliar experiance on some fun roads, blast off between the villages leaving muppet boy for dead, and then hey presto next village they come from no where right up your arse
While in virtually identical position to the OP with one of the 40mph everywhere brigade right on my tail going through a village or whatever I've found the following (rather evil) technique can provide some relief.
Often these days there are traffic calming measures such as islands in the middle of the road and often, the road is narrowed by extending the pavement into the road (e.g. where pedestrians cross etc).
If there is nothing else about, rather than adopting position to miss said island/"jutting out kerb" I might leave it until rather later to move over. Mr 40mph tailgater sometime then finds out why it is a good idea to maintain a safe distance when they either just miss the kerb OR fail to notice it altogether and bounce right over it.
Tend to find they don't tailgate quite as close after that.
Often these days there are traffic calming measures such as islands in the middle of the road and often, the road is narrowed by extending the pavement into the road (e.g. where pedestrians cross etc).
If there is nothing else about, rather than adopting position to miss said island/"jutting out kerb" I might leave it until rather later to move over. Mr 40mph tailgater sometime then finds out why it is a good idea to maintain a safe distance when they either just miss the kerb OR fail to notice it altogether and bounce right over it.
Tend to find they don't tailgate quite as close after that.
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