4 car overtake...?
Discussion
My first post on this section ... go easy 
I was journeying to a friends house in Hastings after attending the Brighton football game on Saturday evening (about 8pm) on the A27 eastbound. In the area in question, it's a mostly single carriageway road with mixed no-overtaking and overtaking zones, sparsely populated with 40 mph villages. After a few safe individual overtakes I had a big stretch of open road driving up to the NSL on this road until I encountered 4 cars in a tight stream, nothing in front of them for the visible distance and the lead truck (big 4x4 with lots of off-road lights on it's roof rack) was going approximately 50 mph. I followed them for a good number of overtaking sections and whilst there was no 100% clear overtaking opportunities, I didn't see any 'urgency' from any driver behind the 4x4 - suggesting they weren't hankering to overtake. A little time later, I saw a safe opportunity to pass here:
http://g.co/maps/mwd78
There wasn't a single car coming in our direction and I overtook the whole stream in one move, starting my move approximately 20m after the markings allowed. Driving a DB9 and using full power in 3rd, I was quick to gain speed and I probably hit 75mph in order to complete the manoeuvre as soon as possible. I carefully monitored each car as I passed to ensure they were aware of me and would not try an overtake themselves. I pulled in between the first 2 arrows indicating the overtaking markers were ending, still with nothing heading towards me. I had begun to slow as I pulled in and as I did so, I received the full beam (with all his bonnet/roof lights) and horn treatment from the 4x4 for a good 3-4 seconds.
Was what I did wrong? Soon after the move (but by no means immediately), I had to slow for upcoming 40mph but did not know about this when starting my move (I don't know the road off the top of my head) - perhaps he was warning me of this? I am fully prepared to have this labelled as very poor driving if it indeed is, but in my mind, given the same circumstances, I would have done the same overtake over again.
Comments?
I was journeying to a friends house in Hastings after attending the Brighton football game on Saturday evening (about 8pm) on the A27 eastbound. In the area in question, it's a mostly single carriageway road with mixed no-overtaking and overtaking zones, sparsely populated with 40 mph villages. After a few safe individual overtakes I had a big stretch of open road driving up to the NSL on this road until I encountered 4 cars in a tight stream, nothing in front of them for the visible distance and the lead truck (big 4x4 with lots of off-road lights on it's roof rack) was going approximately 50 mph. I followed them for a good number of overtaking sections and whilst there was no 100% clear overtaking opportunities, I didn't see any 'urgency' from any driver behind the 4x4 - suggesting they weren't hankering to overtake. A little time later, I saw a safe opportunity to pass here:
http://g.co/maps/mwd78
There wasn't a single car coming in our direction and I overtook the whole stream in one move, starting my move approximately 20m after the markings allowed. Driving a DB9 and using full power in 3rd, I was quick to gain speed and I probably hit 75mph in order to complete the manoeuvre as soon as possible. I carefully monitored each car as I passed to ensure they were aware of me and would not try an overtake themselves. I pulled in between the first 2 arrows indicating the overtaking markers were ending, still with nothing heading towards me. I had begun to slow as I pulled in and as I did so, I received the full beam (with all his bonnet/roof lights) and horn treatment from the 4x4 for a good 3-4 seconds.
Was what I did wrong? Soon after the move (but by no means immediately), I had to slow for upcoming 40mph but did not know about this when starting my move (I don't know the road off the top of my head) - perhaps he was warning me of this? I am fully prepared to have this labelled as very poor driving if it indeed is, but in my mind, given the same circumstances, I would have done the same overtake over again.
Comments?
You did absolutely nothing wrong - 4x4 driver was simply green with envy. When I was fortunate enough to be the temporary custodian of an F355 for a couple of years, I got the same reaction to many overtakes. I tended to back right off and let the 'flasher' catch up - amazing how many maintained a huge gap...
The possible (but unlikely) explanation is that the 4x4 driver was rather appreciative of a DB9 going past at max revs in 3rd and was flashing his lights to show his appreciation of such an aural delight. I know if you did it to me, you'd get a quick flash and a thumbs-up
The possible (but unlikely) explanation is that the 4x4 driver was rather appreciative of a DB9 going past at max revs in 3rd and was flashing his lights to show his appreciation of such an aural delight. I know if you did it to me, you'd get a quick flash and a thumbs-up
Somewhatfoolish said:
About as safe a place to overtake as you can get. 4x4 driver just letting you know he was a prick, 
Agreed. This sort of moronic reaction is all too frequent nowadays.I don't know why they consider it appropriate to flash their lights and sound their horn at the overtaker but, here's a few speculative suggestions as to what they might be thinking, drawn from my own experience of being on the receiving end of a variety signals and gestures given to me by overtaken drivers whom I've overtaken perfectly safely, without drama and within speed limits:
1. "You're jumping the queue"
2. "I'm driving at 50mph (or 45 mph, or whatever) that's quite fast enough on this road - you're driving like a maniac"
3. "I was having a nice quiet doze, driving at the maximum safe speed for this piece of road, and then you roared past causing me great alarm and consternation; you came out of nowhere like a bat out of hell" - "As I said earlier, I was driving at the maximum safe speed for this piece of road and as no one in their right mind would dream of overtaking on this stretch of road there was absolutely no need for me to look in my mirrors as I just wasn't expecting anyone to be stupid enough to overtake at that point!"
4. "Flash car, flash git! - I'll flash him to show my disapproval!"
5. "I want to tell him that
Any other suggestions?
Zaxxon said:
I had the same from an oncoming car that was along way away, totally safe overtake, yet she flashed me...dizzy b
h.
Most people have no idea just how quick an even moderately high performace car can overtake. They also tend to be pretty crappy at judging the speed of oncoming traffic. So when they see you pull out to overtake a couple of hundred yards away they are convinced an accident is imminent. I quite regularly do this as I actually prefer to see cars coming towards me when I overtake (then again, I'm being told off for my overtaking here so take with a pinch of salt h.)If you consistently drive even vaguely decent cars, drive a 1.0 litre yaris and set out on a mission to overtake something going much faster than a tractor. I estimate that it will take over an hour (except on multi-lane roads, which is cheating).
Top reasons for getting the response you did.
1. Your speed got excessively high.
2. You pulled back to your side before allowing a 2 second gap to the forward most car.
3. After moving back to your side, slowed rapidly.
4. The location you chose to overtake did not allow a safe recovery if an oncoming vehicle travelling at speed came around the next bend/brow of hill etc.
Assuming none of the above applied, then you did nothing wrong and another road user shows his ignorance of decent driving.
1. Your speed got excessively high.
2. You pulled back to your side before allowing a 2 second gap to the forward most car.
3. After moving back to your side, slowed rapidly.
4. The location you chose to overtake did not allow a safe recovery if an oncoming vehicle travelling at speed came around the next bend/brow of hill etc.
Assuming none of the above applied, then you did nothing wrong and another road user shows his ignorance of decent driving.
Not that I'm about to have a moan up, but I'm sure the OP knows that stretch of A27 from Beddingham to Polegate is one of the most notorious accident blackspots in Sussex. Desmond Lewellyn who played Q in the Bond films was (in)famously killed along there. Go easy is all I'm saying, I would be in no hurry to get to Eastbourne & even less to Hastings.
Justin Cyder said:
Not that I'm about to have a moan up, but I'm sure the OP knows that stretch of A27 from Beddingham to Polegate is one of the most notorious accident blackspots in Sussex. Desmond Lewellyn who played Q in the Bond films was (in)famously killed along there. Go easy is all I'm saying, I would be in no hurry to get to Eastbourne & even less to Hastings.
I actually didn't know that - I lived in Hastings up to the age of 18 and have rarely been back. Now you mention it I knew Desmond Lewellyn was killed on the A27 but didn't know it was on that stretch. But like you say - there's no hurry to get to Hastings 
.The only thing you have 'done wrong' is to be bothered enough by 4x4 driver's actions to post on here. This is exactly the sort of road behaviour that you should just smile wryly at and then immediately forget. If it lodges in you brain you are letting another's poor driving/actions effect you. I'm suprised you didn't also get flashed by an 'oncoming' vehicle over half a mile away - that's the other fave! Enjoy a great car.
For oncoming cars, when they eventually get close enough for you to be able to see the driver, usually about 10 minutes, wave and smile this gets them extremely angry and they start flashing tooting all over again.
Having said, that probably a bad idea as we don't want angry people in charge of cars, their poor driving is bad enough.
Having said, that probably a bad idea as we don't want angry people in charge of cars, their poor driving is bad enough.
IT1GTR said:
Somewhatfoolish said:
About as safe a place to overtake as you can get. 4x4 driver just letting you know he was a prick, which was nice of him. Although... 4 cars in that distance... DB9... 75mph... 
+25mph me thinksAnother point though - when flashed by an oncoming driver while overtaking - don't assume they're having a rant. I was overtaking a couple of cars on an A-road and was probably doing a similar speed to the OP
- a car coming the other way flashed at me a couple of times and made some kind of hand gesture. In retaliation, I gave him the bird....However, as I came round a bend and (thankfully) up behind another 45mph dawdler, I spotted the scamera van. I felt like a right prat for abusing the guy that flashed me - he was only trying to save me some points, as he'd spotted that (ahem) I might have been a tad over the limit
IT1GTR said:
Somewhatfoolish said:
About as safe a place to overtake as you can get. 4x4 driver just letting you know he was a prick, which was nice of him. Although... 4 cars in that distance... DB9... 75mph...
+25mph me thinksSo?
Unless it was a sharp early pull back in to the left.
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