Anyone Else Encountered This Strange Behaviour?
Discussion
Yesterday I was leaving our village with the wife, following a Range Rover in the NSL at about 55mph. As both cars approached the local garden centre, a BMW M5 exited in our paths and then took about 15 seconds to reach 35-40mph, forcing us both to slow. We followed the M5 for several miles, and the M5 driver maintained 35-40 throughout. There were no safe overtaking opportunities and at no time did the Range Rover driver or me tailgate the M5: we both kept a safe following distance throughout.
After several miles the M5 signalled to turn right. The RR went straight on, and I turned right to follow the M5. The driver turned at almost walking pace. I knew there was an overtaking opportunity coming up and felt, given the M5 driver's previous behaviour, it would be quite easy to pass legally and safely. So as the road opened up I moved out to overtake. The M5 then accelerated. I gave a short toot of the horn to make the driver aware of my presence. No reaction, so a longer note. He looked back at me, scowled and accelerated harder, so I aborted the overtake. He then slowed to 35-40 for the next corner. The road opened into a longer straight. As he was maintaining 35, I tried to overtake again. Again he sped up to 60 and thereafter maintained that speed until he turned right a mile further on, when he deliberately slowed the car to 5 mph and crawled through the turn. I drove straight on and his wife scowled at me from the passenger seat as I passed.
They were not young hooligans by the way, but an elderly couple in their 70s.
After any incident I try and work out what I could have done differently, but I am stumped in this case. Maybe not go for the second overtake, although I aborted it immediately once it was clear that he was not going to let me pass. Anyway, I have now decided to fit a dash cam. I would have gladly sent footage to the police had I any.
Has anyone else encountered this sort of behaviour and if so, what have you learned as a result?
After several miles the M5 signalled to turn right. The RR went straight on, and I turned right to follow the M5. The driver turned at almost walking pace. I knew there was an overtaking opportunity coming up and felt, given the M5 driver's previous behaviour, it would be quite easy to pass legally and safely. So as the road opened up I moved out to overtake. The M5 then accelerated. I gave a short toot of the horn to make the driver aware of my presence. No reaction, so a longer note. He looked back at me, scowled and accelerated harder, so I aborted the overtake. He then slowed to 35-40 for the next corner. The road opened into a longer straight. As he was maintaining 35, I tried to overtake again. Again he sped up to 60 and thereafter maintained that speed until he turned right a mile further on, when he deliberately slowed the car to 5 mph and crawled through the turn. I drove straight on and his wife scowled at me from the passenger seat as I passed.
They were not young hooligans by the way, but an elderly couple in their 70s.
After any incident I try and work out what I could have done differently, but I am stumped in this case. Maybe not go for the second overtake, although I aborted it immediately once it was clear that he was not going to let me pass. Anyway, I have now decided to fit a dash cam. I would have gladly sent footage to the police had I any.
Has anyone else encountered this sort of behaviour and if so, what have you learned as a result?
Nothing to learn here the m5 driver was an idiot.
I used to consider that 50% of people were more stupid than the average person but I've since realised intelligence is like wealth. The majority is held by the top 5% with the majority living in intelligence poverty. But the two do not necessarily correlate.
Move on
G
I used to consider that 50% of people were more stupid than the average person but I've since realised intelligence is like wealth. The majority is held by the top 5% with the majority living in intelligence poverty. But the two do not necessarily correlate.
Move on
G
Edited by gmasterfunk on Sunday 3rd March 10:37
EdMX5 said:
As both cars approached the local garden centre, a BMW M5 exited in our paths and then took about 15 seconds to reach 35-40mph, forcing us both to slow....
They were not young hooligans by the way, but an elderly couple in their 70s.
/thread. They were not young hooligans by the way, but an elderly couple in their 70s.
ETA you probably find them getting very angry in supermarket petrol stations too.
Edited by Johnnytheboy on Sunday 3rd March 13:39
I was driving up through Galloway Forest last week in my 335d. Nice weather, nice views, so we were taking in the scenery. Lovely road with clear views. A Q5 came up behind, then dropped back. He clearly wanted to go faster, so, clear road ahead, a left flick on the indicator, and he went past. No fuss - that is how it should be.
I remember last year, accelerating hard out of a dual carriageway roundabout, and a 5 series keeping up with me in the outside lane. I was already at 75 mph, and just pulled into left lane when the left lane was clear. It was an M5. The M5 that OP met up with was wasted on its owner!
I remember last year, accelerating hard out of a dual carriageway roundabout, and a 5 series keeping up with me in the outside lane. I was already at 75 mph, and just pulled into left lane when the left lane was clear. It was an M5. The M5 that OP met up with was wasted on its owner!
Some people do not like being overtaken. They are the driving gods, making the best safe progress possible. I merely smile as I see their indignant faces fade in my rear view mirror. Too many road warriors out there. An M5 does seem an odd choice for pottering about at 35mph.
Don't lose any sleep over it.
Don't lose any sleep over it.
Some people don't like being overtaken, even those who drive slowly. I commute a round trip of 74 miles on mostly winding A and B roads, and in doing so probably overtake 2 or 3 times a day, often more. I don't know the proportion, but obviously eliminating the lorries and buses that I pass, a good number of people I overtake accelerate as soon as they notice what I'm doing. Like the OP, I mainly notice when it's a high performance car, because the effects are obviously more pronounced, either through sound or acceleration. The other day I followed a Boxster doing 45-50mph in a long 60mph stretch, and as soon as I overtook I was treated to the sonorous rasp of a flat six as his throttle pedal hit the carpet. I pulled back behind him (I only have 160bhp hauling 1500kg!), and when I tried again a few miles later he did the same thing, so I had to just sit behind him at 45-50mph for miles.
You just have to accept there are a lot of idiots about.
I had a similar experience recently.
Travelling through a thirty limit village at an observed minus thirty speed due to frequency of Speed trap and it’s very hidden nature. (As well as it is the law).
A car emerged from the housing road ahead. Not exactly in front of me but given clear road behind me I would have waited in their shoes.
I lifted and expected to catch him at about the upcoming roundabout.
No, despite pulling out somewhat in front of me he made no attempt to get going.
Ok. I thought. Perhaps they are lost or looking for an address.
So having had to slow to about ten mph I carefully followed them around the roundabout expecting a possible random navigation manoeuvre.
They proceeded straight ahead, exited and never made any attempt to accelerate.
By which time I am closer and somewhat puzzled as there is no junctions or turnings for a bit.
Then I get brake tested. Which when they start at fifteen mph results in pretty much stoppage.
So I go around them as it is safe to do so.
Then he suddenly finds the accelerator and lights and horn and various forms of gesticulation.
As others have said, ‘move on’. But I really can’t for the life of me understand what elicited that sort of reaction given such strange driving beforehand.
Right. I feel better for that.
A
I had a similar experience recently.
Travelling through a thirty limit village at an observed minus thirty speed due to frequency of Speed trap and it’s very hidden nature. (As well as it is the law).
A car emerged from the housing road ahead. Not exactly in front of me but given clear road behind me I would have waited in their shoes.
I lifted and expected to catch him at about the upcoming roundabout.
No, despite pulling out somewhat in front of me he made no attempt to get going.
Ok. I thought. Perhaps they are lost or looking for an address.
So having had to slow to about ten mph I carefully followed them around the roundabout expecting a possible random navigation manoeuvre.
They proceeded straight ahead, exited and never made any attempt to accelerate.
By which time I am closer and somewhat puzzled as there is no junctions or turnings for a bit.
Then I get brake tested. Which when they start at fifteen mph results in pretty much stoppage.
So I go around them as it is safe to do so.
Then he suddenly finds the accelerator and lights and horn and various forms of gesticulation.
As others have said, ‘move on’. But I really can’t for the life of me understand what elicited that sort of reaction given such strange driving beforehand.
Right. I feel better for that.
A
Not making excuses for them but maybe there was an argument in the M5 maybe...anything. As frustrating as it is I dont think a dashcam and a copy of their frustrating behaviour to the police would be the answer.
As others have said, forget about it, carry on with your day and hopefully you wont come accross them again.
As others have said, forget about it, carry on with your day and hopefully you wont come accross them again.
It's just a case of people being oblivious to the world around them until they get woken up by someone trying to overtake. They don't want to be overtaken because they see it as an affront to their egos, so they accelerate to stop it happening. Either that or they think overtaking is dangerous and try to create a dangerous situation to prove it.
In the case of the person brake testing after pulling off his driveway, he probably has a thing about people speeding and driving aggressively along his road. The speed checks will be there because of complaints from residents about an issue with speeding. When a few neighbours get together over an issue they become obsessed with an agenda and hype up whatever problem it is they're concerned about.
In this case, the guy is so sure that every person driving past his house is a speeding maniac he'll prove it by pulling out of his driveway slowly in order for the person approaching to catch up. Then the act of catching up will prove the person is too fast and he'll brake test to teach a lesson and initiate aggression from the other person to further confirm in his mind that the person is a speeding maniac.
He probably isn't consciously aware that he's behaving in a way that goads people who are doing nothing wrong, but there's at least a subconscious part of him that wants to heighten the problem to justify his outrage.
I actually find that a lot of residents in villages with anti speeding, community speed watch signs all over the place speed and tailgate me when I'm abiding by the limit. Their perception of their speed when driving is different to their perception of other people's speed when they're standing outside their houses.
In the case of the person brake testing after pulling off his driveway, he probably has a thing about people speeding and driving aggressively along his road. The speed checks will be there because of complaints from residents about an issue with speeding. When a few neighbours get together over an issue they become obsessed with an agenda and hype up whatever problem it is they're concerned about.
In this case, the guy is so sure that every person driving past his house is a speeding maniac he'll prove it by pulling out of his driveway slowly in order for the person approaching to catch up. Then the act of catching up will prove the person is too fast and he'll brake test to teach a lesson and initiate aggression from the other person to further confirm in his mind that the person is a speeding maniac.
He probably isn't consciously aware that he's behaving in a way that goads people who are doing nothing wrong, but there's at least a subconscious part of him that wants to heighten the problem to justify his outrage.
I actually find that a lot of residents in villages with anti speeding, community speed watch signs all over the place speed and tailgate me when I'm abiding by the limit. Their perception of their speed when driving is different to their perception of other people's speed when they're standing outside their houses.
Out and about in the Westfield in the Pennines last week and came to a junction into a main road.
Two cars go past and then I pull out. Second car going about 30 on a NSL, straight road clear for about 2)4 mile, so I pull out and go past.
Cue lots of flashing lights, horn and gesticulating.
I was tempted to pull up and ask him what the problem was, but the road ahead was too tempting, so I left him.
Old blokes in 15 year old corollas are the worst
Two cars go past and then I pull out. Second car going about 30 on a NSL, straight road clear for about 2)4 mile, so I pull out and go past.
Cue lots of flashing lights, horn and gesticulating.
I was tempted to pull up and ask him what the problem was, but the road ahead was too tempting, so I left him.
Old blokes in 15 year old corollas are the worst
Blakewater said:
I actually find that a lot of residents in villages with anti speeding, community speed watch signs all over the place speed and tailgate me when I'm abiding by the limit. Their perception of their speed when driving is different to their perception of other people's speed when they're standing outside their houses.
This^^^ The road into my estate is a dead end so doesn't go anywhere else and can't be used as a "rat run" etc , and recently residents started a new "war on speeding" as everyone was up in arms about people not doing the new 20mph limit. So they set up an, incredibly obvious to anyone actually looking, speeding trap with radar gun and camera, and yup, every single person caught lived on the estate! Max_Torque said:
Blakewater said:
I actually find that a lot of residents in villages with anti speeding, community speed watch signs all over the place speed and tailgate me when I'm abiding by the limit. Their perception of their speed when driving is different to their perception of other people's speed when they're standing outside their houses.
This^^^ The road into my estate is a dead end so doesn't go anywhere else and can't be used as a "rat run" etc , and recently residents started a new "war on speeding" as everyone was up in arms about people not doing the new 20mph limit. So they set up an, incredibly obvious to anyone actually looking, speeding trap with radar gun and camera, and yup, every single person caught lived on the estate! She ended up encouraging pretty much everyone on the street and beyond to sign the petition even though it wasn't affecting them.
In a village local to me, pretty much everyone is protesting against over development and putting their houses up for sale because of a new housing estate which they've encouraged each other to believe spells the end of the world.
A minor issue gets talked up as people talk to each other and then gets blown out of proportion.
I see a similar thing in the motorway fairly frequently.
I’m driving with cruise set to a certain speed. I gain on a car in front and move to overtake. Now I’m doing the same speed I’ve been doing for the last few miles and has resulted in me gaining on this car. As soon as you pull out to overtake the car speeds up.
If I can’t be bothered accelerating I drop back into l1. Guess what, gain on the idiot after they drop their speed again minutes later.
I’m driving with cruise set to a certain speed. I gain on a car in front and move to overtake. Now I’m doing the same speed I’ve been doing for the last few miles and has resulted in me gaining on this car. As soon as you pull out to overtake the car speeds up.
If I can’t be bothered accelerating I drop back into l1. Guess what, gain on the idiot after they drop their speed again minutes later.
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