An epidemic of insanely slow drivers
Discussion
Just completed my 8 mile commute from SW to W London. It was slower than during the week even tho' there was hardly any traffic.
It's 20mph now along the whole route apart from a very short 40mph average speed stint, but.....
Lines of traffic at 17mph or 33mph, still loads of brake lights despite the low speeds and low density.
It's like everyone has died.
When it was 30mph, hardly anyone kept to the speed limit so why this compliance for 20mph. There isn't a single camera on the route apart from the 40mph average speed ones.
I knew I should have taken the Bonneville but the Abarth has sat unused for a week and the discs were covered in rust.
Not that I used my brakes much today
It's 20mph now along the whole route apart from a very short 40mph average speed stint, but.....
Lines of traffic at 17mph or 33mph, still loads of brake lights despite the low speeds and low density.
It's like everyone has died.
When it was 30mph, hardly anyone kept to the speed limit so why this compliance for 20mph. There isn't a single camera on the route apart from the 40mph average speed ones.
I knew I should have taken the Bonneville but the Abarth has sat unused for a week and the discs were covered in rust.
Not that I used my brakes much today
DonkeyApple said:
Debaser said:
It’s not possible for an app to successfully judge how good your driving is.
Not sure that's quite correct. There are apps that measure how many G's you are pulling. 
QED dawdlers are exonerated. We need more of them.
Some of these slow drivers may think they are saving fuel, but if they are, they certainly don't understand how "economy" driving works.
Doing 50 in a 60, or 60 in a 70, will save some fuel.
Holding the brakes on to maintain 45 downhill in a 60 won't. Take advantage of the "free" energy, and coast downhill - means you don't need as much throttle to get up the other side.
Continually dabbing the brakes, then accelerating again, is extremely wasteful.
Economical driving is about conserving momentum, and avoiding the brakes by anticipating the road ahead.
Doing 50 in a 60, or 60 in a 70, will save some fuel.
Holding the brakes on to maintain 45 downhill in a 60 won't. Take advantage of the "free" energy, and coast downhill - means you don't need as much throttle to get up the other side.
Continually dabbing the brakes, then accelerating again, is extremely wasteful.
Economical driving is about conserving momentum, and avoiding the brakes by anticipating the road ahead.
I've not noticed a huge amount more dawdlers, I have seen a bunch more where I'm thinking it's 50/50 between driver being pissed or on their phone....
I'd wonder whether insurance back boxes will be contributing quite a bit? Younger folk at work have spoken about how much more their insurance will be if they get a bad score, and that's starting from a hefty price to begin with.
I'd wonder whether insurance back boxes will be contributing quite a bit? Younger folk at work have spoken about how much more their insurance will be if they get a bad score, and that's starting from a hefty price to begin with.
croyde said:
It's 20mph now along the whole route apart from a very short 40mph average speed stint, but.....
I think it's just more noticeable if someone does exactly 20 than exactly 30. It's frustratingly slow and I notice that pedestrians and cars will now casually pull out in front of traffic; the new learned behaviour is not to be careful - twenty is plenty of time! I managed just over 20mpg (usually get late 20s) on my way back from central to SW London last night despite avoiding the brake pedal and relying on timing to avoid slowing down for the little traffic there was. Highlights were Doris & Chums doing 18 mph at one point (causing everyone to overtake like she was a Haas in a F1 race) and then a battered old Fiesta trying gunning it past everyone then lifting off when he realised he was trying to overtake my RS and so I am now stuck behind a very cautious driver (if you want to go past, go past, go past .. I would rather have you in front than behind!).bigothunter said:
DonkeyApple said:
Debaser said:
It’s not possible for an app to successfully judge how good your driving is.
Not sure that's quite correct. There are apps that measure how many G's you are pulling. QED dawdlers are exonerated. We need more of them.
Like with credit scores. People believe higher is better so spend money, thus making their real world credit rating worse in order to get the needle on the dial to tick up to a higher number that makes them a better person.
These driving apps give these drones a score. The need to get a higher number dominates all, it owns them and runs their life. Whether Snapchat streaks, credit ratings, numbers on the back of cars, Clubcard rewards, the number of steps taken in a day, the number of followers or likes. The apps wholly dominate and control their life, their device is their Rasputin and they will do whatever their device tells them without any independent through or free will.
So, give them a Gforce app where the faster they go the higher their score and winning is who incurs the fastest deceleration event.
fido said:
I think it's just more noticeable if someone does exactly 20 than exactly 30. It's frustratingly slow and I notice that pedestrians and cars will now casually pull out in front of traffic; the new learned behaviour is not to be careful - twenty is plenty of time! I managed just over 20mpg (usually get late 20s) on my way back from central to SW London last night despite avoiding the brake pedal and relying on timing to avoid slowing down for the little traffic there was. Highlights were Doris & Chums doing 18 mph at one point (causing everyone to overtake like she was a Haas in a F1 race) and then a battered old Fiesta trying gunning it past everyone then lifting off when he realised he was trying to overtake my RS and so I am now stuck behind a very cautious driver (if you want to go past, go past, go past .. I would rather have you in front than behind!).
Yes, cars and pedestrians constantly pull out/walk out in front of me. Bit worrisome when I'm on the motorcycle and it's wet.It's like getting hit at 20 is not a problem.
Also people in 20s overtaking cyclists. No quick squirt to get past as they are terrified of going over 20.
So a long period of danger as they end up neck and neck with the cyclist for far too long and causing oncoming traffic to stop or swerve to avoid them.
G Thang said:
I was doing 37 in a 40 recently, a two lane country B road with the occasional house set back from it.
Bloke putting his bins out on the other side started jumping up and down, doing slow down type gestures as if he'd never seen a car doing over 20.
Pull over to them, smile and very politely ask them for directions to somewhere nearby. They love giving directions as this also allows them to show further ownership of the land as far as the eye can see. When they start to talk just calmly drive off. Bloke putting his bins out on the other side started jumping up and down, doing slow down type gestures as if he'd never seen a car doing over 20.
croyde said:
Just completed my 8 mile commute from SW to W London. It was slower than during the week even tho' there was hardly any traffic.
It's 20mph now along the whole route apart from a very short 40mph average speed stint, but.....
Lines of traffic at 17mph or 33mph, still loads of brake lights despite the low speeds and low density.
It's like everyone has died.
When it was 30mph, hardly anyone kept to the speed limit so why this compliance for 20mph. There isn't a single camera on the route apart from the 40mph average speed ones.
I knew I should have taken the Bonneville but the Abarth has sat unused for a week and the discs were covered in rust.
Not that I used my brakes much today
Might that slow progress be because the South West bit of the M25 is closed this weekend?It's 20mph now along the whole route apart from a very short 40mph average speed stint, but.....
Lines of traffic at 17mph or 33mph, still loads of brake lights despite the low speeds and low density.
It's like everyone has died.
When it was 30mph, hardly anyone kept to the speed limit so why this compliance for 20mph. There isn't a single camera on the route apart from the 40mph average speed ones.
I knew I should have taken the Bonneville but the Abarth has sat unused for a week and the discs were covered in rust.
Not that I used my brakes much today
CT05 Nose Cone said:
Motorway sliproads are the worst for this. On Monday I was stuck behind someone who thought 40 was an appropriate speed to be joining, leaving me stuck behind watching the HGV in lane 1 rapidly closing the gap I was aiming for. So you're in a situation where you have a few seconds to decide if you should join and hope the HGV moves over, hit the brakes and join behind at an even slower and more dangerous speed, or dive for the hard shoulder.
Managed to join but was then boxed in behind her as she bumbled along, completely oblivious to the danger she was causing. I'm not normally in favour of capital punishment, but here I would make an exception.
I've noticed that when it's a two lane slip they often go for the right hand lane... Usually I can just continue in the left hand lane to get up to speed without issue, but occasionally you get two of the buggers, taking a lane each. Managed to join but was then boxed in behind her as she bumbled along, completely oblivious to the danger she was causing. I'm not normally in favour of capital punishment, but here I would make an exception.
DonkeyApple said:
Tim Cognito said:
Just to throw in another example of bad driving, often when I am cycling (boo hiss) I find people trying to overtake in 5th gear going about 15mph uphill. You can hear the poor engine bogged down to buggery as they limp slowly past, probably muttering to the passenger about how their car is so slow.
Or being polite and not wanting to pull high revs next to a cyclist. Most sensible drivers will sit in a higher gear when passing someone on a bike out of courtesy for a fellow road user and reflecting their vulnerability. As a cyclist and driver, when in a car I will pass in the manner safest to the cyclist, i.e. with a decent distance and in a short time. When on the bike I want people to do the same for me, I'm not going to fall off because they've hit 5k rpm in their asthmatic four cylinder, but I might if they overestimated their acceleration in that gear and have to move back towards me before they've finished passing.
donkmeister said:
DonkeyApple said:
Tim Cognito said:
Just to throw in another example of bad driving, often when I am cycling (boo hiss) I find people trying to overtake in 5th gear going about 15mph uphill. You can hear the poor engine bogged down to buggery as they limp slowly past, probably muttering to the passenger about how their car is so slow.
Or being polite and not wanting to pull high revs next to a cyclist. Most sensible drivers will sit in a higher gear when passing someone on a bike out of courtesy for a fellow road user and reflecting their vulnerability. As a cyclist and driver, when in a car I will pass in the manner safest to the cyclist, i.e. with a decent distance and in a short time. When on the bike I want people to do the same for me, I'm not going to fall off because they've hit 5k rpm in their asthmatic four cylinder, but I might if they overestimated their acceleration in that gear and have to move back towards me before they've finished passing.
Daughter did a driving test a few years ago. There's a section where it goes from 40 to 60 for a few hundred metres then a roundabout where you need to stop due to the layout. Failed for not going fast enough at 45.
Meanwhile I'm following someone doing 25 in a 50 for a while and we get to the dual carriageway which is a 70 and he continues at 25.
I had to take a look at him as I overtook. Male, mid 50s holding on tight to the steering wheel with both hands in a 5 past 11 position, leaning forward with an intense look of concentration.
The police need to crack down on these idiots, send them on a speed awareness course, or a driving test where they have to get somewhere by a certain time or get their license taken away.
Meanwhile I'm following someone doing 25 in a 50 for a while and we get to the dual carriageway which is a 70 and he continues at 25.
I had to take a look at him as I overtook. Male, mid 50s holding on tight to the steering wheel with both hands in a 5 past 11 position, leaning forward with an intense look of concentration.
The police need to crack down on these idiots, send them on a speed awareness course, or a driving test where they have to get somewhere by a certain time or get their license taken away.
CoupeKid said:
Got to agree with the observations that drivers who didn't pass their test in this country, if at all, have terrible lane discipline.
Some of the time it's young people as well, who I charitably assume, are driving with a black box.
At my last speed awareness course we were asked what speed we should drive at on a motorway junction limited to 40mph. We all shouted 50! , so there is some hope. The instructor almost gave up at that point.
On my driving test, I had to join a dual carriage way which had a 30 limit, off a slip road. Some of the time it's young people as well, who I charitably assume, are driving with a black box.
At my last speed awareness course we were asked what speed we should drive at on a motorway junction limited to 40mph. We all shouted 50! , so there is some hope. The instructor almost gave up at that point.
In order to do this safely, I accelerated to 50 mph, slotted in and then gradually slowed back down to 30.
At the end of the test, the examiner questioned what the speed limit was there, and why hadn't I stuck to it.
I explained that there was no way to join it safely, and the car behind would have rear ended us, if I'd braked to give way.
He congratulated me and I passed.
I believe these days I'd fail.
G Thang said:
Meanwhile I'm following someone doing 25 in a 50 for a while and we get to the dual carriageway which is a 70 and he continues at 25.
I had to take a look at him as I overtook. Male, mid 50s holding on tight to the steering wheel with both hands in a 5 past 11 position, leaning forward with an intense look of concentration.
I think I encountered his cousin this evening at about midnight so fairly empty roads, no school children running blindly into the road after school. 25 in a 40. Straight road. Mental.I had to take a look at him as I overtook. Male, mid 50s holding on tight to the steering wheel with both hands in a 5 past 11 position, leaning forward with an intense look of concentration.
All points have been covered. But slow drivers (those that drive drastically below the speed limit are a nuisance).
- People don't seem to understand have average speed cameras works, either drive 20-30% below the speed, or cannot maintain a constant speed braking at each post.
- Not being able to get up to speed on slip road is also a major bug bare and dangerous, and also not being able to judge closing speeds.
I don't proclaim to be a good driver, I do and have made mistakes. But I do like to make progress, thankfully never had a ticket or accident in 15 years or motoring. That said I now cycle the 7 miles each way to work these days as it's generally quicker and less stressful than driving! That is an eye opener in itself for drivers with lack of observation.
- People don't seem to understand have average speed cameras works, either drive 20-30% below the speed, or cannot maintain a constant speed braking at each post.
- Not being able to get up to speed on slip road is also a major bug bare and dangerous, and also not being able to judge closing speeds.
I don't proclaim to be a good driver, I do and have made mistakes. But I do like to make progress, thankfully never had a ticket or accident in 15 years or motoring. That said I now cycle the 7 miles each way to work these days as it's generally quicker and less stressful than driving! That is an eye opener in itself for drivers with lack of observation.
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