An epidemic of insanely slow drivers
Discussion
I know this is a pointless rant but I am beginning to feel as though I am the only sane person to drive on the roads in Oxfordshire and wanted to see if I was alone in this observation.
In the good old days (I'm 39) most people would drive at a sensible speed. Every now and again you would meet a little old lady driving at 40mph but in general that was the exception rather than the norm. Fast forward to today and the norm is for me to be stuck behind people (of all ages, sex, race, and weight... before anybody tries to go there) doing 30mph in a well sighted 50 or 60. The speed is often dangerously slow and will result in a queue of cars/lorries bumper to tail crawling along (some of the roads are busy enough - like the A40 - to make overtaking opportunities low).
Some of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are parents at the school where my kids go. They seem like normal people and yet the speeds at which they are driving would imply that they are incapable of rational decision making and/or being in control of a vehicle. Even white van man these days is likely to be doing 35 in a 60 - these guys used to be the fastest human beings on earth and yet here we are today with articulated lorries trying to overtake them.
So what the hell is going on with people??? Am I alone in wanting to get where I am going???
[For context, I do not drive fast on public roads - I have a race license for that - and am not expecting others to break the speed limit or drive beyond a safe speed for the conditions. What I am objecting to is the dangerously slow speed at which almost everybody now wants to try and traverse the roads]
In the good old days (I'm 39) most people would drive at a sensible speed. Every now and again you would meet a little old lady driving at 40mph but in general that was the exception rather than the norm. Fast forward to today and the norm is for me to be stuck behind people (of all ages, sex, race, and weight... before anybody tries to go there) doing 30mph in a well sighted 50 or 60. The speed is often dangerously slow and will result in a queue of cars/lorries bumper to tail crawling along (some of the roads are busy enough - like the A40 - to make overtaking opportunities low).
Some of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are parents at the school where my kids go. They seem like normal people and yet the speeds at which they are driving would imply that they are incapable of rational decision making and/or being in control of a vehicle. Even white van man these days is likely to be doing 35 in a 60 - these guys used to be the fastest human beings on earth and yet here we are today with articulated lorries trying to overtake them.
So what the hell is going on with people??? Am I alone in wanting to get where I am going???
[For context, I do not drive fast on public roads - I have a race license for that - and am not expecting others to break the speed limit or drive beyond a safe speed for the conditions. What I am objecting to is the dangerously slow speed at which almost everybody now wants to try and traverse the roads]
It's certainly frustrating but at least someone doing 30 in a 60 is (normally) relatively easy to overtake, it's when they're doing 45 in a 60 that's perfectly straight and safe to do the full speed but too busy in the other direction to be able to overtake them... I don't know why it frustrates me so much, especially given that I'm not normally in a particular hurry to get anywhere.
I find it gets worse and worse the further south I go of the UK. We do get some locally, but MOST of the time you can get past without too much trouble. What is rather frustrating is when the ones stuck behind the slow driver aren't confident in doing an overtaking manoeuvre and everyone stuck behind also do not leave a good safe space for people to nip in between.
Recently my BIL has started working at the same place as me. They live round the corner so we car share a few commutes. He's not the most confident of driver on the more rural roads which we need to take, so I generally drive his FIAT 500 home (they bought it to teach my nephew to drive). The 2-3 evenings a week where I drive the 1.2 little FIAT home has really made me appreciate how much easier it is in my own cars to pick up speed and also had me re-learning how to drive properly and rely purely on power.
Recently my BIL has started working at the same place as me. They live round the corner so we car share a few commutes. He's not the most confident of driver on the more rural roads which we need to take, so I generally drive his FIAT 500 home (they bought it to teach my nephew to drive). The 2-3 evenings a week where I drive the 1.2 little FIAT home has really made me appreciate how much easier it is in my own cars to pick up speed and also had me re-learning how to drive properly and rely purely on power.
I totally feel your pain.
As with you, I'm not looking to tear arse around at double the limit as I too have a track car, but I agree the slow drivers are everywhere these days. I think the enforced several months of not going anywhere during the pandemic has caused a step change in people's driving - for the worse. The amount of times I come up behind someone doing 40 on a clear, straight NSL arterial road makes me want to pull the steering wheel out of the dashboard in frustration..... and of course, when there's a "Trulli train" of cars behind a slowpoke, not one of the other f
kers dares to try and overtake either, even when the road is clear and straight 
As with you, I'm not looking to tear arse around at double the limit as I too have a track car, but I agree the slow drivers are everywhere these days. I think the enforced several months of not going anywhere during the pandemic has caused a step change in people's driving - for the worse. The amount of times I come up behind someone doing 40 on a clear, straight NSL arterial road makes me want to pull the steering wheel out of the dashboard in frustration..... and of course, when there's a "Trulli train" of cars behind a slowpoke, not one of the other f
kers dares to try and overtake either, even when the road is clear and straight I passed my car test back in 1970 so I'm an aging geriatric of 70 years now.
Roads were much less congested back then. Speed limits were higher and those who wanted to drive enthusiastically were tolerated. Culture has changed where enthusiastic driving is frowned upon now.
Age of the car is over. We need to pander to the environmental and safety lobbies. Driving slowly fits that scenario. Thank God for track days
Slow is go...
Roads were much less congested back then. Speed limits were higher and those who wanted to drive enthusiastically were tolerated. Culture has changed where enthusiastic driving is frowned upon now.
Age of the car is over. We need to pander to the environmental and safety lobbies. Driving slowly fits that scenario. Thank God for track days
Slow is go...
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.
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 think it’s a function of congestion. People don’t see the point of getting a move on any more. There’s no progress to be made.
It’s a choice of driving around like a zombie or do your head in with frustration. (I usually choose the latter approach, as I goes).
Where congestion is rare, I’m sure people are flying around as much as they ever have.
It’s a choice of driving around like a zombie or do your head in with frustration. (I usually choose the latter approach, as I goes).
Where congestion is rare, I’m sure people are flying around as much as they ever have.
Edited by swisstoni on Thursday 14th March 11:52
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