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Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:13 am
by FlightDek
johnm wrote:Everyone should be limited to 50 MPH and required to sport a “P” plate until they have passed the equivalent of the IAM test


In effect this is what they have in N Ireland. For the first year after passing your test you drive around with an "R" plate and are restricted to 45mph - makes driving on the motorway interesting when even the big lorries steam past you. Get caught speeding and they can extend the time. Strictly speaking the restriction applies when the "R" plates are shown, regardless of who is driving.

I think the restriction can be a bit dangerous as you can have a line of cars on an A road stuck behind an "R" driver which leads to some dodgy overtaking

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:20 am
by stevelup
That is absolutely ridiculous. I thought we had the monopoly on absurd rules here...

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 12:33 pm
by johnm
I never dither, in a car or anywhere else. I am certainly never at the head of the queue getting in the way, indeed I passed such only yesterday on the A40 on my way from Oxford, I even wound up to close on 80 mph to speed the process and then settled back to 63 mph. :-)

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 12:43 pm
by Bill McCarthy
I’ve almost forgotten what a motorway or dual carriageway looks like , but I don’t envy anyone driving on them. I spent a couple of hours yesterday topping grass on a small field, listening to Radio2 and hearing of several X miles long tailbacks on such and such motorways. I saw a car yesterday - and a bliddy motorhome.

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:23 pm
by Miscellaneous
johnm wrote:I never dither, in a car or anywhere else. I am certainly never at the head of the queue getting in the way, indeed I passed such only yesterday on the A40 on my way from Oxford, I even wound up to close on 80 mph to speed the process and then settled back to 63 mph. :-)

And in breaking the speed limit so, John, is it safe to conclude that at least some of those you overtook, presumed;

johnm wrote:...that you are one of those hurtling around the lanes frightening the horses, cyclists and pedestrians and getting impatient with those of us who aren't. :twisted:


:lol: :lol:

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:32 pm
by johnm
I don't care even a tiny bit......... :roll:

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:34 pm
by Miscellaneous
@johnm you keep hitting the nail on the head. :lol:

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 5:09 pm
by skydriller
Miscellaneous wrote:I went on an advanced motorcycling course with a motorcycle copper. If only more understood his teaching; that proper conduct on the road is to make fast, efficient and safe progress. Not dither around because you personally are in no hurry to get anywhere. As you auld yins and bloody tourists do. :wink: Apply some roadmanship, it would be much appreciated by many! :D


Though I agree with what you say 100%, unfortunately the you cant have that discussion with the speed scameras, or even a Gendarme that pulls you over...

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 6:17 pm
by Bill McCarthy
Much of the NC 500 route is on single track roads, and by the left does it have slow drivers ! And yet, they get very hot under the collar when a crofter holds things up a bit by moving a few sheep a couple of hundred yards along the road to fresh grazings.

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 6:18 pm
by eltonioni
johnm wrote: close on 80 mph)


At least make an effort to get out of second gear.

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 7:11 pm
by VRB_20kt
johnm wrote:I never dither, in a car or anywhere else. I am certainly never at the head of the queue getting in the way, indeed I passed such only yesterday on the A40 on my way from Oxford, I even wound up to close on 80 mph to speed the process and then settled back to 63 mph. :-)


I recall reading that some significant fraction of all speeding offences cited overtaking as a reason. Our justice system doesn't recognise this as a defence despite it being blindingly obvious that the very safest thing to do is pretty much exactly as Johnm describes.

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 7:15 pm
by Paul_Sengupta
At least when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year.

avtur3 wrote:A lot of tailgating by HGV's is caused by their drivers maintaining speed on the 'speed limiter', set at 56mph


In my experience, they've all settled on 53mph (calibrated) through the roadworks, as I, and most other experienced drivers, have settled on 53mph on the GPS, so we're usually all doing the same speed. It works well apart from the twonks who sit in lane 2 or 3 without moving to lane 1 if they're not overtaking, many doing 48-50mph on their speedometer, which, as pointed out, is perhaps 44-48mph in real terms.

I welcome the change to 60mph, I've thought for a long time it would make things both better and safer, due to lack of frustration. I've experienced where they've trialled it and it seems to work well.

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 7:17 pm
by Dave W
Paul_Sengupta wrote:At least when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year.

I saw what eltonioni made you do there. How friendly. :)

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 9:17 pm
by Boxkite
Paul_Sengupta wrote:I welcome the change to 60mph, I've thought for a long time it would make things both better and safer, due to lack of frustration. I've experienced where they've trialled it and it seems to work well.

I am all for going faster, but, even at the real 52mph, those temporary lanes can be really narrow, and it can be a bit bottom-clenching squeezing between a truck in the middle lane, held up by someone cruising at an indicated 48mph, and the temporary metal/concrete median.

Re: Motorway driving

PostPosted:Mon Jul 27, 2020 9:46 pm
by johnm
Some people don’t realise that you can improve positioning accuracy by making use of properly adjusted door mirrors to see road or lane edges relative to your vehicle as part of your scan