Safe Speed Forums

Is it the '40 everywhere' drivers that are the problem or those who are too timid to overtake?

Particularly nowadays where overtaking appears to be considered to be on a par with animal cruelty.

I've always considered the second person in the queue to be partly responsible for the hold up.

It wouldn't be too bad if they left enough room for people who did want to overtake to 'bunny hop'...

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

It's when you plan to do(because there is space) that and they close the gap.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Yes indeed!

It does make the decision making more complex, as you're then potentially faced with a multiple overtake if the driver immediately behind the dawdler is not leaving sufficient space to pull in should you need to abort.

Infuriating.

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Simon

Or better still, you overtake both, then they wake up and overtake too, then tailgate you, looking angry.

Or the furious flashing of headlights I got the other day when I dared to overtake a group of 4 or so, nose-to-tail, 40-45mph on a good SC NSL, with a clear road ahead and good forward vis.

Why do these muppets seem to think overtaking has been outlawed? Do they feel aggreived that I am now ahead of them? Clearly they don't want to go any faster, but why shouldn't I if I'm not inconveniencing them?

Part of the problem maybe overtaking is a "self taught skill" some people don't know how to or are scared to. I had a mate who said “he did not know how to over take” and he did resent people who over took him when he got caught behind slower drivers.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Overtaking must be self-taught as it is not taught at learner level.

Skilled overtakes are the end result of lots of factors being accounted for (number of vehicles to be passed / type of vehicle to be passed / visibility / perceived hazards etc etc etc), and IMHO only experience can teach you that.........or can it?

Would it not be better to teach proper overtaking skills at test level? Just a thought, but advising learners on advanced overtaking practices at inception would give them better and safer grounding for when the time comes to put an inherently dangerous manoevre into use.

Fellow poster TripleS (I think, I may be wrong) put it perfectly, "I'd rather miss a few overtakes than get one badly wrong". I like that quote plenty.

Simon

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Simon

I'd be seriously worried about teaching overtaking - let alone 'advanced overtaking' to learners - they just aren't ready. I'd suggest that any attempt to do so would leave them with more confidence than ability.

That said, I'm worried about NOT teaching overtaking too.

It almost as if we need an overtaking 'rating'...

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

It is a difficult skill to learn, and practice.

I think overtaking “theory” should at least be discussed at some point in driver training.

It is difficult to know when to teach it, as part of the pass plus? There are loads aspects driver training that are self-taught. Most driving out side of towns and cities is self-taught. I learnt to drive in Birmingham, only when I did my pass plus did I do any driving outside of the city.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

My gf is another who tends to just follow the car in front, but goes fairly quickly if the way is clear. She "doesn't like overtaking"



Another reason to have a two-stage test, perhaps.