Safe Speed Forums

As I and at least two other people have said, if you're getting flashed regularly, you're doing something wrong. Assuming you're not someone who thinks they know better than everyone else, you need to alter your driving style and/or attitude somewhat.

All you need to do is be reasonable. Get rid of the chip on your shoulder about people thinking they're more important than you; they don't, they just want to make progress when possible, and they get understandably annoyed when people try to frustrate them. I drive a Focus and I have no qualms about treating a Bentley in exactly the same way as an Austin Maestro (if they still exist!) Get rid of the wish to impede "speeders" just because you believe that they're doing something wrong. Let the police worry about that.

IME, some lane-hogging "people" tend to do the following. You see them on the horizon in lane 2, waiting behind traffic, matching its speed and overtaking traffic in lane 1. So far so good. They stay like that as you gain on them, right until you pull out and are about to overtake them...and then they pull out in front of you, make you brake, overtake the traffic in lane 2 at 0.01mph differential, and refuse to pull in even when there's a big gap. There's no doubt in my mind that they're doing this to teach you a lesson, otherwise they would have pulled out significantly before, or after, you tried to pass them. They may technically be overtaking traffic, and they may be doing what they think is the speed limit, but they're still lane-hogging and they know it. They have a very poor attitude, and they should be correcting that rather than trying to correct others.

No-one is expecting anyone to "jump out of the way". The vast majority of people who wish to make progress aren't "bullies"; if they were, they'd be more concerned about that than they were about their progress, and they would still be molesting you even when the way ahead was clear. Just a bit of forward planning, and a wish not to hinder (and preferably to actively help) the progress of other drivers, and everyone's happy on that front. It's really not difficult if you want to do it, and it doesn't take a special amount of intelligence or driving ability or anything else. Everyone in places like Germany seems to be able to manage it, so why not here? Do we want foreigners to come over and think that we're a bunch of interfering loonies?

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Paul Smith: a legend.

"The freedom provided by the motor vehicle is not universally applauded, however: there are those who resent the loss of state control over individual choice that the car represents. Such people rarely admit their prejudices openly; instead, they make false or exaggerated claims about the adverse effects of road transport in order to justify calls for higher taxation or restrictions on mobility." (Conservative Way Forward: Stop The War Against Drivers)

Hey, that's cool. Is it original?

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It's tricky doing nothing - you never know when you're finished

I thought it was good as well.

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Paul Smith: a legend.

"The freedom provided by the motor vehicle is not universally applauded, however: there are those who resent the loss of state control over individual choice that the car represents. Such people rarely admit their prejudices openly; instead, they make false or exaggerated claims about the adverse effects of road transport in order to justify calls for higher taxation or restrictions on mobility." (Conservative Way Forward: Stop The War Against Drivers)

That's funny, only a few days ago some kind gent let me go ahead of him in the queue. He had a full trolley and I had two boxes of ice-creams (After Eights on a stick - lovely, a box of 3 for ~65p from Lidl, bargain!). He could see that I would pass him quite quickly without unduly holding him up and that getting my purchase home in a timely manner was indeed more important that what he had.

I've let many a person go ahead of me; I'm sure many others on this forum have done so too. It seems to me like you haven't - that's very telling!

Ultimately I think Your sort of response shows the true colours of MLMs and what they really stand for.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Courtesy of Ziltro, I thought this thousand-word-speaking picture was relevant to this thread as well:



No-one lane-hogging there. But it appears that certain people believe that they would be making things safer by sitting in lane 2 at an indicated 30mph.

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Paul Smith: a legend.

"The freedom provided by the motor vehicle is not universally applauded, however: there are those who resent the loss of state control over individual choice that the car represents. Such people rarely admit their prejudices openly; instead, they make false or exaggerated claims about the adverse effects of road transport in order to justify calls for higher taxation or restrictions on mobility." (Conservative Way Forward: Stop The War Against Drivers)

This is a good point. If I have been in ASDA or other shops and I have one item (usally beer: case of) it is not unknown for people with a trolly full of shopping to let me go in front as I have one item. Do you know what? I do the same. One item how much of you time does it waste? how much of their time do you save?

Whats the word for it now?........................Common courtesy? humm ……..could be politeness?……… hummm, oh that’s it Thinking of others and selflessness.

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

In this context.

The comment regarding the fault of the driver behind me getting killed - or me getting killed - its not clear at all Mr Smith. Who you mean is "not at fault" from your posting could be either one.
This shows a misunderstanding that really casts a shadow on what your trying to achieve with others on the forum. Following drivers should show patience and consideration for those ahead of them especially if they themselves are breaking the law by a fair old speed - and if people like me arent breaking current laws and going a little slow - then unfortunate as it may be its up to the following driver to drive in a safe manner to accomodate that slower legal driver ahead. There is no excuse.

Bottomline is - if I'm in l2 and overtaking at around speed limit and faster than l1 and I got there first - then I dont appreciate people behind not being able to deal with that. Thats a simple piece of road sense that most on this thread cannot and will not deal with.

These faster drivers should just wait their turn and be patient - and above all keep your tempers and emotions in check so you can continue to drive safely with some care and consideration.

Mr Smith, I dont ask them to drive inappropriately - so why should I jump out of the way when minding my own business. You and others can't really answer that one - this is down to the perception of the mlm being the pest and the faster driver being king...

No one has really an answer for this other than "get out of the way to the left as your slower and less important than the speeder".
This speaks volumes as to how bare the cupboard of ideas on motoring really are.

Actually, its one that has been dealt with time and again, I know that I personally have told you at least twice!

If you are overtaking traffic then you are not a MLM. If you remain in a lane when there is space to safely move to the left instead then you are!

Which bit don't you get? You can't argue against a case noone is making and claim victory!

I think this sums it up.

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

I thought it was very clear what he was try to convey to you. Perhaps it is just you who fails to understand?


What about those who are exceeding the speed limit but not by a fair old speed? What is a fair old speed? How do you know the fair old speed?
Does this also absolve the drivers in front from showing patience and consideration for those behind them?

Bottomline is - there is no excuse for MLMs to act they way they do.


I personally have answered this time and time again!


You seem to have fallen into a pattern of voicing conclusions based on flawed or non-existent reasoning.

FFS! Why do any of us bother? So many times people have addressed these things that you keep saying. And yet you just carry on saying them, without even acknowledging and arguing against other people's points. I had thought that you weren't trying to wind us up after all, but as RobinXe said, you're clearly being deliberately obtuse. Why don't you try replying to people's points instead of just saying the same stuff ad nauseam?


I rather think that you're overlooking the items in the cupboard, because they aren't what you want them to be.

Why can't you just drive reasonably and considerately? Why do you feel the need to teach people a lesson? Why am I even bothering to ask you since you won't bother answering? It's one thing if you want to ignore me (if that's what you're doing), but why ignore everyone else as well?

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Paul Smith: a legend.

"The freedom provided by the motor vehicle is not universally applauded, however: there are those who resent the loss of state control over individual choice that the car represents. Such people rarely admit their prejudices openly; instead, they make false or exaggerated claims about the adverse effects of road transport in order to justify calls for higher taxation or restrictions on mobility." (Conservative Way Forward: Stop The War Against Drivers)

That site is known for it's erroneous facts. I think this line on the page sums it up:
"Lets pretend you are driving an eighteen-wheeler and it takes six seconds to stop at 60 mph."

There are two assumptions there. The rest of the calculations on that page are based upon that wild guess and assumption.

Even if so, that still doesn't tie up with your claim of "thats 1/10 of a mile!!!."


Well of course, we are afterall talking about MLMs. How can I not comment on your MLMing driving style if that's what's being discussed?

Have you really never let a person queuing behind you (in a line of shoppers) go ahead of you?

Definitely way cool, and I haven't heard it before.

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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

So what's the other (source?) context?

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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

That particular page also seems to have been written by someone who really wants to win the Best Obfuscated Explanation of 2007 Award... I swear, every time I read the "explanation" of how to calculate stopping distances at 20mph and 30mph, my brain just goes into emergency shutdown. Is it just my engineering background that makes me think a quick blast of v^2=u^2+2as would have been so much easier to follow?

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Chris

Ooh my photo!
I was quite surprised that this didn't happen! I was fully expecting it. Strangely that limit was so low that even the absolutely slowest people were doing at least 50 there.

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Andrew.

So even people who normally lane-hog sometimes decide that the speed limit shouldn't apply, making them utter, grade A hypocrites (what a surprise). If they "police" some speed limits to the letter (number?) then surely they should "police" and adhere to them all. Choosing which speed limits to disregard makes them as "bad" as the people that they impede. Forcing people to do the (indicated) speed limit only when they think it appropriate is arrogant beyond belief, and shows that they think incredibly highly of their driving skills and judgments compared with everyone else's. Why do they think that they're more qualified than anyone else to decide whether the speed limit is appropriately high?

It just goes to show, once again, that their motive is not safety, but control, interference, misanthropy and belligerence, as if any non-MLM/OLM was still in the slightest doubt. "If I'm speeding, fine, but if I don't have the guts/confidence to speed, I'm damned if I'm going to let anyone else do it; if I'm suffering, everyone else needs to as well, otherwise I get jealous." They would prefer it if no-one else thought for themselves and everyone just did as they were told.

We live in a free society where people (who aren't in custody etc) can choose to go wherever they want, whenever they want. People who choose to impede others for no good reason are trying to limit that fundamental freedom. It goes against everything that our forerunners fought for. It would be outrageous if the government did it, and it's even more outrageous that these self-righteous oafs do it. Instead of making feeble excuses, they need to take a long, hard look at themselves, determine why they feel the need to be so obnoxious and awkward towards their fellow travellers, and take the necessary steps to become more cooperative.

(You never know, that might just be my last rant on this thread.... )

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Paul Smith: a legend.

"The freedom provided by the motor vehicle is not universally applauded, however: there are those who resent the loss of state control over individual choice that the car represents. Such people rarely admit their prejudices openly; instead, they make false or exaggerated claims about the adverse effects of road transport in order to justify calls for higher taxation or restrictions on mobility." (Conservative Way Forward: Stop The War Against Drivers)

I've used it before to refer to flight safety