Can you believe this!!!? (Rant)

C_Breeze

Iwas driving southbound down the m50 yesterday and after the toll bridge following correct mototrway procedure - using the overtaking lane for overtaking and back into the driving lane when there where no cars infront anymore.

Now there was this Golf driving behind me in the overtaking lane, and when i was finished overtaking I would pop back into the driving lane as there were big gaps there, once i'd catch up another car in the driving lane i would indicate and pull out to overtake again... now the thing here is the Golf that was driving behind me in the overtaking lane would not follow this procedure and would just stay in the overtaking lane NOT overtaking me , just hanging there behind my right side but in the overtaking lane, but still a good bit behind. Now as he was cruising in the overtaking lane and not overtaking me, as soon as i caught up to a car in the driving lane I would indicate and pull out infront of the Golf again (with reasonable amount of space in between us) But EVERY time i did this he would give a flash of the headlights until the 3rd time when he actually kept his full beams on for like 5seconds with a blast of the beep.

Absolute eeeejit can u believe it !!!!????? I felt like stopping him somehow , ripping up his licence and shooving it up his @ss!!!!

SouperComputer

Meh, muppets are everywhere. Although one doesnt want to be a lane hogger, you also dont want to be changing lanes like crazy either maybe he felt you were doing that? Or maybe he is a muppet?

Personally, I probably would have had the guy pass me if he was hanging behind like that. Id rather have him in front than behind me.

Gary ITR

I do believe it and it doesn't shock me in the least. With my girlfriend driving for the first time this week I'm a nervous wreck, I'm not worried about her crashing though I'm more worried at the amount of muppets out there. These days on Irish roads you really are putting your life in somebody elses hand

MrPudding

SouperComputer wrote:

Meh, muppets are everywhere. Although one doesnt want to be a lane hogger, you also dont want to be changing lanes like crazy either maybe he felt you were doing that? Or maybe he is a muppet?

Personally, I probably would have had the guy pass me if he was hanging behind like that. Id rather have him in front than behind me.

The place for idiot is behind you. Harder for them to mess you up.

MrP

SouperComputer

MrPudding wrote:

The place for idiot is behind you. Harder for them to mess you up.

MrP

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I would rather have them .25 to .5 mile in front of me. Better the devil you know fro me. Checking your mirrors is fine and dandy, but generally you will still spend 80% of you scanning time looking ahead.

For that reason id rather have them a good distance in front rather than having to pay extra (ie too much) attention to my mirrors because there is a muppet there.

Drax

Yea I hate those f*ckers who just sit behind you about 10 - 20 in the overtaking lane and dont overtake. Either move along or move the f*ck back in behind. Arrrrrrrghhhhhhhh.... Makes my blood boil. OP, you were perfectly entitled to change lanes!

Del2005

SouperComputer wrote:

Meh, muppets are everywhere. Although one doesnt want to be a lane hogger, you also dont want to be changing lanes like crazy either maybe he felt you were doing that? Or maybe he is a muppet?

Nothing against you SouperComputer but that is partly whats wrong with this country.

People not following the rules of the road. I've often being driving on a motorway and came across a slower car in the overtaking lane. I'd pull into the overtaking lane and after waiting for the person to wake up, often with some subtle hints , and pull over I'd pass them. I'd pull back into the driving lane and the muppet behind me would pull back into the overtaking lane and disappear in my mirror.

If everyone followed the rules, keep left unless overtaking, then OP's issue wouldn't happen as the other car would have been in the driving lane as well. If someone doesn't fell confident changing lanes then they shouldn't be driving.

There have been numerous post here as well about having the overtaking lane of a motorway full of cars and No cars in the driving lane

And your saying the OP may have been wrong.

SouperComputer

Nothing against you SouperComputer but that is partly whats wrong with this country.

No offence taken, you simply misunderstood me and made some assumptions I can say confidently that I am not a left (or here a right) lane hogger. Legality is one thing, safety is another, for me safety will always be number 1. Like I said, you dont want to be changing lanes like crazy, more specifically cutting into too many driver's reaction distances in either lane. No matter how "confident" you are changing lanes and no matter how much you check, it can be an increased risk. Which carries on to my next point...

If everyone followed the rules, keep left unless overtaking, then OP's issue wouldn't happen as the other car would have been in the driving lane as well. If someone doesn't fell confident changing lanes then they shouldn't be driving

In an ideal world, that would be fantastic, yes. But in the real world where drivers in the left lane barely leave a reaction distance, there is not always a reasonably safe gap to move into the left lane. In cases like this, your chances of causing or being invloved a collision are greater, generally.

Bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario in terms of reaction distance and moving back into the left lane.

My rule of thumb is: Overtake in left lane, until it is safe to merge back into left. Of course before you peform the lane change, you will look ahead in both lanes and plan as much as you can. Overall its about the consideration for the drivers in both lanes, left and right, both must be taken into account. So if I endup with a nutcase 2in from my bumper at 130Kph in the right lane while we are overtaking, I may consider moving into a smaller gap on the left as a safer option, rather than have to worry about him. I weigh all the probabilites up, and go with what I feel is safest overall.

That said, over the years I have had one driver flash and honk at me having moved into the right lane, so I must be doing somthing right! He was going too quick (IE was not in my mirror when I checked!), and I underestimated the lack of accelleration of the car I was driving. I waved to apologise and we moved on. Unlike many on this board, I can accept that I am not perfect and constantly revaluate my driving

/edit I'm not suggesting that the OP was not entilted to change lanes, and chances are he was driving in a fashion that was considerate for all drivers in all lanes. I'm simply playing devil's advocate and making the case that driving is not as cut-and-dry as some of the ROTR Nazis on this board would have us believe

Stephen

Gobsh1tes hogging the overtaking lane is one of my pet hates. I was on the M7 soutbound last night and got stuck behind some clown in a black '05 Almera hatchback doing about 100kph. Very irritating. I ended up having to pass her in the bloody driving lane as she just didn't get the hint to MOVE THE FÚCK OVER.

zt-OctaviaN

This may seem a little over the top but I think that theory tests should be down once every 3 years or something and more traffic control units stopping people who fail to show any signs of thinking of others on the road e.g. braking and THEN indicating, your lane experience there, also driving in the outside lane of a motorway for an extended distance is illegal etc etc.
I woulda just gone off into distance I would actually hate a driver that doesnt appear to be aware of things going on around them behind me or in front of me!
Brakers! now theres another one
you know the ones who havent had an eye test in 100 years?
or cant see/judge for ****e in the dark? then break?
dont get me wrong its not the breaking as such I dont drive anywhere near the back of people but that red glow just going on and off and on and off! its nuts! they tend to hold about 20 cars up and travell in convoy with a mate behind who dont overtake. But sure Im sure most of us are used to it now :rolleyes:

BTW I agree with Breeze "there were big gaps there" other person shoulda gone past you, I woulda if i thought you were in and out like a yoyo but you werent cos of big gaps

DeBeere

SouperComputer wrote:

So if I endup with a nutcase 2in from my bumper at 130Kph in the right lane while we are overtaking,

If some idiot was driving like that, I'm sorry to say but I would jump on the brake to scare the crap out of them and very quickly move back into the left lane. Got to teach them a lesson once in a while.;)

Obviously I don't recommend it! But there are some nutters out there. :rolleyes:

Mojito

DeBeere wrote:

If some idiot was driving like that, I'm sorry to say but I would jump on the brake to scare the crap out of them and very quickly move back into the left lane. Got to teach them a lesson once in a while.;)

Obviously I don't recommend it! But there are some nutters out there. :rolleyes:

Not a good idea, you could end up worse off than the driver behind. You have no idea if he's pissed on drugs or just some nut case. His reaction time could be alot slower than your foot hitting your brakes at 130kpm

Anyway I'll be the first to admit sometimes I drive to fast but I would never drive to close to the car in front and only overtake when safe. If someone comes up behind me driving fast or to close, grand, don't panic or get pissed off, I relax and let them by at my earliest opportunity. I'd rather they were out of sight than stuck up my arse! :cool:

Jumpy

Yeah the golf definitely seemed at fault here, but I do think there are two sides to this story.
C_breeze has already proven himself to be a boy racing muppet with some of the posts he has made in this forum. I have no doubt the golf had at leat SOME reason to flash.

layke

I drive in the overtaking lane.

No point in lying about it, the traffic on the M50 is so thick it means a constant stream of cars traveling at 60-100 km/h on the road. I want to over take and travel at a constant speed of 120km/h. The problem is when I overtake it turns out to be a stream of cars that is litterally miles long. So really is there any point in hopping back into the other lane and slowing down for the sake of it. I think not.

People have to realize that due to the volume of traffic on the M50 using the driving lane means you will be driving well under the speed limit. The over taking lane IS a driving lane whether you like it or not.

'But.. but it's the law' I hear you cry. Might be, but it's bloody impractacle unless everyone travels at 120km/h it ain't gonna happen. Another reason to support a mandatory minimal speed on the M50.

This may change when the M50 is upgraded to a 3 lane system, but time will tell.

HashSlinging

Your at fault here, best thing to do in this case is to move into the driving lane and slow down, let them past and then move into the overtaking lane as fast as you can and blast YOUR headlights at them, oh yeah and hit the horn a few time and most importantly gurn (Christy out of my left foot is my personal fav) while he looks in his mirror.

No Seriously just pull in and let them past if it means slowing down to do so then do, rise above it as such. (maybe doing a light christy as they pass)

:cool:

lightening

layke wrote:

No point in lying about it, the traffic on the M50 is so thick it means a constant stream of cars traveling at 60-100 km/h on the road. I want to over take and travel at a constant speed of 120km/h. The problem is when I overtake it turns out to be a stream of cars that is litterally miles long. So really is there any point in hopping back into the other lane and slowing down for the sake of it. I think not.

The conditions were completely different in the OP's post, traffic was light.

Seth Brundle

layke wrote:

I drive in the overtaking lane.

No point in lying about it, the traffic on the M50 is so thick it means a constant stream of cars traveling at 60-100 km/h on the road. I want to over take and travel at a constant speed of 120km/h. The problem is when I overtake it turns out to be a stream of cars that is litterally miles long. So really is there any point in hopping back into the other lane and slowing down for the sake of it. I think not.

Not quite true!
Despite the warnings of doom and gloom on the radio this morning, I was able to drive at the various speed limits in the driving lane on the M50 (Lucan to Dundrum junctions). I used the overtaking lane when I needed it and moved back in when I didn't. The fact that there might be a car in the overtaking lane 200m in front is irrelevant as unless you are flooring it or they are snailing it then you will drive some distance before reachng them.

layke wrote:

People have to realize that due to the volume of traffic on the M50 using the driving lane means you will be driving well under the speed limit. The over taking lane IS a driving lane whether you like it or not.

Only sometimes!

layke wrote:

'But.. but it's the law' I hear you cry. Might be, but it's bloody impractacle unless everyone travels at 120km/h it ain't gonna happen. Another reason to support a mandatory minimal speed on the M50.

It wasn't impractical for me this morning! Fair enough it can be quite heavy and you may get to overtake several cars but this does not justify staying in the overtaking lane!
The point about everyone doing 120km/h isn't going to happen because drivers are not required to drive at that speed - they are required to stay under it!
As for the minimum speed limit on the M50 - as it is a motorway, there is already a kind of minimum speed limit (no vehicles incapable of more than 30mph)!

layke wrote:

This may change when the M50 is upgraded to a 3 lane system, but time will tell.

Im of the opinion that having an extra lane will do sweet FA. Look at the Naas Rd - people simply want to keep right (like yourself!) and will invariably end up blocking others. However, the most significant change to the levels of traffic on the m50 will be the junction upgrades (assuming the surrounding roads have the capacity for increased volumes pouring onto them).

layke

Ok fair enough traffic is light, sometimes. But at 9am traveling to Sandyford late for work or what not i'm more then often meeting lines of traffic. Or at 5:30 on my way home northbound which are the times I use the M50 it's always busy.

In the morning there is a large influx of Construction vehicles on the way to Sandyford. This adds to the congestion and trust me there have been a lot of mornings where there have been miles of cars.

Also to note on the min speed thing, 30mph or 50km/h....I wouldn't consider that safe at all or well thought out for that matter. As for the 120km/h limit, yes it is but i'm still legally allowed to do that speed and I enjoy it too.

I'll just go ahead with saying I have no problem with anyone driving in the overtaking lane if they do the max speed then they cannot hold up any traffic at all. That's me personally people do it already yet we still have a low accident rate on the M50 comparing to the rest of the country.

C_Breeze

Good posts,

Layke: I undertsand what you mean about the whole driving in the overtaking lane purely because in peak times 95% of other drivers make it one.

You cant really expect somebody to move back into the driving lane because you want to get by them bcause during peak times there is somebody infront of them and somebody else infront of them etc etc. so I see ur point there.

I was driving when traffic was light and had ample space in the driving lane to pull back in and so did Golfy, thing is when i pulled into the deriving lane I did so at about 120kmh and I think Golfy didnt overtake me because he was too scared to overtake and break the speed limit so thats why he was just hanging behind. True , i could have breaked in the driving lane to slow down and let him pass but why should I . I think thats why he was flashing because I wouldnt slow down to let him by ... tough, and when i'd pull back out there was enough space behind me so its ot like i cut himm off, he probably didnt even need to tap the barkes.

I just hate these type of people that feel they are qualified to dish out road rage when they dont know shít! ...similar to when you see little 17 yr old girlies in micras with L plates beeping and gesturing at people on the road becuase apparantly they where cut off or pulled infornt off at roundabouts etc. annoys the hell out of me!!!


and to jumpy: Im certainly not a boy racer , although I do enjoy the odd full throtle blast and purr of a v6engine the odd time ..when conditions allow ofcourse

Stark

layke wrote:

I'll just go ahead with saying I have no problem with anyone driving in the overtaking lane if they do the max speed then they cannot hold up any traffic at all.

If there's a stream of traffic in the overtaking lane doing 120kph, then that makes it difficult for cars in the driving lane to overtake slow cars in front of them.

connundrum

Was driving down the M50 myself last night, and came across the same situation 4 times (Ballymun to Sandyford and back).

What really got my goat was that traffic was fairly light, and yet some aul boy in a Civic decided to drive in the OT lane, right next to a lorry in the driving lane. AND HE STAYED THERE! They were both doing the same speed for about 1.5 miles like, obviously not allowing anyone to pass. I normally don't like doing the 'flashing the headlights' business as I find it to be rather ignorant, but I was definitely doing it to this man! Fockin idiot!

I was driving down to Citywest one day, just past Newlands X, doing about 110kph, when I was pulled by a guard in an unmarked Mondeo. He explained that I should not be in the overtaking lane when there are people behind me looking to overtake. I honestly hadn't copped that people wanted to pass me, as I was passing quite a bit of traffic to my left.

No mention of the 10kph over the limit at all I was caught speeding on the same stretch about 6 months ago. Mixed messages or what!

Stark

He probably didn't have a speed gun with him to check what speed limit you were doing.