Motorway Leap Frogging

Drax

Why is it that some people cannot keep a constant speed on a motorway? Yesterday while doing a pretty constant speed on the M8 I found myself overtaking a lady who then 5 mins later went past me. A couple of minutes later I was passing her again - only to look in my mirror with her speeding up and passing me. She wasn't on the phone either. This continued until I went past her where the M7 ends at Mitchelstown!


Aside: There was a speed trap on the new M8 at the first parking lay-by going southbound around Urlingford yesterday. Beware!

Matt Simis

Drive faster?

L-M

How do you know it wasn't you and not her?:pac:

brandon_flowers

Drax wrote: »

Why is it that some people cannot keep a constant speed on a motorway? Yesterday while doing a pretty constant speed on the M7 I found myself overtaking a lady who then 5 mins later went past me. A couple of minutes later I was passing her again - only to look in my mirror with her speeding up and passing me. She wasn't on the phone either. This continued until I went past her where the M7 ends at Mitchelstown!


Aside: There was a speed trap on the new M7 at the first parking lay-by going southbound around Urlingford yesterday. Beware!

Pedantic I know but is it not the M8 you are talking about?

Anyway a very valid point. Why do people go 110km/h for 5 miles and suddenly up it to 150km/h for half a mile. If your going to be caught your going to be caught. Better off averaging 130-135km/h imho and not being caught at all.

rocknchef

maybe she reads this forum and knows what gets up peoples noses;) as i say to my wife why let them bother you just slow down a couple of km and let them piss off and annoy somebody else

Drax

brandon_flowers wrote: »

Pedantic I know but is it not the M8 you are talking about?

Anyway a very valid point. Why do people go 110km/h for 5 miles and suddenly up it to 150km/h for half a mile. If your going to be caught your going to be caught. Better off averaging 130-135km/h imho and not being caught at all.

Doh... sorry I meant the M8 - thanks brandon

And that was my point - I was watching my speedo and keeping it constant as I watched this lady speeding up and slowing down...

As for annoying me... well it doesn't... I was just wondering.

Anan1

People are funny. I flashed an Alfa 156 doing maybe 130km/h in the overtaking lane yesterday on the M1 just outside Dublin. He wouldn't move, so I passed him on the left. He followed me at 160-180km/h in the overtaking lane all the way to Newry.

colm_mcm

Anan1 wrote: »

People are funny. I flashed an Alfa 156 doing maybe 130km/h in the overtaking lane yesterday on the M1 just outside Dublin. He wouldn't move, so I passed him on the left. He followed me at 160-180km/h in the overtaking lane all the way to Newry.

tut tut, speeding AND overtaking on the inside

milltown

AND hogging the overtaking lane!

Anan1

milltown wrote: »

AND hogging the overtaking lane!

He was in the overtaking lane all the way from Dublin to Newry, I only used it when overtaking.;)

Topper Harley

I recently got a car with cruise control which means, when I notice this, I know it's them and not me. I think a reason for it is that many people feel slightly aggrieved by being overtaken - or, for that matter, having someone pull in front of them.

Many times now I've noticed that, with cruise control on at about 130km/h, I pull into the overtaking lane and as I get alongside the car I'm overtaking, they speed up. That then leaves me looking like a twat and I have to speed up not to block others. If you slow down and pull back in behind them, soon enough they've slowed down again.

And I've also been in situations where, I get stuck behind a slow driver, I look to overtake and there's a line of cars in the overtaking lane driving alongside me (or very slowly overtaking me & the slow car in front.) So, I wait for a decent gap, indicate and next thing the car behind comes tearing up, almost rear ending the car in front of him in an effort to stop me.:mad: Like it would even make a difference to him if, God forbid, I managed to overtake someone and he'd have to put up with being behind me for a few seconds.

robtri

Topper Harley wrote: »

And I've also been in situations where, I get stuck behind a slow driver, I look to overtake and there's a line of cars in the overtaking lane driving alongside me (or very slowly overtaking me & the slow car in front.) So, I wait for a decent gap, indicate and next thing the car behind comes tearing up, almost rear ending the car in front of him in an effort to stop me.:mad: Like it would even make a difference to him if, God forbid, I managed to overtake someone and he'd have to put up with being behind me for a few seconds.

that p*sses me off no end as well.... really badly.....:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

R.O.R

Topper Harley wrote: »

I recently got a car with cruise control which means, when I notice this, I know it's them and not me. I think a reason for it is that many people feel slightly aggrieved by being overtaken - or, for that matter, having someone pull in front of them.

Many times now I've noticed that, with cruise control on at about 130km/h, I pull into the overtaking lane and as I get alongside the car I'm overtaking, they speed up. That then leaves me looking like a twat and I have to speed up not to block others. If you slow down and pull back in behind them, soon enough they've slowed down again.

And I've also been in situations where, I get stuck behind a slow driver, I look to overtake and there's a line of cars in the overtaking lane driving alongside me (or very slowly overtaking me & the slow car in front.) So, I wait for a decent gap, indicate and next thing the car behind comes tearing up, almost rear ending the car in front of him in an effort to stop me.:mad: Like it would even make a difference to him if, God forbid, I managed to overtake someone and he'd have to put up with being behind me for a few seconds.

You've more or less described my morning and evening journeys every day on the M1, except I'm a good boy and set the cruise control to about 124kmh (120 on the Nav)

Hagar

Anan1 wrote: »

People are funny. I flashed an Alfa 156 doing maybe 130km/h in the overtaking lane yesterday on the M1 just outside Dublin. He wouldn't move, so I passed him on the left. He followed me at 160-180km/h in the overtaking lane all the way to Newry.

GardaInAlfa156 wrote:

I was driving my unmarked Garda car yesterday on the M1. I had just a moment before overtaken a vehicle and was about to pull back into the inner lane when all of a sudden this genius comes up fast behind me and starts flashing me. Next thing I know he overtakes me on the inside at breakneck speed and continues to accelerate away from me. When I got over my surprise at his foolhardy actions I commenced a high speed pursuit. At times I reached almost 180kph but in conscience I couldn't put the public at risk by going faster. As we neared Newry I was out of my jurisdiction so I called off the pursuit. I radioed ahead and the PSNI confirmed that they had observed the vehicle going through one of their speed control points. I've checked the reg on the Pulse system and Anan1 can expect a little something in the post from both the Gardaí and the PSNI over the next few days.

So you overtake at over 130kph on the inside then you continue to drive at 160-180kph for the next 90km and you're complaining about the other guy? :eek: Tell us you're joking, please.


/edit/ Didn't know there was real user call Alfa156 /edit/

Jip

It happens all the time on the M4 too. I have cruise control on, pass by several cars, these cars then overtake me later down the road, I catch up again and go by again, and so it goes on and on. And the funniest thing is that when the M4 becomes the N4 these people seem to drive faster there than what they are actually allowed to do on the motorway itself.

Zube

Hagar wrote: »

Tell us you're joking, please.

No, I believe him, I see crazy overtaking-lane behaviour such as Anan1 describes all the time. I was cruising at about 150 on the empty M6 the other day (in the left lane, naturally) and I came up behind behind a 3 series in the overtaking lane doing about 130. I pulled out into the overtaking lane, and she indicated left, pulled over, let me by and then pulled out into the right lane again behind me, before I had even moved left!

So, I pull in, and we both continue on our merry way on the otherwise empty motorway. These people just haven't the first notion.

Savman

Maybe they're just lonely :pac:

mik_da_man

Jip wrote: »

And the funniest thing is that when the M4 becomes the N4 these people seem to drive faster there than what they are actually allowed to do on the motorway itself.

I see this on my Dublin/Cork/Dublin journey a lot.
The way it usually starts is on the N7 3 lane.
I go to the inside lane and cruise at around 100/110 Km passing a few middle lane hoggers and getting passed by people in the "fast" lane.
When we get to the motorway a few people belt up to 140/150 for a wee while and then slow down.
When I get to the Motorway I cruise at around 130 ish and in 15 minutes have passed most of the people who have
a) passed me on the N7
b) Belted up to 140/150 when they see the motorway signs

Some people take offence to being passed again and keep up for a bit, but usually drop away in a few km if I put the boot down.This process repeats itself when we join the M8 after abbyleix and at Fermoy.

Funny thing is that I reckon I complete the journey before any of them and prob save fuel as I drive at a constant speed.

GreeBo

mik_da_man wrote: »

but usually drop away in a few km if I put the boot down........
....
...
Funny thing is that I reckon I complete the journey before any of them and prob save fuel as I drive at a constant speed.

mik_da_man

Well ok - you got me there
But generally that does not happen.

jclare56

happens to me a lot (I drive a good bit for work) but for some reason i find it is really bad on the m1... i think people just dont like being overtaken even though they may be going 20 or 30k under the speed limit. I also drive a micra (max speed 120k which i like to stick at driving on motorway) and its generally a big bmw or audi roaring passed me or driving an inch from my bumper after iv overtaken them when they were dawdling along........

Hagar

Many years ago when I was young and foolish I loved overtaking and didn't really like getting passed I went on holiday to France. I ripped up the motorway passing all and sundry 'til I came to a point where the motorway opened out across a wide plain. I could see the road for about 3 maybe 4 miles ahead and the thousands of cars in front of me. In a flash it just came to me that you can never overtake everyone. My driving style changed dramatically fron that day on. Irish drivers need to get out a bit more.

Anan1

Hagar wrote: »

Many years ago when I was young and foolish I loved overtaking and didn't really like getting passed I went on holiday to France. I ripped up the motorway passing all and sundry 'til I came to a point where the motorway opened out across a wide plain. I could see the road for about 3 maybe 4 miles ahead and the thousands of cars in front of me. In a flash it just came to me that you can never overtake everyone. My driving style changed dramatically fron that day on. Irish drivers need to get out a bit more.

I don't really follow? I don't overtake to be in front of someone, I do it to allow myself to maintain my chosen speed.

L-M

Anan1 wrote: »

I don't really follow? I don't overtake to be in front of someone, I do it to allow myself to maintain my chosen speed.

And I didn't think there was a point to overtaking everyone... Which is fairly impossible in the first place, lol

Hagar

Anan1 wrote: »

I don't really follow? I don't overtake to be in front of someone, I do it to allow myself to maintain my chosen speed.

I wasn't commenting on you specifically, it was just my own experiences about driving fast as a young man.

cls

I speed up and slow down. Its natural for a persons concentration to ebb and flow. I don't feel comfortable going fast when I'm not at my sharpest and I don't feel comfortable driving slow when I am at my sharpest.

Topper Harley

Hagar wrote: »

In a flash it just came to me that you can never overtake everyone.

I think you've got a point here. Many (not all) Irish drivers aren't thinking about their overall journey, just the next car or the next few cars or the car behind.

I'm more than happy to be overtaken by someone going faster who goes on their merry way. It makes no difference to me. Even someone who seems to overtake just for the sake of being in front of me and then eases off with their speed doesn't really bother me that much as long as I can overtake again and maintain my speed. There's no point getting too stressed over others driving behaviour.I like to enjoy my driving. But I can see where this could really irritate others.