Motorway: How do you use yours

R.O.R

opinion guy wrote: »

You've never driven in Germany it seems. Barelling down the fast lane and flashing anyone who has the cheek to be in 'your' lane at less than the speed of your Bughatti is the norm there

Been there, done that in that passenger seat of a CL600. If there was a gap in the inside lane, Herr Weber would pull in to the inside.

2 Espressi wrote: »

Now, here's the thing. How much of a gap in the inside lane would you define this as?
300m? 500m? 1km+?
Obviously if there's no-one about, I'll use the left lane, or if I can see thta I won't have to switch for a few minutes but I'm not about to start switching in and out every few hundred meters, "because that's what everyone in Europe does".

If the gap is big enough to be in the inside lane for longer than about 15 seconds before pulling out again, I'll pull in. It all depends on your speed and the speed of the car on the inside lane so it's impossible to put a distance on it.

If a car is going about 2km/h slower than me and is only 200m in the distance I'll pull in as it will take a little while to catch it. If there is a difference of 40 km/h I will stay in the outside otherwise you'd have to weave in and straight out again.

opinion guy

R.O.R wrote: »

Been there, done that in that passenger seat of a CL600. If there was a gap in the inside lane, Herr Weber would pull in to the inside.

Well thats not my experience over there. To be honest I thought the Germans were terrible drivers. Brutal tailgaters. They were saved by having good roads. I remember thinking in about 2004 that if you took the average German driver and put them on Irish roads at that time they would just die very quickly.

colm_mcm

If only 87% people on the motorways actually chose option 1...........

Matt Simis

R.O.R wrote: »

Sorry Matt, but if I see someone doing that I just think "what a tool". Even though you aren't holding anyone up it's just good manners to pull in when the inside lane is free. That's how the rest of Europe do it, and how I was brought up to drive on Motorways.

Perhaps, but as suggested, I dont deem anything less than 1km of empty left lane to be "free". In those rare cases, I pull left. The speed differential on the motorways I use between our %hity 2 lanes is huge too, left lane is 80-105kph, right lane is 120kph+.

It doesnt make sense (safety) for me to rapidly approach and panic left laners when I can simply drive by them.


I would consider the guy in the flashy car doing the same speed as me that insists on weaving in and out of traffic to be the tool... be damned what the book says.


The reference to "Europe" is pointless, elsewhere the 2 lane dual-carriage ways we call motorways are serviced by 3 lane+ highways, usually catering to specific speeds. The whole concept of an "overtaking" lane on a dual lane "motorway" is laughable as it implies our motorways have enough capacity in the single left lane to satisfy our traffic volume, which they dont (2 full time lanes dont either).

You can either drive on our roads in a manner appropriate to your driving skill, car performance and road conditions, or you can blindly follow an outdated rule book, you cant do both.

the_syco

It seems the left hand lane is for people that want to go between 60kmph and 80kmph... and the right hand lane for those who wish to go at 120kmph

Mitch Connor

Stee wrote: »

Was hoping poll would be

When travelling in the driving lane on a motorway and some dope is sitting in the middle lane, do you..
A) Cross 2 lanes to overtake and back 2 again
Undertake.

Move into the middle lane - flash my lights at them, overtake, move back to left lane.

JimmyCrackCorn

I stay in the outside lane and do the max permissible speed.

Im saving lives by preventing speeding.

R.O.R

JimmyCrackCorn wrote: »

I stay in the outside lane and do the max permissible speed.

Im saving lives by preventing speeding.

I hope think you forgot this chap :rolleyes:

j2dab

JimmyCrackCorn wrote: »

I stay in the outside lane and do the max permissible speed.

Im saving lives by preventing speeding.

You are endangering lives by forcing people to undertake you.

90mph on the motorway is not extremely dangerous (this is what you prevent)
People undertaking you is dangerous (this is what you cause)

So, you don't really save any lives you just irritate people.

Bad driving causes bad driving.

JimmyCrackCorn

R.O.R wrote: »

I hope think you forgot this chap :rolleyes:

Sorry as this thread has been done to death I couldn't resist the wind up.

I did get one bite, i accept any ban or sanction sorry.

opinion guy

j2dab wrote: »

90mph on the motorway is not extremely dangerous (this is what you prevent)

You know I wonder about this. I'm generally of the opinion that those who blame all accidents on speed alone are being simplistic in their analysis, but there must be at some point a cut off of safe speed. I reckon its around the 80mph mark. Thou that being said I damn near shat myself when I was doing 80 on a motorway recently and a dog came from nowhere onto the road the other day. Thankfully he changed direction but in those few moments I was acutely aware that I could do nothing to avoid him if he hadn't changed direction when he did and if I did hit him I would have had a hard job controlling a car at 80mph with a dog under the wheel arch. so right then I wished I had been sticking to the 70mph limit - it probably would have still been impossible to avoid him, but at least I'd have had a greater chance of controlling the car and if I lost control 10mphworth less kinetic energy with which to wreak destruction across the busy motorway.

Is 90mph safe? Honestly...no I don't think so.

Matt Simis

opinion guy wrote: »

Is 90mph safe? Honestly...no I don't think so.

Depends on the car and driver. Im doing under 3k RPM at 100mph in a 2 ton car. Its quiet smooth and controllable as it was designed for 140mph cruises on the Autobahn.

If you dont think 90mph is safe then for you and your car, it isnt.

H8GHOTI

fuelinjection wrote: »

It's not a fast lane ... look up the rules of the road. It's an overtaking lane.

You use it to overtake a slow vehicle and then pull back in (but not within 10 metres of the vehicle you overtake). Drive in France and learn, they are the best drivers I have seen on Motorways.

Are you serious?
The French are complete nutjobs!

2 Espressi

Reminds me of the Gumball quote:
"55 is unsafe....it's slow enough to make you think you're safe....but it's fast enough to kill you"

Anan1

Funny isn't it, how anyone who drives slower than oneself is an idiot and anyone who drives faster is a maniac?:)

merchant08

R.O.R wrote: »

Been there, done that in that passenger seat of a CL600. If there was a gap in the inside lane, Herr Weber would pull in to the inside.

In my 100k plus miles of driving in Germany I have very rarely seen this crap and dont think that is the typical German driving style. I only condone undertaking in Ireland because there are so many retards who are content on sitting in the overtaking lane, other countries dont have this problem so there is no need to undertake. I find that the drivers in other countries are much more aware of what is going on around them and always get in and out of the overtaking lane as fast as possible.

I find the standard of driving on German motorways to be very high. Its the one country that you can fly past a car and not have the fear that the person will pull out in front of you. There form of intimidation if you dont get out of the way is to sit mm from your back bumper, no flashing and indicate but this is rarely needed.

They have invested in their drivers by training them properly and it pays off big style.

corktina

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

don't want to be changing lanes to often at 180 eh?

at 3am? :rolleyes:

opinion guy

Matt Simis wrote: »

Depends on the car and driver. Im doing under 3k RPM at 100mph in a 2 ton car. Its quiet smooth and controllable as it was designed for 140mph cruises on the Autobahn.

If you dont think 90mph is safe then for you and your car, it isnt.

Yes i take your point. And certainly I feel my car is borderline too light for those speeds for stability reasons if you hit something (Thou I'm thinking of upgrading.....thou not sure what to). But read the scenario in my last post...if something does go wrong as could have easily the consequences are worse when you are going faster - I don't think a bigger heavier car would have helped much - yes it would be more steady but a dog in the wheel arches would still make a car uncontrollable. A heavier one would do more damage.

merchant08 wrote: »

In my 100k plus miles of driving in Germany I have very rarely seen this crap and dont think that is the typical German driving style. I only condone undertaking in Ireland because there are so many retards who are content on sitting in the overtaking lane, other countries dont have this problem so there is no need to undertake. I find that the drivers in other countries are much more aware of what is going on around them and always get in and out of the overtaking lane as fast as possible.

I find the standard of driving on German motorways to be very high. Its the one country that you can fly past a car and not have the fear that the person will pull out in front of you. There form of intimidation if you dont get out of the way is to sit mm from your back bumper, no flashing and indicate but this is rarely needed.

They have invested in their drivers by training them properly and it pays off big style.

Again this is not my experience in Germany. I recall being stunned over there how much they a) tailgated and b) changed lane on a whim. Yeah they indicated ...but were half way across the road by the time the did. I will say this thou - it could be a regional thing. My experiences were in the Munich and Frankfurt areas.

Matt Simis

opinion guy wrote: »

Yes i take your point. And certainly I feel my car is borderline too light for those speeds for stability reasons if you hit something (Thou I'm thinking of upgrading.....thou not sure what to). But read the scenario in my last post...if something does go wrong as could have easily the consequences are worse when you are going faster - I don't think a bigger heavier car would have helped much - yes it would be more steady but a dog in the wheel arches would still make a car uncontrollable. A heavier one would do more damage.

Well... if you break down reaction times and meters covered per second, the difference between 70 and 90 isnt much, certainly not enough to ensure a better outcome.
You could also apply your arbitary statement to 70 vs 50mph, I mean surely 50mph should be the motorway speed etc etc.

On the car making a difference front, cars designed for high speed (and autobahn usage) usually and nearly always do have uprated brakes etc, for this very reason, eg USA versions of high end VAG cars get weener brakes vs the Euro versions of the same car.

Seth Brundle

Several months ago I was driving along the M50. There were plenty of cars in the centre lane followed by long stretches of nothing. When not overtaking I was driving in lane 1 and when I came across traffic in the centre lane I then moved to lane 3, passed them before returning to lane 1.
When I reached the roundabout at the N3 interchange, an unmarked car pulled up alongside and gave out to me for moving too much and not keeping to one lane.
You can't win!

Absurdum

opinion guy wrote: »

Again this is not my experience in Germany. I recall being stunned over there how much they a) tailgated and b) changed lane on a whim. Yeah they indicated ...but were half way across the road by the time the did. I will say this thou - it could be a regional thing. My experiences were in the Munich and Frankfurt areas.

My experience of driving in Germany is similar, cars drove a lot closer together than what I would have considered safe but it was never in an intimidating manner, if you know what I mean. One thing that I noticed a lot was that if you were approaching a slower vehicle in the driving lane, traffic in the overtaking lane tended to anticipate your intentions and a gap would appear for you to jump into. I found it great tbh, the way driving should be done, confident and without the bull**** we have here every day.

jaffa20

kbannon wrote: »

Several months ago I was driving along the M50. There were plenty of cars in the centre lane followed by long stretches of nothing. When not overtaking I was driving in lane 1 and when I came across traffic in the centre lane I then moved to lane 3, passed them before returning to lane 1.
When I reached the roundabout at the N3 interchange, an unmarked car pulled up alongside and gave out to me for moving too much and not keeping to one lane.
You can't win!

Yeah, it's a pain. They may aswel have not opened the 3rd lane on it from ballymount to sandyford as nothing has changed. I continue just to undertake and i'm not even speeding yet go faster than those in the overtaking lanes.

McSpud

There should be a 4th option - I am Jim McDaid TD & I drive on the right side of the median.

opinion guy

Matt Simis wrote: »

Well... if you break down reaction times and meters covered per second, the difference between 70 and 90 isnt much, certainly not enough to ensure a better outcome.
You could also apply your arbitary statement to 70 vs 50mph, I mean surely 50mph should be the motorway speed etc etc.

On the car making a difference front, cars designed for high speed (and autobahn usage) usually and nearly always do have uprated brakes etc, for this very reason, eg USA versions of high end VAG cars get weener brakes vs the Euro versions of the same car.

Dare I ask......VAG cars ???

evolutionqy7

people driving in right hand lane and not overtaking should get a flat tyre!

Matt Simis

opinion guy wrote: »

Dare I ask......VAG cars ???

Volkswagen AG.... VW, Audi etc in this case.