Why do you drive so slow?

Eireann81

I am posting this out of curiosity more than anything else.

When driving along the motorways in Ireland at 120km/h, it's unbelievable the amount of cars that I pass doing a lot less than the speed limit. I am just wondering why people voluntarily drive so slow on an open road. I can only imagine there being 4 reasons for this:

1) Safety - they don't feel safe driving over 100km/h
2) Fuel Economy - trying to save money
3) Problem with the car
4) Oblivious to the speed they are travelling at

I personally find the speed limit of 120km/h too low. I tried driving at 90km/h on the M4 for a brief stretch, and it just felt wrong, despite the fact that I still had to overtake another car going even slower.

I am just interested in cases where there is not much traffic around.

I know the speed limit is not a target and all that, but I reckon I would fall asleep driving from Galway to Dublin on a wide open road at the speeds I see some people driving at.

It got me thinking that if they abolished the speed limit on certain motorways, hardly anyone would take advantage

I will add a poll but I'll omit "the problem about the car" as I am just trying to find out why people drive so slow over here in general.

Stheno

I generally find if there is just one person driving slowly on the motorway they cause a tailback basically.

Duiske

The maximum speed limit is exactly that, the maximum speed allowed on a particular road. Its an limit, not a target as you say. I don't find slower drivers cause a problem as long as they use the lanes correctly.

166man

My car won't do 120km/h anymore....:pac:




I mainly stick around 110km/h. Any more and it gets quite noisy in the cabin. The twin sparks have a fierce noise off them...:cool:

djimi

On a motorway anyway there are times when I choose to drive a little under the speed limit if I am going to be there for a decent length of time. I was driving home from Cork not so long ago and found it more relaxing to driving at 100 rather than the 120 I would normally drive at on a motorway (I was in no hurry). I have no problem with people driving like this on a motorway, provided they do so in the left hand lane. The overtaking lane is there for a reason if people want to pass them out.

Stheno

166man wrote: »

My car won't do 120km/h anymore....:pac:




I mainly stick around 110km/h. Any more and it gets quite noisy in the cabin. The twin sparks have a fierce noise off them...:cool:

/predicts next weeks post.

"my timing belt blew on the motorway"

Mycroft H

It costs more to drive faster. I'll sit in the left lane at a steady 100km/h. I don't see a problem with that. If I'm less concerned about economy I would drive faster, but I'm a broke student.

Thehandviolent

djimi wrote: »

On a motorway anyway there are times when I choose to drive a little under the speed limit if I am going to be there for a decent length of time. I was driving home from Cork not so long ago and found it more relaxing to driving at 100 rather than the 120 I would normally drive at on a motorway (I was in no hurry). I have no problem with people driving like this on a motorway, provided they do so in the left hand lane. The overtaking lane is there for a reason if people want to pass them out.

I think there should also be a minimum speed on motorways. no lewss than 100 km/h

FridaysWell

Duiske wrote: »

The maximum speed limit is exactly that, the maximum speed allowed on a particular road. Its an limit, not a target.

Doesn't mean you travel along at 20-30km/hr below the limit. Hold up alot of people that way, costs time and money. In a way, you could say its a target, obviously where conditions allow.

I.S.T.

Duiske wrote: »

The maximum speed limit is exactly that, the maximum speed allowed on a particular road. Its an limit, not a target as you say. I don't find slower drivers cause a problem as long as they use the lanes correctly.

Try driving at 40kmh on a 50kmh speed limit road in your driving test and tell me if you still believe that is the case. You will fail.

Mycroft H

Thehandviolent wrote: »

I think there should also be a minimum speed on motorways. no lewss than 100 km/h

Lorries and vehicles with trailers are limited to 80km/h. If there was a limit it should be 80km/h. I dont see a problem with that speed

padma

Limerick to Dublin, I do 100, then as i'm coming to newbridge i go to 120 to keep up with traffic, then drop back to a 100 at naas and get in to the left driving lane reason is fuel economy and a more relaxing drive.

Eireann81

Stheno wrote: »

I generally find if there is just one person driving slowly on the motorway they cause a tailback basically.

I 100% agree

166man wrote: »

My car won't do 120km/h anymore....:pac:




I mainly stick around 110km/h. Any more and it gets quite noisy in the cabin. The twin sparks have a fierce noise off them...:cool:

Fair point. If it could do 120km/h happily, would you still stick to 110km/h?

djimi wrote: »

On a motorway anyway there are times when I choose to drive a little under the speed limit if I am going to be there for a decent length of time. I was driving home from Cork not so long ago and found it more relaxing to driving at 100 rather than the 120 I would normally drive at on a motorway (I was in no hurry). I have no problem with people driving like this on a motorway, provided they do so in the left hand lane. The overtaking lane is there for a reason if people want to pass them out.

That's a fair point too. And I couldn't agree more about the lane hoggers. Nothing that I hate more than people sitting in the overtaking lane when they shouldn't be there!

Eireann81

I suppose the perception of speed is different when travelling in different cars. 120km/h will feel a hell of a lot different in a Seicento than in a 7 series.

Voodoomelon

I often do 100kph from Dundalk to Dublin down the M1 *if* i'm in no rush, means the difference in 6-8mpg and a more relaxed drive.

djimi

Thehandviolent wrote: »

I think there should also be a minimum speed on motorways. no lewss than 100 km/h

Why? There are two lanes; one of them specifically designated for overtaking. If someone wants to do 80 on a motorway the system is there to allow other drivers to pass them out with minimum inconvenience.

If motorways and lane discipline were policed properly then it would not matter what speed cars in the driving lane were going.

Also a true minimum speed limit is unenforceable on a motorway. Try drive the stretch of M7 between Naas and Newbridge any weekday evening if you want first hand experience of why...

No vehicle is permitted on an Irish motorway that is not capable of travelling at 50kmph; I dont think they can do much more than that.

166man

Stheno wrote: »

/predicts next weeks post.

"my timing belt blew on the motorway"

Nah that's the week after next, I have my suspension booked in to fail next Wednesday at roughly 3.30pm.

djimi

Eireann81 wrote: »

I suppose the perception of speed is different when travelling in different cars. 120km/h will feel a hell of a lot different in a Seicento than in a 7 series.

True. I often found myself doing near 90mph+ in my Accord when it felt like I was doing 70mph. In the Integra 70mph feels a lot more like a high speed.

navara man

i go 89km on a motorway

Eireann81

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I often do 100kph from Dundalk to Dublin down the M1 *if* i'm in no rush, means the difference in 6-8mpg and a more relaxed drive.

Just out of interest, about how many mpg would you normally get? On your journey from Dundalk to Dublin, roughly how much money would you save by doing 100km/h instead of 120km/h on the motorway? (Assuming a difference of 6-8mpg). Google maps suggests a distance of roughly 45 miles on the M1.

rickyjb

djimi wrote: »

Why? There are two lanes; one of them specifically designated for overtaking. If someone wants to do 80 on a motorway the system is there to allow other drivers to pass them out with minimum inconvenience.

If motorways and lane discipline were policed properly then it would not matter what speed cars in the driving lane were going.

Also a true minimum speed limit is unenforceable on a motorway. Try drive the stretch of M7 between Naas and Newbridge any weekday evening if you want first hand experience of why...

No vehicle is permitted on an Irish motorway that is not capable of travelling at 50kmph; I dont think they can do much more than that.

The problem is that there's always someone who chooses to overtake doing 85 km/h effectively causing a rolling roadblock, anywhere there's a truck/bus on the motorway there's usually a queue of cars waiting to get by. Which is very inconvenient if you're travelling at the speed limit because you're constantly speeding up and slowing down.

If you move into the overtaking lane you should accelerate up to the speed of the traffic travelling in that lane. Irish drivers do not tend to do this.

FridaysWell

djimi wrote: »

If motorways and lane discipline were policed properly then it would not matter what speed cars in the driving lane were going.

+1 On this, but this needs to be taught. Motorway driving and discipline isn't taught or tested here at all. Absolute joke to be honest. 2 hours motorway driving minimum before someone does a driving test.

fasttalkerchat

Tyres arent the best, I have no insurance and I'm pished!

... also cos I'm writing this messaggggggggggggggggggggggggggge...

Viper_JB

djimi wrote: »

Why? There are two lanes; one of them specifically designated for overtaking. If someone wants to do 80 on a motorway the system is there to allow other drivers to pass them out with minimum inconvenience.

That's very true, it does start becoming a problem though when you have people going below 80 though, once they start holding up trucks and the trucks try to overtake....and you get a rolling road block because the driver decides he doesn't want to be over taken by the truck, and you end up with cars that were traveling 40 kph faster having to brake...which normally causes a ripple effect.

It really doesn't take much to distrupt traffic on the motorways, I do find with a lot of slower drivers they will pull into the overtaking lane and make no attempt to match the speed of traffic already there, just continue to attempt to over take someone going at 80 kph by doing 81 kph, I find the strech from Kildare to Naas can be a nightmare for that.

dgt

I don't lets get that cleared up

The car returns over 40 mpg on the motorway anyway at motorway speed.

gillen

I'd stick at about 100km/h to save fuel, depends really if im in a rush or not, again as someone else said its people not using the lanes properly that causes most of the problems

I don't mind unless they're in the overtaking lane, then I get very cross
This is not your own personal fiefdom, overtake then get the f out of the way

H3llR4iser

Some will say it's a matter of economy, but then again I wouldn't think it's the majority - if you actually follow one of the "slowsters" on a motorway, you'll realize their speed to be actually quite erratic; They suddenly accelerate to the limit, only to slowly creep below 100kph over the next 10 km or so. As simple as it is, I would say most people are simply not aware of the speed they're driving, tend to get distracted on motorways and "slip off" the gas pedal, losing speed.

Personally, I also find the speed limits to be quite low and feel driving at these speed to be quite tedious, but I reckon most drivers already have a problem anywhere north of 100km/h.

Of course the car has a big role in it, when I still lived in Italy dragging the Alfa around at 130km/h on the motorways felt like torture, the Twin Spark growl sounding more like a little voice begging "floor it...floor it...floor it ffs!" than a "vrrrrrrrrr". The current Megane feels like falling apart at 120, so you get the picture

Talking about back then, I noticed an exponential increase of totally incompetent/slow/idiotic drivers on motorways since the moment the "tutor" system came into use. Essentially insecure, overtake-lane hugging, middle-line riding drivers that would not dare going near a motorway because of "idiots going fast", suddenly felt "protected" by the watchful electronic eye and like they had the right to do 70 in the overtaking lane...

CiniO

I chose the second option.
While vast majority of time on motorway I'm above the speed limit, but sometimes when I'm not in hurry I drive slower just to save fuel.
F.e. recently I was dropping someone to the airport, and we left too early, so pretty much all way from Galway to Dublin I traveled at 90km/h, by which I managed to reach fuel consumption of 6.7 l/100km in 2.0 litre petrol Mazda. (that's 42MPG).

TheChizler

FridaysWell wrote: »

+1 On this, but this needs to be taught. Motorway driving and discipline isn't taught or tested here at all. Absolute joke to be honest. 2 hours motorway driving minimum before someone does a driving test.

To be fair it's exactly the same as driving on any other dual carriageway, just faster (plus a few technical regulations). The skills and methods applicable to these roads are exactly the same as on a motorway, you just have to heighten your senses for the speed. The problem is that all the above procedures for drivers aren't always applied on the slower roads, so they then have no skills to transfer to the faster road, where the detrimental effect of poor driving is amplified.

It's not so much that motorway driving should be taught, but that any form of dual carriageway education/practice is severely lacking.

166man

The reason most people take it a little handier these days is clearly due to fuel costs and the need to save that bit of fuel or make the €20 go that bit further.

I find when I take it slower, I arrive at the destination generally much more relaxed so if I'm doing a journey I try to leave plenty of time.

The fact that before your driving test you technically have no place on a motorway but after a 15 minute drive around driving like a granny and a pink slip of paper you are perfectly allowed to drive on them is ludicrous IMO.

It's no wonder nobody knows how to use the lane system correctly.

Henry Ford III

I usually toodle along at 110-115kph indicated, pulling c.2k revs in 6th.

It's comfortable and economical too.

Voodoomelon

Eireann81 wrote: »

Just out of interest, about how many mpg would you normally get? On your journey from Dundalk to Dublin, roughly how much money would you save by doing 100km/h instead of 120km/h on the motorway? (Assuming a difference of 6-8mpg). Google maps suggests a distance of roughly 45 miles on the M1.

I'd do a 120 mile round trip to Glenageary, driving at 100kph gives about an 18% saving on economy, which is about €5-€6 total.

Not much, but as I say if i'm in no rush, I enjoy the drive.

hardCopy

I voted for safety because the other two didn't really fit.

I'll usually cruise at 120 outside Dublin but if I'm on the M50 and come up behind someone doing 90-95 I often won't bother overtaking as it's not worth the effort to cross three lanes when I'm exiting in 5 minutes anyway.

the culture of deference

Viper_JB wrote: »

That's very true, it does start becoming a problem though when you have people going below 80 though, once they start holding up trucks and the trucks try to overtake..

slower drivers they will pull into the overtaking lane and make no attempt to match the speed of traffic already there,

What happens now is that people are aimlessly driving along, they come upon a truck / bus / slower car and overtake when they get within 10 foot of the truck. Its like the slower vehicle hypnotises them. They do not check their mirrors and pull straight out into the path of cars doing 120+.

A few simple rules are needed.

Trucks should never be allowed in the OT lane.
OT lane minimum speed limit of 120k.
All cars should carry video front and back as standard, (if a Tablet can do it for under 130 quid) and then the incompetent driver of every vehicle gets prosecuted.

166man wrote: »

The reason most people take it a little handier these days is clearly due to fuel costs and the need to save that bit of fuel or make the €20 go that bit further.

I find when I take it slower, I arrive at the destination generally much more relaxed so if I'm doing a journey I try to leave plenty of time.

It's no wonder nobody knows how to use the lane system correctly.

At 100kmh with cruise control on I am getting 2.9L to 3.2L 100km, at 120kmh that goes to 5L or higher.

Eireann81

the culture of deference wrote: »

At 100kmh with cruise control on I am getting 2.9L to 3.2L 100km, at 120kmh that goes to 5L or higher.

Jesus Christ! That's nearly 100mpg! What car?

September1

Range is poor when driving fast, not to mention that drawing too much current heats battery... joys of electric... ;-)

niloc1951

https://www.youtube.com/embed/oFkw5JFOmHk

Speaks for itself :eek:

allinthehead

niloc1951 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/embed/oFkw5JFOmHk

Speaks for itself :eek:

holy ***k

corktina

i always drive in excess of the speed limit...so I can't vote

Indricotherium

the culture of deference wrote: »

OT lane minimum speed limit of 120k.
QUOTE]

How does this work?

Big Nasty

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I often do 100kph from Dundalk to Dublin down the M1 *if* i'm in no rush, means the difference in 6-8mpg and a more relaxed drive.

In the 7er? :eek:

I would say that's pretty relaxed alright, careful you don't fall asleep.

I'm old school and don't do km. If I'm on a motorway and the traffic is pretty clear the cruise gets set at 80mph. On the M50 it depends on traffic but if I get a clear enough run I'll push it a little beyond 70.

Voodoomelon

I never adhere to any speed limit, just drive at whats comfortable for the road. Just make a conscious decision on the motorway to go a bit slower sometimes.

Otherwise have the cc set to 125kph all the way. 100kph is slow as sin, i'm not denying!

meoklmrk91

I drive a 1L Polo so going the full speed limit can be very noisy and uncomfortable, on hills and such I have to work hard to keep it going at that speed. I usually drive 110km, it's just easier and it's a little pig on fuel economy anyway when I push too hard.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

Big Nasty

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I never adhere to any speed limit, just drive at whats comfortable for the road. Just make a conscious decision on the motorway to go a bit slower sometimes.

Otherwise have the cc set to 125kph all the way. 100kph is slow as sin, i'm not denying!

I'm not using the 7er at the moment due to lack of tax so have been pottering around in the Alfa. Sturdy little thing but I took it on the M50 to go to Bray last week (first time I had it on a motorway) and you bloody well knew you were doing 70!

unkel

I've driven on motorways in maybe 30 odd countries. Only in Ireland have I seen people regularly drive on motorways at 50-60km/h. It's a shameful disgrace.

Zascar

Not sure why in Ireland but there are an awful lot of people who belong to the "It's a speed limit, not a target" brigade. Groan. People that drive really slow on big roads sometimes in the hard shoulder because they are not confident, should be taken off the roads and not let back on again until they at a competent standard to drive.

Lane positioning is a joke in this country - this angers me particularly, that and using roundabouts. They plough so much money into anti drink driving campaigns but very little into actually educating the general population to become better drivers. Why?

saysaywatson

What's worse is people going 90km'h in the OUTSIDE LANE FOR NO REASON - AHHH!!!!

166man

MCMLXXV wrote: »

I'm not using the 7er at the moment due to lack of tax so have been pottering around in the Alfa. Sturdy little thing but I took it on the M50 to go to Bray last week (first time I had it on a motorway) and you bloody well knew you were doing 70!

156? Did I miss something, thought you had the 7er and the Trans Am?:o

ahnowbrowncow

And most people are going slower than they think. When I'm doing 120kph my sat nav says I'm doing about 113/114.

Most speedometers read higher to ensure that they never show a lower speed than the speed you are actually going.