Drivers behaviour on roads

Tazium · 15-09-2023 11:01am

Regularly see ICE cars blocking the charging points in shopping centre car parks. No excuse for that, it's clearly marked but gobshites will do as they please without consideration of others.

On any given day at Dublin Airport, the filling station on the exit road will have non-EV cars blocking the charge points.

Seth Brundle · 15-09-2023 11:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112093#Comment_121112093

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112114#Comment_121112114

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112163#Comment_121112163

well, that's a very convincing argument 🤔

Slightly Kwackers · 15-09-2023 11:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058313814/drivers-behaviour-on-roads

80kmh, which is the maximum allowed if you are towing anyway, so why should the absence of a caravan be a problem for others :-)

I am reminded of my time in the UK driving company cars and using motorways there a lot. I was often flashed in roadworks because I stuck rigidly to the speed limits. I knew the risks to construction workers, and could easily do the sums to work out that the difference in time over a few miles doing the legal limit instead of 20mph or so above was negligible. Of course the speed cameras and police were keeping an eye also.

The only problem with doing the speed limit on an Irish motorway is that lane discipline is almost none existent though, whereas in the UK most do pay heed.

So it might be a shade unnerving to look in the mirror and see someone tanking up behind you undertaking all the rest of the traffic at well over the speed limit.

Maybe a bottle of Jameson would soothe the nerves :-)

Slightly Kwackers · 15-09-2023 11:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111485#Comment_121111485

Well I suppose people that give a damn about their pocket and the planet might consider a slower speed and slightly earlier start a good trade off. The speed limit is a maximum, not something to aim for.

the_amazing_raisin · 15-09-2023 11:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112629#Comment_121112629

It's an EV, it doesn't emit more exhaust gas when driving faster, and I think it's fair to say the majority of EVs are charged at night when the grid is cleaner

coolbeans · 15-09-2023 11:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112629#Comment_121112629

That's a bit of a stretch really. Many are charged on home based solar and many others are charged at night when the grid is largely run off renewables or at least much cleaner. Regardless, it's a very ropey argument for driving at 80kph just because... EV. If you're so skint that you can't do 120kph because of your pocket then things are very tight indeed.

Ezeoul · 15-09-2023 11:35am

Driving at 80km on the motorway to preserve battery?

The more I read about EVs the more put off I am about ever changing over to one.

They just sound like a lot of hassle.

the_amazing_raisin · 15-09-2023 11:35am

Well this thread started dumb and has gotten dumber since then. Well done OP for stirring the pot and giving EV drivers a bad name

At least the highly inappropriate reference to cyclists has been removed

FWIW, I agree with the OP that 80km/h is a safe speed to be doing in the slow lane on a motorway

While I can understand that's incredibly frustrating for someone behind them, that isn't an excuse to tailgate someone dangerously or drive in an aggressive manner

However, I don't believe drivers behaviour has anything to do with what's powering their cars

I agree that the likely reason people are flashing their lights at the OP is because they're doing something dumb. Or it's happened once and the OP feels necessary to colour every driver with the same brush

Perhaps @JizzBeans might consider making a shirt charging stop so they can continue their journey at a higher speed? It has generally been shown that it's faster to stop and charge and proceed at full speed rather than slowing down to conserve energy. Personally I'd only do it if I was in the last few kilometres to my house anyway

eagerv · 15-09-2023 11:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112679#Comment_121112679

don't worry, it is not the norm..

liamog · 15-09-2023 11:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112679#Comment_121112679

I've avoided ever driving a petrol car as I once met a fella on a park bench who told me he drove at 70km/h to save petrol

creedp · 15-09-2023 11:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112176#Comment_121112176

There would often be if you're coming up behind a chap cruising at 80kph. No issue though as it could just as easy be a chappie towing a trailer.

Doesnt mean that it wouldnt cause frustration though. Doesnt justify tailgating however. Having said that though its possible the OP is a little oversensitive about being tailgaited given that s/he is probably conscious of holding people up

Gerrymandering reborn · 15-09-2023 11:54am

The OP sounds like the guy who is obsessed with Americian media

the_amazing_raisin · 15-09-2023 12:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112721#Comment_121112721

Oh I think I ended up behind that guy, was doing 40km/h on an unlit 100km/h limit N road somewhere around Roscommon

In the middle of the night, with his daytime lights on 😬

Actually, I'm starting to think I was driving behind the OP 😂

I was still driving the Toyota back then so I must have tailgated them and flashed my lights because apparently that's what petrol drivers do 😏

the_amazing_raisin · 15-09-2023 12:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112759#Comment_121112759

Nah, they haven't mentioned anyone getting shot yet

Slightly Kwackers · 15-09-2023 12:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112670#Comment_121112670

You miss the point.

Simple physics means that for almost any wheeled vehicle driving at 80km/h is going to be cheaper than driving at 120km/h

So assuming One does not have a high flying job where minutes count, does it not make sense to go at a lower speed providing it is not unsafe and does not unduly obstruct?

80km/h Vs 120km/h in simple terms means that it will save money whatever the fuel or time of charging, it's safer. I will never forget the surprise I had when doing the limit on the M1 once and encountered someone in front of me parked up in the LH lane presumably counting their money a km or so from the toll.

People do not act responsibly on motorways, simple they may be, but there is always the unexpected. Slower allows more time to react.

Seeing the maximum speed limit as something to aim for as a matter of course is purely and simply wrong.

magicbastarder · 15-09-2023 12:14pm

yeah, as above, you'd save more money by sticking to 80 in an ice car than you would in a petrol car; though for (some) EV drivers the rationale might be down more to range anxiety than cost.

Slightly Kwackers · 15-09-2023 12:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112679#Comment_121112679

I often wonder what the insulation is like. There seems to be no clear information on the power needed for heating or air con, I doubt that the waste heat from I^2 R losses amounts to much in an efficient motor these days?

I wonder also what will happen when the honeymoon period is over and the governments want to claw back taxes?

Will EV charging points have separate meters, or will they have someone paint the electrons destined for none road traffic use :-)

John_Rambo · 15-09-2023 12:22pm

Waiting for the first w@nker to mention "road craft".

liamog · 15-09-2023 12:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112895#Comment_121112895

Here you go https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058278820/taxation-of-alternative-fuelled-vehicles/p1

josip · 15-09-2023 12:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112679#Comment_121112679

They're really not for long distance driving and are only suitable as a 2nd car for the school run and pottering about the suburbs.

The batteries will also be badly degraded after 5 years and you'll have to pay upwards of €10,000 out of warranty to get them replaced.

And don't get me started on the risk of them spontaneously combusting.

coolbeans · 15-09-2023 12:40pm

You're moving the goalposts. Higher speeds use more energy, that's obvious. Additionally, I really don't see how high flying jobs have to do with anything pertaining to this. I suggest you stick to the facts. People will want to do the limit and it's not up to other drivers to dictate what they do on the road. That's what the police are for. Again, driving at 80 is fine but don't be a traffic dictator and trying to govern others' speed.

Slightly Kwackers · 15-09-2023 12:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112754#Comment_121112754

No, sensitive as to the fact that the person behind is too dim to realise that they have no time to react even at 80 and they cannot build up speed to overtake safely when the traffic eases.

If someone is tailgating you, the only safe solution is to slow down and let him get past. They will only ever see your rear bumper and are not concentrating on the road.

The two second rule does not get much of a mention these days, but it is a lifesaver.

Padraig Mor · 15-09-2023 12:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112109#Comment_121112109

I never said that driving at a slower pace in more hazardous conditions was dangerous and I don't know how you got that from my post. And the risk associated with very high speed driving goes far beyond simply "one's inability to quickly control a vehicle"; indeed in Germany, even in unrestricted autobahns, drivers doing over a certain speed who are involved in an accident will be charged with creating an unsafe environment on the road even if the crash wasn't actually their fault. If you really can't see the obvious elevated risk attached to large speed differentials (plus or minus) there's not really much I can do - and of course while drivers should react correctly to such hazards, the reality is some won't and this is eminently foreseeable.

Mod Note: Snip, no need to bring post history from other forums into thread

raspberrypi67 · 15-09-2023 1:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121111401#Comment_121111401

ha ha, then they couldn't leave.......

raspberrypi67 · 15-09-2023 1:27pm

can electric cars not do 100Km/h?

Unless its a very old Prius?

the_amazing_raisin · 15-09-2023 1:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121113225#Comment_121113225

Mine can do 160, allegedly 😁

I can confirm that it does 120 on the motorway quite regularly, although I personally prefer 110 because the ride is a bit smoother and quieter. If I'm overtaking I'll go up to 120

I think in the two years of ownership I've back off the speed to conserve energy twice, from 110 to 100

Miscreant · 15-09-2023 1:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121112954#Comment_121112954

Absolute uninformed drivel!!!! This view has been shown to be inaccurate more times than I can count in here.... Unless you are trolling and I have taken the bait!

On the tailgating thing for the OP; "Leaf Speed" was and probably still is a phenomenon on the roads whereby it was owners of limited range Leafs, at the time, who would travel at 80kph on the motorways to preserve what little range they had remaining. Motorways have multiple lanes for the very purpose of overtaking slower moving vehicles, so unless the OP is hogging the overtaking lane then the tailgating behaviour of other drivers is just bad form IMO. In my case, I travel at 100kph on the motorway unless I am in a hurry. This speed ensures I am not holding up trucks or busses going about their business and means I can make reasonable progress while keeping the overtaking lane free for those who wish to travel faster. Not once have I been tailgated doing this and I have done it in ICE and EVs for years.

Only advice I would give to the OP when driving on the motorway would be to increase your speed to 90kph. You will notice a decrease in tailgating and it will have a negligible effect on power consumption for your EV (if your overall aim is to preserve your charge level).