Driving slowly but never let the build up of traffic go

SilverKrest

Examples I see of this every day, when driving to and from work. A car will choose to stay at approx 50km/h. And it's a reasonably good N road with a hard shoulder but overtaking chances are few due to the occasional blind bend or oncoming traffic during busy periods. A long line of commuting traffic inevitably builds up but these drivers will happily hold up them up for 20km+ and never let any traffic pass them.

I think it leads to risky behaviour as people in a rush further back tend to overtake the long line of cars trying to get passed the slow moving car at the front.

fritzelly

overtaking chances are few due to the occasional blind bend or oncoming traffic during busy periods

Is it few or occasional - can't be both? Those trying to overtake when not safe are the dangerous driver, the speed limit is a max limit not a target and many roads would have a max speed that is not achievable at times but any good driver would be able to get around them on an open stretch so sounds like lots of nervous drivers behind them that can not accelerate to get ahead of them

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403301#Comment_121403301

Also the muppets that try overtake a car in 5th or 6th gear at 50-60 Kmh and panic when it takes half an hour to try get past.

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403306#Comment_121403306

Oh yeah, that big time! Think that is usually a thing with newer drivers not knowing to kick down a gear for more acceleration

BeerWolf

Your inconvenience saves them €0.02 on fuel!

Jequ0n

Slow drivers who don’t pull over to let others pass are the biggest pain in the ass, and they are definitely a risk on the roads.

magicbastarder

An N road where there are few opportunities to pass in 20km? Which N road are you taking about?

TinyMuffin

Isn’t driving in the hard shoulder illegal. I’d drive in it occasionally with the tractor if it’s clear but there often be a lorry pulled up in the few around here and makes it dangerous.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058323833/driving-slowly-but-never-let-the-build-up-of-traffic-go

Why don't you pull over for 5 mins. Chillax. Then when you get driving again the queue will be gone.

dickdasr1234

What a dumb, smartass response!

Flinty997

Traffic complaining about traffic...ironic.

dickdasr1234

Traffic complaining about idiots - no shortage of them, apparently.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403449#Comment_121403449

Nope it's not illegal. Its only illegal on motorways not on national roads. That does not mean you should drive in it all the time. You only drive in it when you are slower than the traffic behind and you can drive in the hard shoulder safely to let them by. That is the only time you should drive in it.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058323833/driving-slowly-but-never-let-the-build-up-of-traffic-go

Maybe worse are the ones who toddle along at 50/60kph on moderately bendy bits and then when it comes to a straight are up to 80/90 quickly. If they stayed at their happy rate of progress, others would have no problem overtaking when safe to do so on the straights.

This happens all the time and it is both an annoyance and presents a danger when people try to overtake them.

It's my experience that this is mostly elderly drivers who probably got their license on one of the amnesty schemes.

I have no problem with slow drivers of they pull in when safe to do so.

Another thing that annoys me is SUV drivers who trundle along at 70km/h because they bought a stupid vehicle that drinks fuel at a 100km/h and they can't afford to run them, idiots.

BrianD3

Slow drivers are generally rubbish drivers because they are oblivious to what is going on around them. A typical slow driver behaviour would be to dawdle along at 70 km/h on an N road, drive at the same speed through a village and blow through a pedestrian crossing without noticing that someone is crossing.

I used to do a long commute and would overtake many of these dumb fcuks every day. Another typical slow driver behaviour is to drive with faulty lights or not use lights correctly. Foggy conditions or dusk/dawn and there they are, crawling along with sidelights or blown bulbs with 50 cars behind them.

There's also a small number of "enforcer" slow drivers - they drive slowly and speed up /close gaps when others try to overtake. They should be battered.

J_R

Hi,

From the Rules of the Road:-

A single broken yellow line along the side of the road. This road contains a hard shoulder, which is normally only for pedestrians and cyclists. If a driver wants to allow a vehicle behind them to overtake, they may pull in to the hard shoulder briefly (but do not continue driving in the hard shoulder) as long as no pedestrians or cyclists are already using it and no junctions or entrances are nearby. Different rules exist for hard shoulders on motorways.

If a driver is unable to ascertain if it is safe to drive in or even partly in the hard shoulder then they they are poor and also very inconsiderate drivers

It is not illegal to move over to allow faster traffic to overtake.

However it is an offence to needlessly cause an obstruction.

Some day, when not busy, I may drop a dashcam clip into a Garda station and ask that they charge the driver of the car with obstruction. See what happens

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403648#Comment_121403648

They aren't the ones telling everyone they don't know how to overtake unless people pull over for them.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403895#Comment_121403895

If it's a 100 limit is there not more than one lane.

70 isn't a fuel efficient speed either, it's more like 56-60 drag increases massively after that. If saving fuel in a 3 tonne, vehicle with a truck engine and the aero dynamics of a brick. Seems unlikely.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121404003#Comment_121404003

If that was true they would have statistically more points for driving offences. . .

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403448#Comment_121403448

sections of the N59 probably qualify

magicbastarder

the OP mentioned there were hard shoulders though - looking at the N59, picking a spot at random, there are h hard shoulders at that random spot.

Iv been in situations like that where slow drivers in cars where holding up even tractors.

Dunno what the solution is, upgrading roads & straighten bends would be brilliant.

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121404360#Comment_121404360

sorry if I'm being a bit dim but what's your point?

dickdasr1234

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121404252#Comment_121404252

Are you a Carmelite nun?

Are you an AI experiment?

What fing planet do you live on?

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121404395#Comment_121404395

my response was getting back to my question, which you'd quoted, asking the OP which road it was - just that the road in question had hard shoulders so i don't think the one they were referring to was the N59.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121404418#Comment_121404418

I'll take that as a no they don't. But somebody does....

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121405069#Comment_121405069

sorry, misread your post due to a typo - I thought you meant the N59 had a hard shoulder at the random spot you picked

The N59 does have a few sections with a hard shoulder where it's next to impossible to overtake a slow driver such as the OP described during peak commuting time (eg between Moycullen and Galway). I know someone who drives that route every day, it's not an uncommon occurance

Baba Yaga

ah shite...that was going to be my new hobby when i retire...driving about in rush hours at about 50(or less) pissing everybody off 😁

sameoldname

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403448#Comment_121403448

I don't know where the OP is talking about but I live near the N81 and at rush hour basically any attempt at an overtake would be risky if not illegal due to continuous white lines on many of the straights.

breadmond

Definitely, recently had the pleasure of spending 20 mins behind someone on there who was driving with their rear fogs on, never going over 70kph but still braking down to 50 for even the slightest bend. Would drive you insane!

Electric Gypsy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058323833/driving-slowly-but-never-let-the-build-up-of-traffic-go

When you finally get a look at the person, are they usually old?

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121406105#Comment_121406105

I'm not going to be looking to see their face while overtaking on a bend, that would be reckless.

AndrewJRenko

It's funny how every police authority, safely authority and transport academic in the world will tell that the actual sources of danger on the road are drivers speeding, using their phones, not wearing seat belts and drink / drug driving, but the lads on Boards know better, apparently.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121406972#Comment_121406972

Driving at an unreasonably slow speed is an offense. It also provokes reasonable people attempt dangerous overtaking manoeuvres. It's an obligation to keep with the flow of traffic and not impede it.

Very few people will be prosecuted for driving to slow and without due attention to other road users - but more should be.

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121406972#Comment_121406972

the lads on boards who drive the roads every day know that driving without due care and attention is also dangerous

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407026#Comment_121407026

while it is understandably frustrating, people attempting dangerous overtaking manoeuvres have no excuse, regardless of the gobshite holding up traffic. I tend to blame the assh0le(s) one or two cars behind who don't take a safe overtaking opportunity when it arises or keep their car glued to the car at the head of the queue so that no one behind them can safely overtake

Edit: the only instance I know of where a slow driver was prosecuted related to a farmer in Mayo who held up traffic on the outskirts of Westport. Unfortunately for him, the queue included a squad car. There's a link to a newspaper report about it somewhere on boards

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407026#Comment_121407026

Reasonable people do not attempt dangerous overtaking.

70 in a 80 is not unreasonably slow. Good luck getting a prosecution for that.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407038#Comment_121407038

It's quite something, to decide dangerous overtaking is your ONLY option. Perhaps people have become complacent with bad habits. Because it's NOT the only option.

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407157#Comment_121407157

where do I suggest that?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407183#Comment_121407183

The "lads on the boards who drive the roads every day" suggested it.

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407263#Comment_121407263

read or quote the whole post

blackbox

There is no excuse for dangerous overtaking, but anyone who holds up a queue of traffic is very inconsiderate and probably ignorant, irrespective of whether they are driving a car or a tractor.

I believe there is a law against it in France - if there are three (or maybe five) vehicles held up behind you, you have to pull in at the first safe opportunity to let them pass.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407418#Comment_121407418

One law is minimum 80 in the overtaking lane on a motorway. "Lads on boards who drive everyday" would have a meltdown.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407026#Comment_121407026

Reasonable people don't get 'provoked' into doing anything on the road, and particularly not dangerous overtaking. If you're going to get 'provoked' by any actions of other drivers, you shouldn't be driving.

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121406972#Comment_121406972

Well the RSA also considers it an issue because if you don't drive at the speed limit in your driving test you could pick up a few faults and if it continued you could fail.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121407915#Comment_121407915

Does it actually say "at the speed limit"

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121408016#Comment_121408016

I think it falls under progress but if your driving down a 60km/h straight road at 50km/h and conditions are good expect a grade 2 fault and do it a four times you could fail your test.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121408136#Comment_121408136

Is the test not mostly around towns, urban areas. Is your experience people hit 60kmh a lot in the test?

I can't see someone doing 50 in 60 having a problem in the driving test.

Progress. An applicant should make reasonable progress

moving off

on the straight

overtaking

at cross-junctions

at roundabouts, turning right

turning left,

changing lanes,

and at traffic lights

What any of that has to do with someone doing 70 in 80 I have no idea.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403301#Comment_121403301

People with this attitude have clearly never driven a car in their lives.

The best drivers on the roads are those who drive in lockstep with every other car, they are predictable, you would never know they are on the road. Slow drivers do not fit in this bracket. Slow drivers are unpredictable. Slow drivers, whether you like it or not, frustrate even the most patient of experienced drivers. And I'm not talking about those who go 70,80,90 in 100 limit zones. I mean those going 40,50,60 - these drivers are 100% a hazard on the roads.