Lines of vehicles....

dgt · 11-03-2012 10:45pm #1

Every time I'm on the road I encounter a fair few lines of vehicles, travelling in a mini convoy. Lines of 3 cars onwards, travelling in a bunch, usually 10 - 20 kmh under the limit, none passing the other on clear stretches of road....

On the N2 today, I met no cars on their own going the other way. Oh no. Just lines of cars bunched together. Tin hat was an old fella in a mini bombing along at what looked like 50kmh and a line of traffic behind for ages. Road infront of me clear, plenty of time to overtake before I even got in any way near! :rolleyes:

Why? What's the point of doing that? If a dog ran infront of the lead car there would be a serious pileup!

Jesus Shaves · 11-03-2012 10:46pm

It's the governments fault

drunkmonkey · 11-03-2012 10:48pm

Just passed a 4 car convoy traveling at 50kmph, The lead car the lady looked about 100 which explains why she was going so slow, the sheep behind her I can't find and excuse for but a fear of overtaking anything.

copacetic · 11-03-2012 10:50pm

It's a mental thing, people are comfortable behind someone else who is the one responsible for the speed of the 'convoy'. You see a lot of people who will speed up when the convoy breaks up to catch up to the next convoy and sit on the back of it.

dgt · 11-03-2012 10:53pm

Ah but the lead driver can be any age! It was just the irony of the old chap (probably enjoying a Sunday drive

) with a useless shower of idiots without the sense to overtake, the line of cars was astonishing and rather saddening. Those poor sods in the artics trying to get somewhere

It's a horror driving to Dublin in the mornings. I used to love driving, I can't enjoy driving these days

johnayo · 11-03-2012 10:54pm

dgt wrote: »

Every time I'm on the road I encounter a fair few lines of vehicles, travelling in a mini convoy. Lines of 3 cars onwards, travelling in a bunch, usually 10 - 20 kmh under the limit, none passing the other on clear stretches of road....

On the N2 today, I met no cars on their own going the other way. Oh no. Just lines of cars bunched together. Tin hat was an old fella in a mini bombing along at what looked like 50kmh and a line of traffic behind for ages. Road infront of me clear, plenty of time to overtake before I even got in any way near! :rolleyes:

Why? What's the point of doing that? If a dog ran infront of the lead car there would be a serious pileup!

It's a disgrace:D

Fiona · 11-03-2012 11:00pm

dgt wrote: »

On the N2 today

Ya wanna watch out for that N2 it's a mad old road

:p:p:p

Especially that big new bunny wabbit.......

Mar4ix · 11-03-2012 11:04pm

dgt wrote: »

Ah but the lead driver can be any age! It was just the irony of the old chap (probably enjoying a Sunday drive ) with a useless shower of idiots without the sense to overtake, the line of cars was astonishing and rather saddening. Those poor sods in the artics trying to get somewhere

It's a horror driving to Dublin in the mornings. I used to love driving, I can't enjoy driving these days

You could enjoy, but all depends what car you have. that Brava what you have is nice city cruising car, but for overtake fun need to have something with more grunt... but these days .... money rules all around ... old peeps, who may buy new GTR, will drive mini, and young lad, who dreams about GTR, drives Fiat ... like myself .... :pac:

dgt · 11-03-2012 11:04pm

mrs crilly wrote: »

Ya wanna watch out for that N2 it's a mad old road :p:p:p

Especially that big new bunny wabbit.......

Thankfully I'm on it naff all, I remember the horrors of trying to get home in the evenings that way! :mad::mad::mad:

Same on most roads, even narrow country roads its beginning to happen :mad:

dgt · 11-03-2012 11:06pm

Mar4ix wrote: »

You could enjoy, but all depends what car you have. that Brava what you have is nice city cruising car, but for overtake fun need to have something with more grunt... but these days .... money rules all around ... old peeps, who may buy new GTR, will drive mini, and young lad, who dreams about GTR, drives Fiat ... like myself .... :pac:

That van has grunt for what it is, especially when it had the 6 speed

taking on multiple cars at once is dangerous though

Fiona · 11-03-2012 11:07pm

dgt wrote: »

Thankfully I'm on it naff all, I remember the horrors of trying to get home in the evenings that way! :mad::mad::mad:

Same on most roads, even narrow country roads its beginning to happen :mad:

It will never change either now that Slane is not going to be bypassed. Thankfully I don't have any issues with traffic on the way home, I would go mad if I had to sit in traffic all evening.

Mar4ix · 11-03-2012 11:15pm

dgt wrote: »

That van has grunt for what it is, especially when it had the 6 speed taking on multiple cars at once is dangerous though

in some better times i had a skyline, driving experience with it wont fade from my heart , on overtake light accelerating would shift you forward with unbelievable power, and old peeps stay behind , and you never think about them again.

CiniO · 11-03-2012 11:17pm

I have another bit related observation.

While overtaking what people seem to do is to make sure they don't see any traffic approaching, while what they should do, is to see there isn't any traffic approaching.

Yes - it makes a difference "not to see a traffic" and "see no traffic"...

Example.
I'm driving slowly up the hill, and there is a good queue of cars behind me.
We encounter a straight stretch of road, and car just behind me moves right to see if he can overtake. Road can be seen for over 1km, and there is a car coming but it's about 1km away. So there is actually a space for like 10 cars to overtake. But no - car which moved right to see, saw that car coming (even it was so far) and didn't decide to overtake.
What happens next - the car oncoming passed as, so as few other cars which were behind him. Then the same driver who tried overtaking earlier, moves right to see if he can overtake. There are no vehicles oncoming, so he decides to overtake, even though he can see only about 100m of the road, as there is a blind bend.

So in short two attempts to overtake. First one when he saw a 1km stretch and car coming 1km away - he didn't decide to overtake.
Second attempt - where he could only see 100m of road in front of him, but no cars oncoming, and he decided to overtake.
Pure nonsence IMHO.

The same people driving on narrow road.
If they see a car oncoming, they slow down and move left, sometimes even stop to pass the other car way ahead. But the same people approaching the blind bend, they drive without even slowing down in the middle of the road, and then they are very surprised when f.e. a truck or bus appears on their way suddenly and they have to jam on the brakes.

dgt · 11-03-2012 11:23pm

CiniO wrote: »

I have another bit related observation.

While overtaking what people seem to do is to make sure they don't see any traffic approaching, while what they should do, is to see there isn't any traffic approaching.

Yes - it makes a difference "not to see a traffic" and "see no traffic"...

Example.
I'm driving slowly up the hill, and there is a good queue of cars behind me.
We encounter a straight stretch of road, and car just behind me moves right to see if he can overtake. Road can be seen for over 1km, and there is a car coming but it's about 1km away. So there is actually a space for like 10 cars to overtake. But no - car which moved right to see, saw that car coming (even it was so far) and didn't decide to overtake.
What happens next - the car oncoming passed as, so as few other cars which were behind him. Then the same driver who tried overtaking earlier, moves right to see if he can overtake. There are no vehicles oncoming, so he decides to overtake, even though he can see only about 100m of the road, as there is a blind bend.

So in short two attempts to overtake. First one when he saw a 1km stretch and car coming 1km away - he didn't decide to overtake.
Second attempt - where he could only see 100m of road in front of him, but no cars oncoming, and he decided to overtake.
Pure nonsence IMHO.

The same people driving on narrow road.
If they see a car oncoming, they slow down and move left, sometimes even stop to pass the other car way ahead. But the same people approaching the blind bend, they drive without even slowing down in the middle of the road, and then they are very surprised when f.e. a truck or busappears on their way suddenly and they have to jam on the brakes.

Ah the weavers that most times never overtake but stay in the middle of the road anyway, thus having to cross the line to see past them :rolleyes:

MugMugs · 11-03-2012 11:24pm

Personally I just drop the boot and leave them behind. N2 is handy for that. Plenty of opportunities.

dgt · 11-03-2012 11:26pm

MugMugs wrote: »

Personally I just drop the boot and leave them behind. N2 is handy for that. Plenty of opportunities.

....untill you see either another line coming towards you or an unmarked car checking speed :mad:

But yes, that's the solution if one has the road

Mycroft H · 11-03-2012 11:42pm

In these situations as soon as you overtake 4-5 cars the ones that were in front of you follow. Sheeps.

dgt · 11-03-2012 11:44pm

BX 19 wrote: »

In these situations as soon as you overtake 4-5 cars the ones that were in front of you follow. Sheeps.

"If they can do it so can I" or "if there's a speed camera they'll get him not me"

Or they get thick and put on their full beams :rolleyes:

Jesus Shaves · 11-03-2012 11:48pm

Ye sound like a load of auld ones complaining

ottostreet · 12-03-2012 12:12am

Because of fuel prices, I have to drive an underpowered 1.3 car around. Overtaking is dangerous in such a small engined car, so I sit behind.

If I'm in the FTO or MR2, I'm gone past straight away, but I can't run those cars anymore.

CiniO · 12-03-2012 12:13am

ottostreet wrote: »

Overtaking is dangerous in such a small engined car, so I sit behind.

If overtaking is dangerous or not, is dependent on driver - not the car.

Where To · 12-03-2012 12:14am

Why waste fuel overtaking when you can slipstream for free?

Seweryn · 12-03-2012 12:22am

Where To wrote: »

Why waste fuel overtaking when you can slipstream for free?

Yeah, it is like cycling in a group versus cycling on your own. There is less energy wasted

.

Mycroft H · 12-03-2012 12:24am

CiniO wrote: »

If overtaking is dangerous or not, is dependent on driver - not the car.

Overtaking in a slower car just gives you far less opportunities.

ottostreet · 12-03-2012 12:25am

CiniO wrote: »

If overtaking is dangerous or not, is dependent on driver - not the car.

Maybe so, but if I've got a km long straight, and I 'line up' for the overtake, and it take me half a km to get past, with a Starlet engine screaming its little lungs out with no further acceleration possible, there isn't a whole lot the driver can do. I don't feel safe driving such miniscule engines around, and I hate pushing small engines hard because of the noise they make relative to the speed I'm going....so I tend to not bother.

kerten · 12-03-2012 12:29am

CiniO wrote: »

If overtaking is dangerous or not, is dependent on driver - not the car.

I know what you mean but back roads with limited safe overtaking chance makes drivers less eager to try overtaking with their small engine cars.

I think backroads requires decent accelaration from a car if driver wants to progress in Ireland.

I moved from a 2.0 lt car to 1.0 lt one with automatic box and my commute is mainly backroads. I don't even try to overtake with this car anymore. Most of the time it is just risky to try overtaking with this car. I just hate it :mad:

dgt · 12-03-2012 12:30am

ottostreet wrote: »

Because of fuel prices, I have to drive an underpowered 1.3 car around. Overtaking is dangerous in such a small engined car, so I sit behind.

If I'm in the FTO or MR2, I'm gone past straight away, but I can't run those cars anymore.

Where To wrote: »

Why waste fuel overtaking when you can slipstream for free?

But why not keep in a bit to let others past or at least observe the 2 second rule and leave some space for people who do overtake?

If the 899cc car I drive occasionally can charge past most lines of cars when the road permits I'm sure a 1.3 is anything but underpowered by comparison

I know fuel prices are abysmal but has manners on the road gone that way too?

ottostreet · 12-03-2012 12:32am

I don't stay close to the car in front, specifically so I can be overtaken easily. And I allow those who come up behind me, clearly able to go quicker past easily. Simply because I'm not a retard. Don't judge me because I drive a Starlet around!

dgt · 12-03-2012 12:40am

ottostreet wrote: »

I don't stay close to the car in front, specifically so I can be overtaken easily. And I allow those who come up behind me, clearly able to go quicker past easily. Simply because I'm not a retard. Don't judge me because I drive a Starlet around!

This is what I'm getting at, most road users haven't the common sense to do that! They tailgate each other in a miserable snake manner, leaving no room to slot in if you overtook and had to pull in and won't let you in anyway, arseholes! :mad:

I take my hat off to you sir, someone switched on behind the wheel

Mycroft H · 12-03-2012 12:41am

ottostreet wrote: »

Maybe so, but if I've got a km long straight, and I 'line up' for the overtake, and it take me half a km to get past, with a Starlet engine screaming its little lungs out with no further acceleration possible, there isn't a whole lot the driver can do. I don't feel safe driving such miniscule engines around, and I hate pushing small engines hard because of the noise they make relative to the speed I'm going....so I tend to not bother.

That 1.3 starlet is one of the more powerful small cars about in that era. A good bit quicker then the bog standard Corsa/106/Micras of a similar age.

I never had too many problems overtaking in a starlet, they were nippy enough.

dgt · 12-03-2012 12:46am

BX 19 wrote: »

That 1.3 starlet is one of the more powerful small cars about in that era. A good bit quicker then the bog standard Corsa/106/Micras of a similar age.

I never had too many problems overtaking in a starlet, they were nippy enough.

You beat me to it, they're nippy enough from what I see on the roads. Should be no problems...

Lines of vehicles....

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