every 30 zone, ALL of them. no one does 30 in a 30 anymore. part of this getting worse is that the cars don't feel like 30@30. they feel like 15 while doing 30.
In London it's 20Mph almost everywhere and even if I risk it and do 24Mph I'm still being tailgated by someone. Am still not sure what was going in the head of the person who reduced it from 30 to 20.
I have never once tailgated someone for any reason. Interesting how these these things only affect some people and not others! There is never any excuse for tailgating. If someone is going 20mph under the limit, you stay behind them at a safe distance and overtake when you can. Or if they are in the overtaking lane, you still maintain a safe distance and patiently wait for them to cop on and move over. If they don't move over then you just continue to wait at a safe distance. Zero reason to tailgate. Have some patience. Arriving at your destination 2 minutes late is not the end of the world. And yes, I also drive as close to the speed limit as possible, and get annoyed by people going under the limit just as much as anyone else.
Also its attitudes like this "The rules don't apply to me because I know better" that causes draconian laws to be introduced such as huge decrease in speed limits in Wales and soon Ireland.
Very fair comment all round. 100% agree. It's tricky because flashing your lights for example can be seen as ''aggressive'' but is generally safer and can be done from a distance - this is usually the way I go when someone is really being ridiculous in the overtake lane.
@@MickDrivesCars I agree. A flash of the lights to tell someone to move out of the overtaking lane doesn't seem that harmful to me, but I generally try to avoid it.
@@MickDrivesCars Flashing your lights is still improper use just as much as using the claxon would be in this situation. According to the law at least.
So many places where driving below 30 is appropriate. Cars parked at side of road, through residential area, near a school, anywhere where a person, vehicle or idiot on a bike could pop out. None of us like being stuck behind a slow driver but we need to judge each situation carefully.
Yeah, I think I am fine with mildly tailgating someone who's driving in the right lane on an otherwise empty motorway or dual carriageway, as was the first example in the video, since there they are doing something objectively wrong and can easily and immediately fix it. Everything else in the video, though, is just completely wrong IMO. Tailgating on single-lane roads is just not okay even if the car ahead *is* driving unreasonably slow (and is probably counterproductive - you may well make them feel, rightly or wrongly, that they need to slow down further to deal with the danger you're creating!). And grumbling about people driving at 26 in a 30 is just madness. For one thing an outright *majority* of roads with 30mph limits I've driven on, I don't think it's safe to be at 30 for most of the road, because there's just too much to take in to be able to mentally process all the hazards, signs, markings, and movements of other people around you while travelling at that speed. For another thing, 26mph vs 30mph is unlikely to make any difference worth caring about to people's journey times. Mick needs to chill out, let people drive at the speed they judge they're able to safely operate at (which may perfectly legitimately be slower than his, either because they're more risk averse or because they process what's going on slower than he does and actually ARE at more risk at the same speed), and get off their arses.
@@ExplodingCabbage Yes, there are situations where 30 isn't entirely safe but in a modern car with the tyres, suspension, steering, safety and braking systems we have these days, if a driver can't drive safely at 30mph in most scenarios then they probably shouldn't be driving. In my experience it's generally not because they are safe drivers but because they don't have the confidence to drive any quicker, which probably means they are nervous, won't spot hazards, won't know what to do in an emergency or be able to react in time and so on. That's the real problem. People forget that many people have to drive for a living, some a tied to schedules like bus drivers while others work on delivery jobs that pay according to how much they can deliver. Others have to drive long distances and not always on a motorway route. Most of us do not have the time to spare to spend 4 hours driving 100 miles, considerably less if you take stopping and starting into account, and I can promise you that taking 10,12,14 hours to get across the country because you're stuck for much of it in needlessly slow moving traffic does not result in a chilled out driver.
@@ExplodingCabbage yes, We are witness of that, special in country roads, national speed limit, what that hell, we cannot go faster than 30 Mph due the limit point of view, horses, pedestrians, or simple too many bends, too many blind spots. here in the UK, we have speed limits signs very wrong.
The road where I live has parked cars either side,and heavy traffic.I drive at 20 for about 200 yards.,the speed limit is 30 mph.Driving at 30 mph would be fairly dangerous,with oncoming traffic so I slow down. I slow down even more as I approach the side road where I live. I am driving at a safe,and appropriate speed for the conditions.On this stretch of road 60% of cars tailgate me!
I agree with the general concept of this video but I hope this doesn't make anyone feel pressured to always ride the speed limit of every road. Some national speed limit roads are definitely not safe to travel along at higher speeds and weather conditions should also be a big consideration too
@@damirkvajo no, they are made to be safe in good conditions. In the case of 60mph country lanes, they are just there because they can't be bothered to have lots of signs giving proper speed limits even though doing 60 would almost certainly result in a serious crash.
@@damirkvajo I think 50 and above is ok to 'drive to the conditions' as it were. 20-40 zones often have a reason. I love to boot it everywhere but it's got to be in the right areas. I just try not to be the one holding up traffic or not paying attention at junctions etc. get to the NSL are and I'm gone
I drive a ‘73 VW bus. I drive slow. Always in the travel lane. I get tailgated constantly. It is only frustrating at night when their old man headlights cast a shadow in front of me. When they finally pass, more often than not, they pass as close as they can and throw rocks. I think you are right, it bothers them that I am going slow and they are trying to get me to speed up. Most people don’t understand that I’m going as fast as I can. I think most people are drowning in life and they have to rush everywhere they go.
That's not fun at all... I specifically made a point in this video about how someone going slowly in the travel lane should be appreciated and respected.
Not only do a lot of people have no idea about their cars limit, they rarely if ever understand the limit of others cars and *why* some cars have the limitations they do. Too often on my way to work and back, a lot of people try to overtake but refuse to speed up before/while changing lanes, even when they have the car for it (which is essentially 90% of the cars around here), most of these drivers just sit in the passing lane going 1-2mph below the speed limit. It's infuriating how little some people care about the safety of others (and sometimes their own). On another note, you have an absolutely based choice of car 🤌
If I see something that ancient in front of me I know its going slow for a reason I just fly straight past it and pull in gradually you'll get no rock chips from me. I don't know why anyone cares about someone they're leaving behind anyway. No need for agression.
Just yesterday I had a lady lose her mind at a stop light. When she got the rant out I told her I was going as fast as the bus can go up the hill (about 5 under the limit). I really think some people are drowning in life and see non speeders as moving roadblocks that are making it worse for them.
1. don't tailgate 2. don't use overtake lane(s) if not actively overtaking 3. don't try to slowly overtake, especially when others want to overtake 4. don't get angry someone is following the speed limit 5. if have issue it's a speed upper limit, not a speed lower limit or speed target, take it up with those that make the laws. 6. if have people behind you, try to make good envifoment to safely and elgally pass when able, like drive near shoulder to allow vision, and release gas when they are passing.
100% agree there, I’m always moving out of the way for people who want to speed & I slow down slightly when they overtake me on single carriageways to help them get out of danger quicker
I agree with most of your points. 1. Agree. Those tailgating should be punished with prison time if you ask me. 2. Agree somewhat. But if there's no one behind you, eg not stopping any traffic, I wouldn't care. 3. Slow overtaking is okay and sometimes necessary. For example if the one being overtaken is increasing its speed. It is not okay to just increase and further increase the speed while overtaking. 4. Agree. 5. Agree. Oh yes please! 6. Agree. I do this, but I won't go over the dotted lines. I AM allowed to drive on the road without having to make all the way.
3. is really wrong. IF your overtaking there is nothing wrong with doing it slower than just mashing your pedal. As long as your car passes the other car at a decent speed there theres nothing wrong with it. Just because that car doesn t act like you want him to act doesn t make it wrong.
@Constantine91 I almost never mash the pedal when overtaking. I'll either be going the exact same speed, or slowly accelerating. The "wrong" thing is doing a slow acceleration when other people are actively passing you and them. Or when you barely pass them (2-4 km/h faster) especially when people are behind you. Going slightly faster is fine if no one behind you. Don't match speed of person you are passing! Basically JUST DON'T IMPEDE TRAFFIC PASSING LANE IS PASSING LANE SLOWER TRAFFIC STAY IN NON-PASSINF LANE it's not that deep
I think if you're the kind of driver that gets frustrated at a person in front doing 26 in a 30 you're going to be a problem on the road. With 30 years of driving experience and over 10 as a professional driver the best advice I can pass on is to always stay cool and keep a safe distance. Being inconvenienced is never an excuse to tailgate and drive dangerously. Some people prefer to drive slower than I personally would in a given circumstance. But a speed limit is a maximum not a minimum speed, and everyone should drive to their own ability and reaction time. However, the elderly and people with certain medical conditions should hand in their licence if their reaction time and awareness is impaired to a degree that they feel they cannot safely drive at a suitable speed any more.
absolutely agreed! if someone in front is a bit slow, just wait behind and be patient. overtake when safe. i really dislike the message this video sends out.
@@mlx39996if you’re driving slow that’s you’re given right and nobody should judge you. But: Don’t be an obstacle and don’t block other drivers and the flow of traffic.
@@mlx39996 Intentionally and unknowingly by blocking the right lane. Of course i don't mean people that pass a truck for example and take a few seconds longer for that.
In my experience, 99% of the time tailgating and flahsing lights has nothing at all to do with people in the wrong lane doing the speed limit, but people who think you should be either doing significantly faster than the speed limit like they are, or dodging in and out of every gap so they can.
Just don't hang out on the overtaking lane if you're not overtaking. However fast you're going, chances are someone faster would come catch you, and you are the jerk if you don't give way because: 1. You yourself are not following the rules, 2. You're not the police out to enforce the speed limit, also considering no. 1 above, 3. You've no idea why someone's driving fast and it's not for you to find out, and 4. Blocking the fast ones forces them to weave through traffic which can lead to fatal accidents, all because you wanted to play highway Karen. Let the police catch speeders; your job is to get safely from point A to point B.
@@LukeAnthony-v3r god I had an obvious drug dealer in an Audi do that the other day even though I was going near 80. Flashing lights, about 3ft from my bumper. When I could safely pull into the left lane he and his buddy leaned out the window giving me the finger and proceeded to whizz off at 100+.
It actually does have to do with you left lane camping or passing lane camping. You're the one with the backwards mindset that this video is specifically for. If you're in the furthest most lane not passing anyone and not moving over when you're able to do so, you're the one in the wrong.
As someone who is learning to be a driving instructor tailgating is something I'm going to be dealing with allot. Although I agree with allot of what you say in the video - ANY form of tailgating/driving closer than 2 seconds to another vehicle (4 seconds in rainy conditions) is extreemly dangerous. Yes on a motorway/dual carageway you will find people who do not understand lane discipline, the problem I find is that many people are often not thought this in the first place as it is not something us driving instructors have to teach. As it is something pupils are not tested on. Only when I did my advanced driving test did I receive a lesson about driving on a motorway. For new drivers being tailgated can cause extreme anxiety and has been the cause of allot of people not continuing to learn to drive. so saying tailgating is "sometimes ok" is just not right. Going slower than the speed limit in town can be for many reasons - if there are parked cars - lots of pedestrians driving slower gives you allot more time to react to any hazard. On the other hand driving too slowly is also a hazard. it can cause people to do dangerous overtakes. Hopefully im not coming across as negative as i agree with many parts of the video as it shows how to do proper lane disapline.
Thanks for the kind way you put this across, I really appreciate it. Learner drivers didn't even cross my mind when I was making this video. Now for a little devil's advocate... if a learner is driving slowly in an overtake lane, isn't it a good thing for someone to give them a signal to move over? Long term this should make for better drivers? Obviously without being aggressive.
I was a driving instructor until recently. It concerns me a lot when I hear that some instructors teach the bare minimum required to get someone through the test - e.g. only sticking to test routes and not bothering with the show-me tell-me questions. I always liked to take people on different roads, towns and on motorways (although I couldn't when I was a PDI), the different tyre types, how to refuel and other additional info, if possible. I am confused as to why you think that lane discipline isn't tested though as it absolutely is. Obviously not on motorways, but if a test candidate stays in the overtaking lane of a dual carriageway for no reason then they would be penalised for it.
funnily enough im going ot be giving a lesson on overtaking tomorrow, although that's more to do with overtaking parked cars. For most drivers with experience we know when someone wants to overtake. but if a learner is sitting in an overtaking lane while doing the speed limit and not actually overtaking anyone I would more questions the person teaching them 🤣 @@MickDrivesCars
@@04smallmj definitely there are people like that. Thankfully no one I know does that. If you properly teach someone to drive then they can drive anywhere.
Someone once said to me that you should be doing the speed limit unless the road conditions dictate that you should be slower. This has always seemed like common sense; of course, there may be other factors involved, but is generally my mantra.
They're speed limits not speed goals though. Even someone like me who barely drives gets a feel for what speed feels right for a road, and so 25-30mph feels the right safe speed in town and then can go to 50-60 if conditions permit in the country roads etc
This. This is what a lot of non car people can't seem to understand. Especially here in Brazil, people just seem to be wherever and doing whatever speed they want to do, because this is not taught well enough or maybe even at all in driving schools. And then some of them aggressively refuse to admit that this video is the reality of traffic. It even makes me happy when I do find a good driver who moves over 😅
Haha my uncle goes 150 down the BR and he always tailgates and keeps his left blinker and beeps for the other people. Just to get to the house quicker 😂
There is never a situation to be as close as that BMW was. If you'd needed to brake suddenly he'd have gone up the back of you and then he's not getting to wherever he's going no matter how urgent it was. I absolutely don't agree that tailgating is ever excusable. It's one of the stupidest things you can do behind a driver who is may not confident anyway and may act unpredictably. Frustration is not a reason. Is it okay for me to brake check a tailgater to "communicate" that they should back off?
They weren't at 70mph at that point though, he was intentionally being slow, so there was better chance of the BMW stopping. The car following him in the left lane on the other hand...
@halfbakedgaming69 When faced with a bad driver, it's better to decrease risk if you're a good driver. If you're reaction to a bad driver is to increase the danger that they're causing then you're no better than they are. I'm sure we've all been tailgated while travelling in the correct lane while driving at or slightly above the speed limit. The tailgater has not been given a "reason". That's bad driving. If I brake check them and cause them to crash into me, I'm a bad driver too. I think good driving is about driving the right speed in the right place at the right time while doing what you can to keep risk to a minimum.
I have to disagree. Even if someone is going incredibly slow, you should not tailgate or flash them - it's rude and incredibly dangerous. What's best is to hold back, take a deep breath and when it's safe to overtake, do so. There is never a time when it's okay to tailgate on public roads. You have to think, if the person in front of you were to stop, can you? Maybe there's a malfunction of the car in front, a dog or child ran in the road or there's a dodgy traffic light? As for driving in the overtaking lane, you ought to return to the lane as soon as it's safe to do so. Do not cut in front of someone that you've just overtaken just because you don't want to annoy the person who's tailgating you. If you cut in front of someone and quickly realise you need to stop (something is now in the road and you didn't notice until you overtook, or your car just stops), then you're not going to have enough distance between you and the person you've just overtaken, and you'll certainly get rear-ended. Similarly, don't get up someone's arse as you begin to overtake. Imagine the person you're overtaking slows down significantly, then what? Bang! To summarise: Do not tailgate. Leave enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Drive with courtesy and a relaxed mind. Simple! We all want to get to places quickly. But let's actually arrive at our destinations in one piece, instead of quickly ending up in hospital.
I think tailgating can be dangerous, but I think a flash is fine if they've been blocking the lane for a good few minutes. I also don't see what's rude about it, they're the ones blocking the road by not moving over
@@Matty27 Flashing is deemed as rude by most people because it translates to: 'Move over. You're going too slow for my liking. I have important things to do.'. Such behaviour displays a sense of entitlement, impatience and aggression. Unfortunately, most people don't realise that flashing can cause anxiety in a lot of people, or simply make the average person angry, influencing them to make mistakes or to retaliate. The best thing to do is just hold back, be patient and when it's safe, overtake.
@@kane2734The entitled ones are the drivers who refuse to let faster traffic pass them. If someone gets anxiety because someone requests they change lanes, they probably shouldn't be driving a 1.5 tonne machine, especially if they don't know the correct lane to drive in.
@@PointNemo9 I don't think so. If you wish to drive faster, wait for a safe time to overtake. Pushing people to move is disrespectful. There are many of people who are perfectly capable of operating a vehicle who feel anxious when someone is trying to intimidate them. This does not mean that they shouldn't operate a vehicle; however; I agree that drivers should be competent and calm when driving.
As a Toyota Yaris driver who is constantly tailgated by BMWs, I agree. But it is quite funny when they catch up with the next lorry in the next 100 yards and indeed finds there is no way to safely overtake.
As someone who drives a relatively fast car, sometimes I overtake just because it's fun to do so, even if I know that I will be stuck behind that lorry up ahead anyways... (talking about single lane roads obviously)
@@thefrenchareharlequins2743 The car is now ahead one vehicle. It's easier to overtake 1 lorry, than a lorry and a car. You essentially hop your way along a single carriageway road over time. Eventually getting to some junction many vehicles ahead of the one you may perceive. Even if they get to the junction just ahead of you, chances are they overtook many cars before you.
one of the best driving tips i ever came across was from a vintage driving video from australia: if someone is tailgating dangerously close to you in the driving lane, slowly, slowly, slow down so that they are a) finally convinced to pass you, or b) won't crash into you if you have to suddenly brake. thank you to the now defunct nfsa, which did an absolutely stellar job of chronicling twentieth century australia.
Legend. I could never articulate why slow drivers in the right lane were wrong as people would always rebut with "it's a speed limit". But this video and citing lane discipline in the highway code is how to prove the point! I enjoy driving spiritedly, but also intentionally moving back into the left lane doing 70 where possible. Unfortunately, it is rarely possible due to not everyone playing by the same rules and middle and right lane hogging. Great channel, Mick!
I have M.S and some times i have to drive a bit slower and i don't think its ever ok for someone to tailgate you. Same thing goes for the persone you tailgate! you don't know why they are driving slow! they might have a medical condition or be transporting something that might easily break. It's never ok to tailgate.
Also, I think there are better and more safe ways to convey a message. Indicate, flash the high beams, or just wait untill it's safe to overtake, but keep your distance. Tippical human reaction time until they start braking is 1 whole second. Tailgate someone and when something happens, you might not even have a chance to react.
For the people who are getting frustrated - they have an expectation that all the other drivers should be good drivers and are considerate human beings who never make mistakes. This is a failure of judgement on their part - their expectation was not matched to reality. You will only really lose that frustration by accepting that the roads are filled with inconsiderate, terrible drivers that make mistakes and people that are totally wrapped up in themselves and care only for their own needs. You can be frustrated about it as much as you like - but it doesn't change the reality and despite all best efforts to educate people to be more considerate and to be better drivers - there will always be a certain ratio of people that are not up to scratch. When you get out on the road - that's just part of the game and you can't change it - no matter how many RUclips videos you make about the topic.
When I'm in the BMW's position, usually stuck behind someone in the 3rd lane (importantly, without anyone to their left), I do a 4 step process: 1. Wait, give them a bit of time to realise they're lane hogging, 2. move up, not sitting in their arse, but enough to get in their mirrors to get their attention, maybe dipping into their side mirrors occasionally, 3. flash, they're clearly not paying enough attention to their surroundings, better to make it obvious now, 4. Undertake, usually I'll pull into the left lane, wait a moment to see if they're going to move now, and then accelerate past them to get out of their blind spot.
You should actually be in the second lane a safe distance behind, as you're not overtaking them and you need to leave a large enough gap that they will feel safe to move into.
Are you sure that's the reality in Germany? Because I have lost count of Germany-registered cars going well below the limit on roads in the north of Norway. Though I'm guessing it's different when you're busy taking in the view of spectacular nature as opposed to just going to work or back home again... 😝
@@gunnern1 In germany the fines for speeding are laughable, so when we go into other countries we tend to pay a lot more attention to the limits, because what in Germany may only be a 20€ slap on the wrist can turn into hundreds of € and points very quickly. And of course the nature will play a part in it! It's also quite possible to be overtaken at over 100 mph, although mostly on the quieter stretches of autobahn away from the major cities, otherwise traffic becomes the limiting factor. I'm glad I wasn't the one driving though!
I hate when you are close enough to see where peoples’ eyes are directed, and it’s anywhere but your vehicle! Today I was slowing for a light in my 2020 Mustang GT and the driver behind me kept closing the gap while her eyes were consistently directed down, presumably at her phone.
I’m a new-ish driver, and if it’s a new road for me, I’m going to be going less than the speed limit and that’s absolutely fine. The important thing is to feel and be safe and legal, it’s silly to get frustrated about it.
There is always one single question to ask yourself before any monoevre, change of lane, speed, road, or overtake, untertake, tailgate etc for any reason, that question is "would I do this, in this way, if that other car was a marked police car" If the answer is no, don't do it.
My instructor told me to go 25-30 in a 30 zone. Try keep an average of around 27. It isn't easy to be steady at 30 unless you're on cruise control, in fact you might end up slipping up to 34 at the worst time in front of a camera.
This! I was taking driving lessons with a professional instructor up until very recently. Whether or not it's theoretically "safe" in a given situation, it's illegal to drive faster than the speed limit, and who wants to pay a fine for that? Unless you have cruise control (which my car from 2012 doesn't), it's not realistic to maintain your speed exactly. The practical option is to aim for slightly under the speed limit. Sometimes you'll end up doing the limit, sometimes you won't quite. You'll probably end up stopping at the same lights regardless. And for the record, I passed my test too - on the first attempt, with absolutely no comments from the examiner about my speed.
Regardless of what lane you stay in, its always dangerous for both parties when tailgating happens. Its all down to impatience. I saw someone get run over on a crossing when the car broke sharply and the HGV was following close behind. Tailgating is Careless and/or Dangerous driving and the person should be prosecuted for it because its dangerous
The worst tailgators I get is when i am doing the speed limit to overtake someone doing a bit below the speed limit, and someone behind me wants to go over the speed limit. I wont let that driver pressure me to do more than the speed limit even if I am in the "fast lane". If you are using the fast lane to overtake someone at the speed limit then you are not doing anything wrong.
Ah, but there's the rub and part of the thesis here, which is flow of traffic, safety, and *courtesy*. Sure, you can go the posted speed limit to pass someone who's going slightly under the limit and take a minute or two to do so, or you can speed up some (say 5 over in city streets or even 10 over on the highway), get past them quickly, move back over into the cruising lane when it's clear, and return to the posted limit. IMO, ff you're purposefully taking extra time in the passing lane to pass the slower moving vehicle with an obstinate "well I"m going the limit" attitude, you become part of "the problem" being discussed here in this video.
You are actually in the wrong, if someone has to brake because of you in the passing lane you are not in the right lane. Where i live we always go 20km above in a 100km/h zone in the passing lane. If you're not going 120 you gotta go simple as that
@@vincentbourgon2517If you go over 20 km/h where i live on a regular basis, you will be a very poor man in a not long period of time. And a pedestrian after repeatedly doing it.
@@vincentbourgon2517completely incorrect and quite scary you think this. I assume you are not a UK driver. If you are overtaking and catching the person on the left of you you have every right to be in that lane.
@@KahnanesgiThats absurd. Non one has the right to go over the speed limit. Never. And when I'm overtaking someone else doing the speed limit, I will never ever accelerate just because some entitled a**hole behind me wants to brake the law so desperately.
I do get the tailgating in the overtake lane. But I am often tailgated in the travel lane. And to those who do tailgate me in the travel lane: don't bother, my cruise control doesn't accelerate just because some a**hat decided to ride my rear bumper. And if I'm not using cruise control, I actually tend to lift off slightly if the car behind comes too close. This seems to annoy some people to no end, using horn and lights as a rebuke rather than using the empty overtake lane to go past. But hey, if you're close enough to my bumper that you think me lifting slightly off of the accelerator in the travel lane is dangerous, then maybe, just maybe, you might be the problem?
lol wholeheartedly agree. If that person doesn’t have the brainpower to move into a vacant lane when the density is too high in the current lane then I’d question whether that person should be allowed to drive as it’s a simple concept to self-learn and execute.
I actually did exactly that with that ford truck. Just set the cruise to 66 until he overtook me. Really should have left that in the video but I thought it was a little boring.
@user-yx3ih7so6d read again. If the fast lane is empty, then the a*sholes who decide to ride my bumper in the slow lane have absolutely no reason to complain even if I go 10mph below the speed limit. Get your a** out in the fast lane and overtake. That's what it's there for. I would have had some understanding for the tailgaters if I was lane hogging the fast lane doing exactly the speed limit or slightly slower, but I have neither understanding nor sympathy for those tailgating me in the slow lane when the fast lane is empty and available. If you consider it to be "policing", then I would strongly recommend that you hand in your licence.
Ive been tailgated while overtaking because it wasnt fast enough in the eyes of the tailgaiter(20 mph above the speed limit). I always keep the same speed and complete the overtake at the speed im comfortable with. They can explode in anger for all i care. And if they flash the lights too aggressively, im not moving, sue me😅
The issue not addressed here is how well do people know what they are *actually* doing compared to what various instruments *tell them* they are doing. I regularly go through a village that has one of those signs which tells you your speed. It's usually about 3-4mph lower than what my dashboard says. I don't have an issue with anyone doing 26 in a 30 zone; that's not dangerous and it'd a bit petty to let that get under your skin. But that driver may well have reason to think they are are 29 or 30. Doing 45 on a clear motorway... that's a different matter.
Tailgating in town is never okay. Nor is telling people to always go the speed limit in town. If you're not familiar with the roads in the place you're visiting, or you're not as confident a driver as the spirited drivers around you, then forcing yourself to always drive at the speed limit in order to accommodate them is dangerous. Agree on the motorway tailgating, but the urban advice borders on reckless. Are you suggesting that you'd prefer less confident drivers to make themselves feel unsafe by driving faster than they would like to in urban areas?
He showed examples, you could see the speed limit is fine. Obviously you go the speed limit in town when faster would be OK and you drive slower if the road conditions require. It's not a target.
@richardhammer187 No, not always the case. It could be a new driver or someone who has been hit before by a speeding idiot and is cautious. A bad driver shows no consideration for such and impatiently and aggressively tailgates. Period.
It's reassuring to know there are people out there who are empathetic towards cautious drivers. I'm new to driving alone and was a learner for longer than usual due to anxiety. I was also in a crash right before my test, which was the other driver's fault and resulted in both cars being written off. I still tend to go slower than some people would like, but that won't be the case forever. In the meantime, I passed my test and have a right to get where I need to go. If you're pressuring me to go faster then I'm stressed, and if I'm stressed then I'm distracted. No one in their right mind wants to be following close behind a distracted driver!
@@wayland7150 mine is a VW Tiguan diesel. 60 mph is defo more efficient than 70 mph. I have tried same route, same wind direction, same temperature, 60 gives me 58 mpg and 70 mph gave me 52 mpg. I’m sure 80 would be in the 40s for mpg, but I don’t go above the speed limit, so I wouldn’t know.
This is why I decided to do GPS 56 on the motorway instead of 70-77, because the British public reduce the capacity of a 3 lane road to a 2 with their lane discipline. But even when you’re in lane 1 doing 56, you get some donkey joining at 40 mph, or you still get some idiot up your backside as if there aren’t 3 empty overtaking lanes.
I find driving at 70 stressful! Plus it uses more fuel than 60/65 which I tend to do in lane 1 which I find much more relaxing. Sometimes, I will just drive at a safe distance behind a lorry doing 56 mph.
I would say you should do at least 60 on a motorway. If you're doing 56 you are likely to be getting in the way of lorries, which then causes long tailbacks as they try to pass you.
@adamek9750 a 2023 VW Tiguan. And you're right, 70 does feel calmer in this, even compared to a 2016 swift that I had. But I just find at 60, I'm usually catching up to slower moving vehicles, slowly, giving me more time to plan my overtake when compared to 70. 60 just feels like the sweet spot for good mpg, good progress and I end up feel relaxed at my destination.
I heard a story about my friend rushing to the hospital and that opened my mid that if im not in a hurry, i will try to be as predictible and out-of-the-way as possible. Even giving signals to drivers behind me if its safe to pass.
@@TonySmith47For example, we drive on the right on the continent. If you turn your right indicator on, it can be perceived as "i checked the road ahead, it's clear" with the message "you may go". So in case of Britain, by using the left indicator.
I want to drive at the speed limit when it's safe, meaning when there are no crossing points or situations where a child or anyone might suddenly jump in front of me, and I could risk hitting them at 50 km/h. If someone is tailgating me at that speed, they would rear-end me regardless, so I prefer to slow down to 40 km/h to have more reaction time and a shorter braking distance if a child runs in front of me, or someone falls, etc. The more you tailgate, the more I will slow down. If you want to rear-end me, go ahead - I have a dashcam. Besides, the law in many countries requires drivers to slow down near crossing points, and not necessarily stick to the speed limit..
While I understand and agree with most of the video, going slightly less than the speed limit in a town or section you don't know and you search your way or try not to miss a turn is actually fine. Actually in this case, the "it's a speed limit, not a speed target" is relevant. Especially in cities/towns, where pedestrians, childrens and just people can pop out of the blue. It's very dangerous to go the actual speed limit in a place you don't know. It's better to be a little slower than to be dangerous. But the rest of the video is actually correct. And I also guess it depends on the country. I'm from France, and here, tailgating is actually illegal. If someone is slower than you and you can't take over, you slow down to an appropriate distance. You don't get in the rear of someone or you will get a fine. Or if an accident occur, you will be at fault and forced to pay up the repair/health fees. The only exception is when there is slow heavy traffic, since you're dead slow, or even stopped, the rule isn't applied since it's not exactly tailgating. We don't have "flow of traffic". If you go over the speed limit, it's illegal, wether or not you're taking over on the other lane. So if I'm at the speed limit, taking over someone with a security distance before going back to the lane, it's fine. If someone is tailgating me, wanting to go faster in this case, he's in an illegal position. And no amount of flashing your ugly ass BMW lights will change my mind. I will not put myself in an illegal position just because you have a bigger car. But also, driving in the other lane while the travel lane is free is also illegal (unless exception, like construction obstructing the travel lane or other stuff). Driving is a matter of going somewhere in a secure way. If it means going slower, then so be it. I don't care if someone is going a bit slow, maybe they're new to the region, maybe they have a replacement wheel preventing them to go faster, maybe they're short on oil. I won't pressure them and tailgate them. By matter of politeness, tailgating shouldn't even exists. But I guess when you have a big SUV/BMW, you just want to show off that you're faster/louder.
The most frustrating situation is you decide to overtake a car going slow in the travel lane.... And then as you are trying to do so, they match speed right when you are next to them... And then someone else comes flying up your bum behind you... And you're already at the speed limit so two cars have boxed you in... 😅
Great topic! Thank you so much! When i was living in Belarus - i faced only one type of tailgating - you are at the overtaking lane and you are moving faster than the other lanes, that lane has bigger speed limit and you are moving at that limit. There is no space in other lanes and they move slower by 10-15 miles per an hour. You will be tailgated all the times. Then brake checked if possible. Now i live in Poland. 1 lane, 40 km/h limit, you have a LONG queue behind you, you may move 50-60 at the limit of 40. You will have the same - tailgated. Then here are a lot of 1 lane roads (i mean in one direction) with the limit of 90 km/h and sharp corners. You are tailgated when you drive safe. It is not only my case - i see it a lot with other cars. Main reason of car crashes i see here - tailgating in the city with the limit of 50 km/h.
The speed you drive should be appropriate to the road, traffic and weather conditions. If you recognise that you’re holding up traffic then speed up if safe. If you don’t realise you are preventing traffic flow then you shouldn’t be driving….
I would agree to most of this except on country roads where you always get that person who expects to to do the speed limit or more no matter what, approaching sharp bends or not or even in narrow country lanes where the cars the days are too big for the country roads
8:27 the problem is “appropriate speed” is subjective. This is even with speed limit signs to give some guidance on what should be the speed for a lane. Inevitably there will be density increases in a lane.
I think the only reason why people get annoyed if the car in front is going slower is because the car behind will have to concentrate more to leave a suitable gap and slow down earlier etc, if there isn’t a slow car ahead you can drive at a decent speed without thinking too much, rhat said though it won’t make any difference to your journey time so trying to overtake on a single carriageway is usually not worth it in exclusion to bikes and very slow vehicles (when safe) And tailgating also isn’t safe, whilst sometimes accidental it should be avoided, it uses more fuel, more concentration and results in more risk, and sometimes can even make you slower, the point of not being behind a slow car is to get to the destination on time and not to have to concentrate as much on your speed / gap in front , tailgating does the opposite of that slowing you down and making you concentrate more!
Some people below haven't got it - this is 100% the correct thing to do! Increase your stopping distance and slow down to encourage them to overtake. I did exactly this with the truck, just slowed to 66 and he went around
@@MickDrivesCars should not be the first tactic to employ because it can have a cascading effect behind you, behind them, behind them them. I can’t tell how many people behind me while somebody is tailgating. If it persists and it’s mostly safe then gradually reduce speed.
The worst tailgating experience I have was in summer 2022 when I drove through Hungary. Picture this: intermittent heavy rain and standing water, fully loaded two lane highway, slow lane mostly filled with slow truck traffic and fast lane filled with cars doing 80-120 km/h depending on conditions. I'm keeping a reasonable distance from the car in front of me. Then a tailgater awakes behind me, even though I'm doing about what is appropritate in the conditions and the lane is full of cars in front of me as fas as eye can see anyway. He gets some 2m behind me at times, flashing and eventually even holding his high beams. WTF do you want me to do? Fly away? I'm not going to slow down and get stuck between the trucks for you, especially since there is dense traffic all the way in front of me anyway and you are getting nowhere even if I disappeared. After about 15 minutes, a bigger gap in the slow lane appeared, so I let him pass. He proceeds to do the same wild stuff to the car in front of me. Before I thought he might be triggered by a foreigner, but the other car was a local and he did it to him just the same. Some people are so self-centric they lose sight of all the context and how their dangerous behaviour is futile and has no chance of getting them what they want.
Agree. their habitual tailgaters. they do it to you then the car in front and again so forth. Endlesss cycle to get a few car lengths further but leaving a trail of pissed off drivers
I came across your channel by chance and have now watched all the videos. I like the way you communicate the topics in an understandable way and also your (for me as a German) clearly understandable pronunciation. Your videos are very enjoyable to watch. I'm all too familiar with tailgating on the highway. The left lane in Germany is actually there for overtaking. But there are plenty of slow drivers who block the space there, especially on stretches without a speed limit. On the other hand, there are also very impatient people who stick directly to your bumper even though there is no reason to do so. I'm looking forward to new videos. Many thanks for the time and effort you put into this.
please *don't* take advice from this video! tailgating is NOT okay. go watch the video by "Conquer Driving" about tailgating. he's an actual driving instructor.
Yeah he’s amazing. Mick is a wannabe racing driver who thinks he knows how to drive. In reality he promotes dangerous driving and just appears to be a twat
You are so very right. Tailgating is NEVER alright. Those who do it fail to understand the basic Highway Code lessons about stopping distances. Years ago, I hit a dog which was called out across the road, across my path. I braked, the dog was very forcibly nudged but absolutely alright. If I hadn’t braked the animal would have been flattened under my wheels. I was travelling about 26 mph in a 30, but the car behind had only given about 4m space or 13 ft as we used to call it. Both cars were a write off, the total payout exceeded the cost of replacing one new car. The driver behind, “did not give himself a chance”, I was being pushed down the street before he even realised he needed to brake.
Driving instructors and forced to conform to the law, even when the law is not safe, example is following the flow of traffic. Don’t break the flow, and if you want to, do it in the travel lane.
I agree and also when at night driving and you are the lead car, especially on single track you tend to go slower so you are more aware of if anything is around a corner, people that tailgate then are putting themselfs at risk even when the lead car is going slow
been loving the videos Mick, the production and the driving has been excellent, also showcasing the lesser known tips of driving has been really beneficial.
With the exception of speed cameras, a wise police officer once told me keep up with the flow of the trafic, if a bunch of cars are all exceeding the speed limit just make sure your not the last one in the queue😊
What a load of crap. Wanting to go faster than the vehicle in front is not a justification for tailgating. And if you want to exceed the speed limit and someone is in front of you in the overtaking lane then undertake.
See I think the undertaking is even more dangerous. You can guarantee the person that's driving slowly in an overtake lane isn't doing to realise you're there. I should have mentioned but my preferred method is to flash the lights from a distance. Might look a little aggressive but overall safer for all I think.
@@MickDrivesCars So flash from a distance and then indicate change to the left. They'll notice you and not be surprised when you come up on the left. It's illegal in the UK but no more than speeding or tailgating.
being tailgated in the slow lane doing the speed limit is very frustrating. I had to brake to convey a message today to this idiot. Don't like doing it but he got the message and backed off. Some people need telling/reminding its just not ok. Good analysis and break downs in the video!
My personal rule is, if there isn't an overtaking lane, I go the limit where safe to do so. If there is an overtaking lane I can go a little under as long as I don't slow the road. Going 60mph instead of 70 can get me an extra 80 miles of driving per 40L tank so I often drive at around 60 when the motorways are quiet to help with my 60 miles per day round trip driving to university.
Hello! This is the first video on this channel for me, so I will apologize if there's already a video on it. BUT. While I am agreeing to 93% of this video I had to reflect on my own experiences. Which is; I have a GPS speedometer which tells me exactly how fast I need to go. It means that my gauge/cluster, on MY car*, says usually 5km/h higher than the signs along the road. Even though I am collecting cars behind me, every single day. Which again means that the ones tail-riding me is in fact deliberately speeding. * Worth mentioning is also that I use bigger tires than original, so when I add about 5kmh others could probably be looking at 9-10kmh over the set speed limit. Other than that, great video! You have a new subscriber :)
we are not on the roads to police it. this seems to be forgotten. you've got people around you thinking the same of you. it's not a fight, it's just travelling
Thanks mate, appreciate the kind words! I actually recorded a bit about this and how an indicated 66mph is really more like 62... so if someone's doing a gps 70 there's a big difference. Ended up cutting that part because it just wasn't that interesting/too slow. Maybe a follow up video might be good.
A gentle flash (I mean the shortest flash possible and only one blink) for people who stick in the outside lane tends to get the message across well. And if they then still don’t move, a quick double flash. And then if they still don’t move, they haven’t looked in their back mirror in 10 years. And you’ll either have to put up with it or do a sensible and steady undertake. That always gets the message across and people tend to pull in. Dangerous? If don’t aggressively yes. You have to be extremely careful when performing an undertake. Also it’s worth stating, undertaking is NOT against the highway code.
One correction I will make. There is no fast lane and slow lane as people commonly refer to them as. The left-most lane is lane 1. Additional lanes are 2, 3 etc. depending on how many are present. The highway code indicates traffic should always drive in the left most lane unless overtaking slower traffic, or speed restricted traffic.
I have to disagree with your take. I agree that it can be frustrating, but it's a me/you problem if we're being honest. It took me a long time to stop myself from getting frustrated, and I'm still not a zen master. WIth traffic lights, cross walks and other variables - I am literally losing zero time by being behind someone going 25 in a 30. It's up to me to decide how I react to something that doesn't affect my day. It's such a primal instinct, I don't even think people realize that they're lying to themselves when they're complaining about losing time for instance. It's not about time when they get frustrated, it's the fact that they're not in control any longer and that's a psychological issue that almost all drivers have to learn to deal with. "I can no longer dictate my own speed, it's dictated by the person in front of me. The person in front of me must be stupid because the person isn't me and he/she is going slower than me!ARRRGGHHHHH." I completely agree on your segments about highway driving though, people need to respect that there's a lane you drive in and there's a lane(s) you overtake in - no matter how fast or slow you go.
If I'm doing 10 mph below the flow of traffic (for good reason or not) and I get tailgated I tend to find they drop back when I get up to an appropriate speed. To those tailgaters I say fair enough. But special mention to the Tesla driver just before Christmas who got really aggressively on my bumper, flashing and hooting when I was doing a little over 70mph and had an HGV alongside to the left. I have no idea what that guy wanted to me to do.
It's all about the situation. If it's a built up area and the speed limit is 30, I'm going to do 25-27 just incase someone pops up between the cars. Same if it's a school area and try and do 18 max just incase. 40+ areas are usually safer to go the speed limit.
Best video of yours to date! Completely correct! Exactly the same here in Spain on motorways and regular roads. Eventhough some of the lower speed limits here are ridiculously slow... Also trying to get my parents to understand speed limit vs speed target 😂😂
Your logic is spot on. Too many people think driving is about following the rules of the road. They are wrong. Too many people do not follow the rules, therefore, you must adapt to others driving to be safe. It is 100% safer to go with the flow of traffic then to try to force everyone else on the road to “follow the rules“. Unfortunately, these days, it’s the ones trying to force everyone to follow the rules that cause traffic and road rage.
i agree with you on most points however i don’t agree with you re speed limits. Especially country roads at night when raining or snowing - you wouldn’t do 60… to hit a deer it’s no joke..
I've been aggressively tailgaited on single carriageways in the dark (with blinding neon headlights constantly flashing) twice in the past few months. I was going the speed limit and gave them opportunities to overtake. I want them following me even less than they want to follow! I thought this video would enlighten me, but it seems that some people are just horrible
Motorway etiquette is different in the United States. Expectations are a bit different here too. I drove semi over the road for 14 years. Big trucks don’t stop nearly as fast as cars. Due to people pulling out in front of me, I started to travel down even moderately populated roads around 45 mph rather than at the 60 mph speed limit, just to give me the chance to slow down or stop. Yes, it irritated people behind me but that was better than potentially injuring or killing someone. I hear the drivers in Europe are far more courteous so I might not have had to go to those extremes there. I’ve been retired since 12/2019 and I have no desire to ever drive a semi again. It is simply too dangerous.
I get tailgated pretty often, but not on the motorway. My city (not UK) is pretty challenging to drive, yet doing 48-51km/h in a 50 still gets you tailgated, as most people drive 55km/h under these circumstances. I really hate that to be honest, since these roads are pretty challenging with lots of obstacles, signals, and especially **radars** everywhere that make the city good cash from tickets for speeding 3-4 km/h too much. Well, even on country roads, doing a full 80km/h in an 80 is often not enough. I always hope that they overtake me as soon as possible (when safe) so that I can rest easy again.
What are your thoughts on undertaking being legal like is it in the US, NZ and Australia? Traffic flow seems to be better in these countries. Also lane discipline is very poor in the UK, most European countries Especially Germany could teach us many things.
@@PointNemo9 it's not illegal in certain circumstances but undertaking for the purpose of getting past a lane hogger could be considered driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving depending on the circumstances.
It's an interesting question... Personally I think the people driving slowly in the overtake lanes are also the ones that won't check their mirror before moving back over - potentially causing big crashes.
I live in the mountains in Colorado, in an area that gets a lot of tourists in RVs in the summer. When the roads are twisty, it's impossible to pass on the two lane road, and often prohibited and marked as such with a double-yellow center line. When the terrain opens up, there are often designated passing areas with additional lanes and signs that say "keep right except to pass" or "slower traffic keep right". But what inevitably happens is that as soon as we get to the passing zone, the big RVs will speed up a bit, but fail to move over to the right. It's illegal and dangerous to pass on the right, and the right lane usually has appropriately slower moving traffic. So then some yahoo behind me will try to pass me and the RV in front of me, on the right, and not have enough room to do so. This causes a huge bottleneck as the lanes merge back together and the RV hits the brakes to allow yahoo to pass and merge. And then ten miles up the road we're all sitting at the same stoplight, fuming because our lovely mountain drive turned into a scene from Mad Max.
I was doing 19/20mph in a 20mph zone going to ASDA in Cardiff very last night. The car behind me was so up my chuff that I couldn't see his headlights. I could only see it when it was temporarily lit by a street light. If I had to brake suddenly for someone crossing the road (They always wear black to do this, so you have be on your guard), they would have gone right into me.
In the USA, a small amount of Tailgating is NOT okay for conveying a message. And, most law enforcement officers would likely agree. 1) The driver in front is not likely to be persuaded to speed up. 2) In increases the risk of an accident. 3) It is also illegal - and can get you a traffic ticket. I can see the scenario. "Well, judge, I was just trying to convey a message". During daylight, you can turn on your high beams to 'convey a message'. Do this math. Take a 5 KM local trip. Calculate the time at 30 KPH. Then calculate the time at 26 KPH. What is the difference? Not much, right? See the video: ruclips.net/video/rr4DHWlV3-Y/видео.html
In Denmark you get a pretty hefty fine and a clip in your license.... but I think it seldom happens. Beeing tailgated by a Tesla is bad, they blind one totally, and then I slow down, and down, and down, so they overtake ;-)
@@zosozoso2well u do u. I usually move over let them pass. Not worth it and that one time in your tesla u slow down and the guy tries to kill u. Let them pass let your ego go and go on with your day no problem u kept driving the speed limit and had a good day. Unless its a single lane road with solid lines even then u can always veer a bit to the side and let them pass.
I think people forget it's not the "fast lane" or the "BMW/Audi lane", it's the overtaking lane. So if you're not overtaking, go back to the left lane.
its much worse in america. you will get ran off the road of you drag your ass on the highway fast lane here. rules are similar and all but we HATE ass draggers here and most people consider it reckless driving.
MY TIME HAS COME ITS CALLED A SUV , not a truck 😅 love your videos tho , taught me to balance things when driving. Definitely would recommend if you drive like you in a race
I use to speed up when i was being tailgated when i first passed now i just ignore that there behind me much better solution they usually eventually get bored and find a way past you
Stop calling lanes "fast lane" and "slow lane" there is no such thing. You correctly pointed this out early in the video and called them "overtaking lanes" and then switched back to the incorrect description. As an advanced driver we do drive to the speed limit where it is safe to do so, it is called progression. There is never an excuse to tailgate the car in front no matter how frustrating it can be. Have you never heard of the two second rule? If the car in front has to brake suddenly you will rear end it before your reaction times will get you on the brakes, this is the most common type of accident. As for advising people to drive to the speed limit, this has to be followed with " when it is safe to do so". There are plenty of A and B roads with for instance a 60mph limit but because of tight bends, blind summits, mud on road etc. etc. driving at 60mph would be foolish. Your statement makes some people think we'll if it's a 60mph limit it must be safe to do that everywhere. The standard of driving in this country is getting worse with people driving too fast, undertaking and tailgating being the main problem followed by drivers not using headlights and fog lights correctly and when needed. Your intention to educate had good intentions but was poorly executed.
I hate the people doing 50 or less on a national speed limit road. It’s mostly elderly who don’t realise the limit changed years ago from 50 to 60. I even have them flashing me if I overtake them as though I am in the wrong. The others are the ones that just do 40 everywhere, in a 60 zone or a 30 and all these people think they’re safe drivers. It’s these people that cause accidents as people get frustrated and end up overtaking in sometimes bad situations.
Preach on brother. I call them the 10 mph brigade. 50 in a national, 30 in a 40. They have no lane discipline on a motorway. Or, as you suggest, 'I'm doing the speed limit, I don't need to get back in the left lane'. When you ride a bike for your full license, you get a royal bollocking from the instructor if you do not accelerate quickly up to the limit. When you do an advanced course, if you're in a national speed limit, they basically want to see you ride as fast as is safe and to hell with 60. I drive and ride. When in the car I just resign myself to the fact that I am going to be impeded at every turn. When I ride my bike, I am going to howl past you. On the motorway, on a big bike, I am starting to hang back, choose my moment and undertake quickly. I'm gone before they know I exist. I know it's bad, but if they have no lane discipline, and if I can do it quick enough that it's safe, why should I adhere to the rules ? It's become a jungle out there and abiding by the law is not going to stop you getting wiped out. End of rant. Sorry! PS - subbed
speeding undertaking is never safe. if passing a moron how do you know they won't go left without looking? filtering is the same, don't do it at the speed limit lol. on fool moves and it's game over.
Since I keep it to the correct lanes while on the motorway in my country I have no issues there. Issues start happening on one lane roads, at 30km-70km/h. Having people 2-3 meters up my ass is extremely frustrating while I'm doing the limit. I'll slowly decrease my speed until they pass me or back off. Those of you who's tailgating like this, you do realize there's no way you're not slamming straight into me causing not only damage to our cars but to people in our cars if I actually need to stop quickly because of people, animals, something on the road etc? I couldn't care less about what mood it puts you in, I'll park my ass on that lane if I have to - unless there's multiple cars behind me. I'm a confident driver who can do a few spirited runs now and then. I love cars and driving in general. I'm also very educated on accidents, not only because I've actually had to learn while taking my license but also due to people I know who's been in accidents. It does not take much to permanently damage a human neck, can be done at parkinglot speeds. You can do whatever you want when you're not affecting others but acting like mentioned is not alright and coming up behind me is not going to make your day any better.
To add to your video, if you are driving slower than desired by tailgaters on a two-lane road, the tailgaters are allowed to pass on a dotted center line assuming the oncoming lane is safe and car free. If the center line is a solid double yellow, i make it a rule of thumb to pull off to the side, when there are 3 or more vehicle behind me, and let the tailgaters pass as im obstructing the flow of traffic, if theres room to pull over presumably. I was pulling a trailer loaded with tires on a 2-lane road, and 3 cars (and counting) were behind the trailer. I pulled off so they could be on their speedy way, i was just trying to transport the tires safely. :)
3:05 might of been a better idea to say overtaking lane and not fast lane, doesn't help correct peoples logic if you label it with the same ignorance they do XD otherwise great video, 100% agree and people that don't follow best flow infuriate me. Especially when merging in turn and trying to make use of the road space.
Yep, I caught myself saying this so many time in the video. I'll go through and put text on screen correcting myself. Might take a while lol Thanks for the kind words though!
Just like there are reasons why someone might driving a little fast, there are also reasons why somene might be driving a little slow. The car might be old and can't go up to the speed limit, the car might not be running properly and cant safely go up to or can't drive the speed limit at all, someone might be hauling something fragile and could be accelerating slowly to prevent said thing from shifting around too much. Tailgating to "send a message" isn't going to work in some circumstances. People need to be more considerate both ways. Not just people driving slow or people driving fast. Best to slow down until you can safety pass or they turn off the street. (this is assuming that the person isn't just hogging up the overtaking line when the travel line is wide open 🙄)
Many moons ago, I was driving in freezing conditions, icy road that hadn't been gritted in a semi rural area. The speed limit was 30, I was doing 20-25MPH. I was tailgated by a Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Transit Van. At the earliest opportunity, I pulled out of his way at a passing point on this road. He pulled past and stopped. Informed me that I could be "nicked" for obstruction if I wasn't doing the speed that the road signage said. I eventually just agreed with him as the police officer was a complete knobber. You can't win.
People are often saying that they are going 5-10 slower than speed limit because thay want to be safe, but what they don't realise is that actually it is more dangerous, because people behind you are more likely to tailgate and do dangerous overtakes.
basically; you're not a cop, you're allowed to dislike something but don't think it's worth telling people what to do. tho at the same time im not one to blame people doing a little or even a lot under the speed limit. i don't mind getting to my destination 40 seconds later. I'd rather keep my distances and overtaking when it's safe sounds safer than force someone who doesn't feel confident or maybe isn't fully able, to go faster (physical or mental conditions, injuries, or other situations that put them at a much greater risk for going faster). going under the speed limit is going to get people frustrated, and that's dangerous. but remaining calm and approaching any situation safely is what saves lives.
One thing that annoys me is when someone gets overtaken by a line of cars and then hops into the passing lane because I think the psychology is that they think that they can't be overtaken while in the passing lane but in I believe in America if you try to signal to the guy in front of you to get out of the passing lane by beeping the horn and flashing your lights and they still don't move over then it is permissible to pass in the right lane in an attempt to keep traffic flowing and thank god that American police are actually starting to crack down on these left lane campers that just won't move over due to laziness/an overinflated ego
You’re putting the blame on the victim, you should NEVER tailgate. I agree if the victim is lane hogging, they shouldn’t be there, but tailgating them isn’t the way to deal with that situation. You need to give yourself options, and to do that you need space & time, two things that you don’t associate with tail gaters.
Then that makes me the victim and he blaming me for going the speed limit. But let me tell u some advice move over from the passing lane and let them pass. that way no road rage no problems and u are happy. Unless u got a ego and think oh because I'm driving thr speed limit everyone should. Nah man let them pass they will forget u and they keep going on their merry day and I do too. Unless u want to end up in a road rage by some crazy man or woman and risk injury or death. Then ok they hit your car and insurance debacle all thing I rather just avoid.
I hate being tailgated in a 30, doing 30 and the person behind doesn't have the balls to overtake.
Doing 30mph in a 30 limit is fine. People should calm down. However doing 27mph and dithering about in the wrong lane would be bad driving.
That's another level of stupid lol
yep, same for me 😅
every 30 zone, ALL of them. no one does 30 in a 30 anymore. part of this getting worse is that the cars don't feel like 30@30. they feel like 15 while doing 30.
In London it's 20Mph almost everywhere and even if I risk it and do 24Mph I'm still being tailgated by someone. Am still not sure what was going in the head of the person who reduced it from 30 to 20.
I have never once tailgated someone for any reason. Interesting how these these things only affect some people and not others! There is never any excuse for tailgating. If someone is going 20mph under the limit, you stay behind them at a safe distance and overtake when you can. Or if they are in the overtaking lane, you still maintain a safe distance and patiently wait for them to cop on and move over. If they don't move over then you just continue to wait at a safe distance.
Zero reason to tailgate. Have some patience. Arriving at your destination 2 minutes late is not the end of the world.
And yes, I also drive as close to the speed limit as possible, and get annoyed by people going under the limit just as much as anyone else.
This. No need to put my crumple zone on the alter.
Also its attitudes like this "The rules don't apply to me because I know better" that causes draconian laws to be introduced such as huge decrease in speed limits in Wales and soon Ireland.
Very fair comment all round. 100% agree. It's tricky because flashing your lights for example can be seen as ''aggressive'' but is generally safer and can be done from a distance - this is usually the way I go when someone is really being ridiculous in the overtake lane.
@@MickDrivesCars I agree. A flash of the lights to tell someone to move out of the overtaking lane doesn't seem that harmful to me, but I generally try to avoid it.
@@MickDrivesCars Flashing your lights is still improper use just as much as using the claxon would be in this situation. According to the law at least.
So many places where driving below 30 is appropriate. Cars parked at side of road, through residential area, near a school, anywhere where a person, vehicle or idiot on a bike could pop out. None of us like being stuck behind a slow driver but we need to judge each situation carefully.
Yeah, I think I am fine with mildly tailgating someone who's driving in the right lane on an otherwise empty motorway or dual carriageway, as was the first example in the video, since there they are doing something objectively wrong and can easily and immediately fix it. Everything else in the video, though, is just completely wrong IMO. Tailgating on single-lane roads is just not okay even if the car ahead *is* driving unreasonably slow (and is probably counterproductive - you may well make them feel, rightly or wrongly, that they need to slow down further to deal with the danger you're creating!). And grumbling about people driving at 26 in a 30 is just madness. For one thing an outright *majority* of roads with 30mph limits I've driven on, I don't think it's safe to be at 30 for most of the road, because there's just too much to take in to be able to mentally process all the hazards, signs, markings, and movements of other people around you while travelling at that speed. For another thing, 26mph vs 30mph is unlikely to make any difference worth caring about to people's journey times. Mick needs to chill out, let people drive at the speed they judge they're able to safely operate at (which may perfectly legitimately be slower than his, either because they're more risk averse or because they process what's going on slower than he does and actually ARE at more risk at the same speed), and get off their arses.
@@ExplodingCabbage Yes, there are situations where 30 isn't entirely safe but in a modern car with the tyres, suspension, steering, safety and braking systems we have these days, if a driver can't drive safely at 30mph in most scenarios then they probably shouldn't be driving. In my experience it's generally not because they are safe drivers but because they don't have the confidence to drive any quicker, which probably means they are nervous, won't spot hazards, won't know what to do in an emergency or be able to react in time and so on. That's the real problem.
People forget that many people have to drive for a living, some a tied to schedules like bus drivers while others work on delivery jobs that pay according to how much they can deliver. Others have to drive long distances and not always on a motorway route. Most of us do not have the time to spare to spend 4 hours driving 100 miles, considerably less if you take stopping and starting into account, and I can promise you that taking 10,12,14 hours to get across the country because you're stuck for much of it in needlessly slow moving traffic does not result in a chilled out driver.
@@ExplodingCabbage yes, We are witness of that, special in country roads, national speed limit, what that hell, we cannot go faster than 30 Mph due the limit point of view, horses, pedestrians, or simple too many bends, too many blind spots. here in the UK, we have speed limits signs very wrong.
There are many National speed limit country roads when you can do 60 mph safely!
Use of speed is common sense,and hazard perception.
The road where I live has parked cars either side,and heavy traffic.I drive at 20 for about 200 yards.,the speed limit is 30 mph.Driving at 30 mph would be fairly dangerous,with oncoming traffic so I slow down.
I slow down even more as I approach the side road where I live.
I am driving at a safe,and appropriate speed for the conditions.On this stretch of road 60% of cars tailgate me!
I agree with the general concept of this video but I hope this doesn't make anyone feel pressured to always ride the speed limit of every road. Some national speed limit roads are definitely not safe to travel along at higher speeds and weather conditions should also be a big consideration too
Oh absolutely! But when it's a wide open road with no weather and no traffic - people should just drive properly.
Speed limits are made to be safe in the worst case scenario. The only area where I wouldn't speed is near schools.
"I hope this doesn't make anyone feel pressured to always ride the speed limit of every road" - That's clearly what this video is about.
@@damirkvajo no, they are made to be safe in good conditions. In the case of 60mph country lanes, they are just there because they can't be bothered to have lots of signs giving proper speed limits even though doing 60 would almost certainly result in a serious crash.
@@damirkvajo I think 50 and above is ok to 'drive to the conditions' as it were. 20-40 zones often have a reason. I love to boot it everywhere but it's got to be in the right areas. I just try not to be the one holding up traffic or not paying attention at junctions etc. get to the NSL are and I'm gone
I drive a ‘73 VW bus. I drive slow. Always in the travel lane. I get tailgated constantly. It is only frustrating at night when their old man headlights cast a shadow in front of me. When they finally pass, more often than not, they pass as close as they can and throw rocks. I think you are right, it bothers them that I am going slow and they are trying to get me to speed up. Most people don’t understand that I’m going as fast as I can. I think most people are drowning in life and they have to rush everywhere they go.
That's not fun at all... I specifically made a point in this video about how someone going slowly in the travel lane should be appreciated and respected.
Not only do a lot of people have no idea about their cars limit, they rarely if ever understand the limit of others cars and *why* some cars have the limitations they do. Too often on my way to work and back, a lot of people try to overtake but refuse to speed up before/while changing lanes, even when they have the car for it (which is essentially 90% of the cars around here), most of these drivers just sit in the passing lane going 1-2mph below the speed limit. It's infuriating how little some people care about the safety of others (and sometimes their own).
On another note, you have an absolutely based choice of car 🤌
If I see something that ancient in front of me I know its going slow for a reason I just fly straight past it and pull in gradually you'll get no rock chips from me. I don't know why anyone cares about someone they're leaving behind anyway. No need for agression.
Just yesterday I had a lady lose her mind at a stop light. When she got the rant out I told her I was going as fast as the bus can go up the hill (about 5 under the limit). I really think some people are drowning in life and see non speeders as moving roadblocks that are making it worse for them.
The craziest part was that she had almost a mile long passing lane to pass me on the left.
1. don't tailgate
2. don't use overtake lane(s) if not actively overtaking
3. don't try to slowly overtake, especially when others want to overtake
4. don't get angry someone is following the speed limit
5. if have issue it's a speed upper limit, not a speed lower limit or speed target, take it up with those that make the laws.
6. if have people behind you, try to make good envifoment to safely and elgally pass when able, like drive near shoulder to allow vision, and release gas when they are passing.
100% agree there, I’m always moving out of the way for people who want to speed & I slow down slightly when they overtake me on single carriageways to help them get out of danger quicker
I agree with most of your points.
1. Agree. Those tailgating should be punished with prison time if you ask me.
2. Agree somewhat. But if there's no one behind you, eg not stopping any traffic, I wouldn't care.
3. Slow overtaking is okay and sometimes necessary. For example if the one being overtaken is increasing its speed. It is not okay to just increase and further increase the speed while overtaking.
4. Agree.
5. Agree. Oh yes please!
6. Agree. I do this, but I won't go over the dotted lines. I AM allowed to drive on the road without having to make all the way.
3. is really wrong. IF your overtaking there is nothing wrong with doing it slower than just mashing your pedal. As long as your car passes the other car at a decent speed there theres nothing wrong with it. Just because that car doesn t act like you want him to act doesn t make it wrong.
@Constantine91 I almost never mash the pedal when overtaking. I'll either be going the exact same speed, or slowly accelerating.
The "wrong" thing is doing a slow acceleration when other people are actively passing you and them. Or when you barely pass them (2-4 km/h faster) especially when people are behind you. Going slightly faster is fine if no one behind you. Don't match speed of person you are passing!
Basically JUST DON'T IMPEDE TRAFFIC
PASSING LANE IS PASSING LANE
SLOWER TRAFFIC STAY IN NON-PASSINF LANE
it's not that deep
@@DanielDTUBWeinberger thanks for clarifying.
I think if you're the kind of driver that gets frustrated at a person in front doing 26 in a 30 you're going to be a problem on the road. With 30 years of driving experience and over 10 as a professional driver the best advice I can pass on is to always stay cool and keep a safe distance. Being inconvenienced is never an excuse to tailgate and drive dangerously.
Some people prefer to drive slower than I personally would in a given circumstance. But a speed limit is a maximum not a minimum speed, and everyone should drive to their own ability and reaction time.
However, the elderly and people with certain medical conditions should hand in their licence if their reaction time and awareness is impaired to a degree that they feel they cannot safely drive at a suitable speed any more.
absolutely agreed! if someone in front is a bit slow, just wait behind and be patient. overtake when safe. i really dislike the message this video sends out.
@@mlx39996if you’re driving slow that’s you’re given right and nobody should judge you. But: Don’t be an obstacle and don’t block other drivers and the flow of traffic.
@@E38Bimmer35 what do you mean by blocking? like intentionally preventing the car behind from overtaking?
@@mlx39996 Intentionally and unknowingly by blocking the right lane. Of course i don't mean people that pass a truck for example and take a few seconds longer for that.
@@E38Bimmer35 yeah absolutely nobody should be travelling in the right lane unless turning right or overtaking
In my experience, 99% of the time tailgating and flahsing lights has nothing at all to do with people in the wrong lane doing the speed limit, but people who think you should be either doing significantly faster than the speed limit like they are, or dodging in and out of every gap so they can.
drug delivery
No it’s driving in the passing lane either not passing or for too long.
Just don't hang out on the overtaking lane if you're not overtaking. However fast you're going, chances are someone faster would come catch you, and you are the jerk if you don't give way because:
1. You yourself are not following the rules,
2. You're not the police out to enforce the speed limit, also considering no. 1 above,
3. You've no idea why someone's driving fast and it's not for you to find out, and
4. Blocking the fast ones forces them to weave through traffic which can lead to fatal accidents, all because you wanted to play highway Karen.
Let the police catch speeders; your job is to get safely from point A to point B.
@@LukeAnthony-v3r god I had an obvious drug dealer in an Audi do that the other day even though I was going near 80. Flashing lights, about 3ft from my bumper. When I could safely pull into the left lane he and his buddy leaned out the window giving me the finger and proceeded to whizz off at 100+.
It actually does have to do with you left lane camping or passing lane camping. You're the one with the backwards mindset that this video is specifically for. If you're in the furthest most lane not passing anyone and not moving over when you're able to do so, you're the one in the wrong.
As someone who is learning to be a driving instructor tailgating is something I'm going to be dealing with allot. Although I agree with allot of what you say in the video - ANY form of tailgating/driving closer than 2 seconds to another vehicle (4 seconds in rainy conditions) is extreemly dangerous.
Yes on a motorway/dual carageway you will find people who do not understand lane discipline, the problem I find is that many people are often not thought this in the first place as it is not something us driving instructors have to teach. As it is something pupils are not tested on. Only when I did my advanced driving test did I receive a lesson about driving on a motorway.
For new drivers being tailgated can cause extreme anxiety and has been the cause of allot of people not continuing to learn to drive. so saying tailgating is "sometimes ok" is just not right.
Going slower than the speed limit in town can be for many reasons - if there are parked cars - lots of pedestrians driving slower gives you allot more time to react to any hazard.
On the other hand driving too slowly is also a hazard. it can cause people to do dangerous overtakes.
Hopefully im not coming across as negative as i agree with many parts of the video as it shows how to do proper lane disapline.
Thanks for the kind way you put this across, I really appreciate it. Learner drivers didn't even cross my mind when I was making this video.
Now for a little devil's advocate... if a learner is driving slowly in an overtake lane, isn't it a good thing for someone to give them a signal to move over? Long term this should make for better drivers? Obviously without being aggressive.
I was a driving instructor until recently. It concerns me a lot when I hear that some instructors teach the bare minimum required to get someone through the test - e.g. only sticking to test routes and not bothering with the show-me tell-me questions. I always liked to take people on different roads, towns and on motorways (although I couldn't when I was a PDI), the different tyre types, how to refuel and other additional info, if possible.
I am confused as to why you think that lane discipline isn't tested though as it absolutely is. Obviously not on motorways, but if a test candidate stays in the overtaking lane of a dual carriageway for no reason then they would be penalised for it.
funnily enough im going ot be giving a lesson on overtaking tomorrow, although that's more to do with overtaking parked cars.
For most drivers with experience we know when someone wants to overtake. but if a learner is sitting in an overtaking lane while doing the speed limit and not actually overtaking anyone I would more questions the person teaching them 🤣 @@MickDrivesCars
@@04smallmj definitely there are people like that. Thankfully no one I know does that. If you properly teach someone to drive then they can drive anywhere.
@@04smallmj if you want lane discipline you are forced to purchase the Pass +, which costs more money 🤑
Someone once said to me that you should be doing the speed limit unless the road conditions dictate that you should be slower. This has always seemed like common sense; of course, there may be other factors involved, but is generally my mantra.
They're speed limits not speed goals though. Even someone like me who barely drives gets a feel for what speed feels right for a road, and so 25-30mph feels the right safe speed in town and then can go to 50-60 if conditions permit in the country roads etc
This. This is what a lot of non car people can't seem to understand. Especially here in Brazil, people just seem to be wherever and doing whatever speed they want to do, because this is not taught well enough or maybe even at all in driving schools. And then some of them aggressively refuse to admit that this video is the reality of traffic. It even makes me happy when I do find a good driver who moves over 😅
Haha it's like moving over is a submission but actually moving over and allowing the traffic to flow is such a confident move.
Haha my uncle goes 150 down the BR and he always tailgates and keeps his left blinker and beeps for the other people. Just to get to the house quicker 😂
Submission in driving can be domination.
There is never a situation to be as close as that BMW was. If you'd needed to brake suddenly he'd have gone up the back of you and then he's not getting to wherever he's going no matter how urgent it was.
I absolutely don't agree that tailgating is ever excusable. It's one of the stupidest things you can do behind a driver who is may not confident anyway and may act unpredictably. Frustration is not a reason. Is it okay for me to brake check a tailgater to "communicate" that they should back off?
They weren't at 70mph at that point though, he was intentionally being slow, so there was better chance of the BMW stopping. The car following him in the left lane on the other hand...
The solution is move to the travelling lane
How about you stop giving people a reason to tailgate you. Bad driver apologist. Get off the road.
@halfbakedgaming69 When faced with a bad driver, it's better to decrease risk if you're a good driver. If you're reaction to a bad driver is to increase the danger that they're causing then you're no better than they are.
I'm sure we've all been tailgated while travelling in the correct lane while driving at or slightly above the speed limit. The tailgater has not been given a "reason". That's bad driving. If I brake check them and cause them to crash into me, I'm a bad driver too.
I think good driving is about driving the right speed in the right place at the right time while doing what you can to keep risk to a minimum.
@@SeanVlismas yes, and you know what I do when that happens? I move to the left lane as soon as I can so they can pass me
I have to disagree. Even if someone is going incredibly slow, you should not tailgate or flash them - it's rude and incredibly dangerous. What's best is to hold back, take a deep breath and when it's safe to overtake, do so. There is never a time when it's okay to tailgate on public roads. You have to think, if the person in front of you were to stop, can you? Maybe there's a malfunction of the car in front, a dog or child ran in the road or there's a dodgy traffic light?
As for driving in the overtaking lane, you ought to return to the lane as soon as it's safe to do so. Do not cut in front of someone that you've just overtaken just because you don't want to annoy the person who's tailgating you. If you cut in front of someone and quickly realise you need to stop (something is now in the road and you didn't notice until you overtook, or your car just stops), then you're not going to have enough distance between you and the person you've just overtaken, and you'll certainly get rear-ended.
Similarly, don't get up someone's arse as you begin to overtake. Imagine the person you're overtaking slows down significantly, then what? Bang!
To summarise: Do not tailgate. Leave enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Drive with courtesy and a relaxed mind. Simple!
We all want to get to places quickly. But let's actually arrive at our destinations in one piece, instead of quickly ending up in hospital.
I think tailgating can be dangerous, but I think a flash is fine if they've been blocking the lane for a good few minutes. I also don't see what's rude about it, they're the ones blocking the road by not moving over
@@Matty27 Flashing is deemed as rude by most people because it translates to: 'Move over. You're going too slow for my liking. I have important things to do.'. Such behaviour displays a sense of entitlement, impatience and aggression.
Unfortunately, most people don't realise that flashing can cause anxiety in a lot of people, or simply make the average person angry, influencing them to make mistakes or to retaliate. The best thing to do is just hold back, be patient and when it's safe, overtake.
@@kane2734The entitled ones are the drivers who refuse to let faster traffic pass them.
If someone gets anxiety because someone requests they change lanes, they probably shouldn't be driving a 1.5 tonne machine, especially if they don't know the correct lane to drive in.
@@PointNemo9 I don't think so. If you wish to drive faster, wait for a safe time to overtake. Pushing people to move is disrespectful.
There are many of people who are perfectly capable of operating a vehicle who feel anxious when someone is trying to intimidate them. This does not mean that they shouldn't operate a vehicle; however; I agree that drivers should be competent and calm when driving.
@@PointNemo9 Also, people should not be preventing others from overtaking - that would be irresponsible and could lead to a severe accident.
As a Toyota Yaris driver who is constantly tailgated by BMWs, I agree. But it is quite funny when they catch up with the next lorry in the next 100 yards and indeed finds there is no way to safely overtake.
That lorry probably shouldn't be in that lane either :)
@@MickDrivesCars I mostly drive single carriageways
As someone who drives a relatively fast car, sometimes I overtake just because it's fun to do so, even if I know that I will be stuck behind that lorry up ahead anyways... (talking about single lane roads obviously)
@@thefrenchareharlequins2743 The car is now ahead one vehicle. It's easier to overtake 1 lorry, than a lorry and a car. You essentially hop your way along a single carriageway road over time. Eventually getting to some junction many vehicles ahead of the one you may perceive. Even if they get to the junction just ahead of you, chances are they overtook many cars before you.
Safely overtake? I just send it, even in bends.
one of the best driving tips i ever came across was from a vintage driving video from australia: if someone is tailgating dangerously close to you in the driving lane, slowly, slowly, slow down so that they are a) finally convinced to pass you, or b) won't crash into you if you have to suddenly brake. thank you to the now defunct nfsa, which did an absolutely stellar job of chronicling twentieth century australia.
Yeah on a single-lane road the only thing you can do is reduce your speed and increase your braking distance
Legend. I could never articulate why slow drivers in the right lane were wrong as people would always rebut with "it's a speed limit". But this video and citing lane discipline in the highway code is how to prove the point! I enjoy driving spiritedly, but also intentionally moving back into the left lane doing 70 where possible. Unfortunately, it is rarely possible due to not everyone playing by the same rules and middle and right lane hogging. Great channel, Mick!
I have M.S and some times i have to drive a bit slower and i don't think its ever ok for someone to tailgate you. Same thing goes for the persone you tailgate! you don't know why they are driving slow! they might have a medical condition or be transporting something that might easily break. It's never ok to tailgate.
Also, I think there are better and more safe ways to convey a message. Indicate, flash the high beams, or just wait untill it's safe to overtake, but keep your distance. Tippical human reaction time until they start braking is 1 whole second. Tailgate someone and when something happens, you might not even have a chance to react.
and neither if you survive "I mean the tailgater" time to react to defend yourself in a court. how to justify that bulling behavior. lol
@@DGQ1Q2 Yeah. In my country we say, "What you can't brake, you can't talk yourself out off."
@@tomkocian6710 it'd help everyone if you told us what "your" country actually is.
@@richardhammer187 In the Czech Republic we say "Co neubrzdíš, to neukecáš."
For the people who are getting frustrated - they have an expectation that all the other drivers should be good drivers and are considerate human beings who never make mistakes. This is a failure of judgement on their part - their expectation was not matched to reality. You will only really lose that frustration by accepting that the roads are filled with inconsiderate, terrible drivers that make mistakes and people that are totally wrapped up in themselves and care only for their own needs. You can be frustrated about it as much as you like - but it doesn't change the reality and despite all best efforts to educate people to be more considerate and to be better drivers - there will always be a certain ratio of people that are not up to scratch. When you get out on the road - that's just part of the game and you can't change it - no matter how many RUclips videos you make about the topic.
When I'm in the BMW's position, usually stuck behind someone in the 3rd lane (importantly, without anyone to their left), I do a 4 step process:
1. Wait, give them a bit of time to realise they're lane hogging,
2. move up, not sitting in their arse, but enough to get in their mirrors to get their attention, maybe dipping into their side mirrors occasionally,
3. flash, they're clearly not paying enough attention to their surroundings, better to make it obvious now,
4. Undertake, usually I'll pull into the left lane, wait a moment to see if they're going to move now, and then accelerate past them to get out of their blind spot.
You should actually be in the second lane a safe distance behind, as you're not overtaking them and you need to leave a large enough gap that they will feel safe to move into.
Cool video, it's a different story in Germany where people are glued to your bumper, because you're only going 70 km/h in a 50 zone. 🤣
Hahaha that's a new one!
In Portugal it's the same 😅
Are you sure that's the reality in Germany? Because I have lost count of Germany-registered cars going well below the limit on roads in the north of Norway. Though I'm guessing it's different when you're busy taking in the view of spectacular nature as opposed to just going to work or back home again... 😝
@@gunnern1 In germany the fines for speeding are laughable, so when we go into other countries we tend to pay a lot more attention to the limits, because what in Germany may only be a 20€ slap on the wrist can turn into hundreds of € and points very quickly. And of course the nature will play a part in it!
It's also quite possible to be overtaken at over 100 mph, although mostly on the quieter stretches of autobahn away from the major cities, otherwise traffic becomes the limiting factor. I'm glad I wasn't the one driving though!
that's exactly what it's like in the UK most of the time. in all speed limits or even well beyond sometimes
I hate when you are close enough to see where peoples’ eyes are directed, and it’s anywhere but your vehicle! Today I was slowing for a light in my 2020 Mustang GT and the driver behind me kept closing the gap while her eyes were consistently directed down, presumably at her phone.
Please send this to Ashley neal, I’d love to hear to what he has to say in rebuttal
Why? Is he in favour of tailgating?
I would be really curious too! He's like the gold standard and will most likely absolutely hate it I'd imagine.
I’m a new-ish driver, and if it’s a new road for me, I’m going to be going less than the speed limit and that’s absolutely fine. The important thing is to feel and be safe and legal, it’s silly to get frustrated about it.
There is always one single question to ask yourself before any monoevre, change of lane, speed, road, or overtake, untertake, tailgate etc for any reason, that question is "would I do this, in this way, if that other car was a marked police car"
If the answer is no, don't do it.
Not really because everyone drives worse near a police car.
Depends if I would get a ticket from the pigs.
My instructor told me to go 25-30 in a 30 zone. Try keep an average of around 27.
It isn't easy to be steady at 30 unless you're on cruise control, in fact you might end up slipping up to 34 at the worst time in front of a camera.
I'm surprised you passed, easy to fail by unnecessarily driving too slowly when it's safe to proceed.
This! I was taking driving lessons with a professional instructor up until very recently. Whether or not it's theoretically "safe" in a given situation, it's illegal to drive faster than the speed limit, and who wants to pay a fine for that?
Unless you have cruise control (which my car from 2012 doesn't), it's not realistic to maintain your speed exactly. The practical option is to aim for slightly under the speed limit. Sometimes you'll end up doing the limit, sometimes you won't quite. You'll probably end up stopping at the same lights regardless.
And for the record, I passed my test too - on the first attempt, with absolutely no comments from the examiner about my speed.
Regardless of what lane you stay in, its always dangerous for both parties when tailgating happens. Its all down to impatience. I saw someone get run over on a crossing when the car broke sharply and the HGV was following close behind. Tailgating is Careless and/or Dangerous driving and the person should be prosecuted for it because its dangerous
The worst tailgators I get is when i am doing the speed limit to overtake someone doing a bit below the speed limit, and someone behind me wants to go over the speed limit. I wont let that driver pressure me to do more than the speed limit even if I am in the "fast lane". If you are using the fast lane to overtake someone at the speed limit then you are not doing anything wrong.
Ah, but there's the rub and part of the thesis here, which is flow of traffic, safety, and *courtesy*.
Sure, you can go the posted speed limit to pass someone who's going slightly under the limit and take a minute or two to do so, or you can speed up some (say 5 over in city streets or even 10 over on the highway), get past them quickly, move back over into the cruising lane when it's clear, and return to the posted limit.
IMO, ff you're purposefully taking extra time in the passing lane to pass the slower moving vehicle with an obstinate "well I"m going the limit" attitude, you become part of "the problem" being discussed here in this video.
You are actually in the wrong, if someone has to brake because of you in the passing lane you are not in the right lane. Where i live we always go 20km above in a 100km/h zone in the passing lane. If you're not going 120 you gotta go simple as that
@@vincentbourgon2517If you go over 20 km/h where i live on a regular basis, you will be a very poor man in a not long period of time. And a pedestrian after repeatedly doing it.
@@vincentbourgon2517completely incorrect and quite scary you think this. I assume you are not a UK driver. If you are overtaking and catching the person on the left of you you have every right to be in that lane.
@@KahnanesgiThats absurd. Non one has the right to go over the speed limit. Never. And when I'm overtaking someone else doing the speed limit, I will never ever accelerate just because some entitled a**hole behind me wants to brake the law so desperately.
I do get the tailgating in the overtake lane. But I am often tailgated in the travel lane. And to those who do tailgate me in the travel lane: don't bother, my cruise control doesn't accelerate just because some a**hat decided to ride my rear bumper. And if I'm not using cruise control, I actually tend to lift off slightly if the car behind comes too close. This seems to annoy some people to no end, using horn and lights as a rebuke rather than using the empty overtake lane to go past.
But hey, if you're close enough to my bumper that you think me lifting slightly off of the accelerator in the travel lane is dangerous, then maybe, just maybe, you might be the problem?
lol wholeheartedly agree. If that person doesn’t have the brainpower to move into a vacant lane when the density is too high in the current lane then I’d question whether that person should be allowed to drive as it’s a simple concept to self-learn and execute.
I actually did exactly that with that ford truck. Just set the cruise to 66 until he overtook me. Really should have left that in the video but I thought it was a little boring.
so you are agressivly policing the roads due to your mood? doesn't sound wise
@user-yx3ih7so6d read again. If the fast lane is empty, then the a*sholes who decide to ride my bumper in the slow lane have absolutely no reason to complain even if I go 10mph below the speed limit. Get your a** out in the fast lane and overtake. That's what it's there for.
I would have had some understanding for the tailgaters if I was lane hogging the fast lane doing exactly the speed limit or slightly slower, but I have neither understanding nor sympathy for those tailgating me in the slow lane when the fast lane is empty and available.
If you consider it to be "policing", then I would strongly recommend that you hand in your licence.
@@LukeAnthony-v3r you don’t sound wise
Ive been tailgated while overtaking because it wasnt fast enough in the eyes of the tailgaiter(20 mph above the speed limit). I always keep the same speed and complete the overtake at the speed im comfortable with. They can explode in anger for all i care. And if they flash the lights too aggressively, im not moving, sue me😅
The issue not addressed here is how well do people know what they are *actually* doing compared to what various instruments *tell them* they are doing. I regularly go through a village that has one of those signs which tells you your speed. It's usually about 3-4mph lower than what my dashboard says. I don't have an issue with anyone doing 26 in a 30 zone; that's not dangerous and it'd a bit petty to let that get under your skin. But that driver may well have reason to think they are are 29 or 30. Doing 45 on a clear motorway... that's a different matter.
In the real world an indicated 26 is like 23-24... If someone's actually doing 30 that is 100% frustrating to sit behind
@@MickDrivesCars correct.
Tailgating in town is never okay. Nor is telling people to always go the speed limit in town. If you're not familiar with the roads in the place you're visiting, or you're not as confident a driver as the spirited drivers around you, then forcing yourself to always drive at the speed limit in order to accommodate them is dangerous. Agree on the motorway tailgating, but the urban advice borders on reckless.
Are you suggesting that you'd prefer less confident drivers to make themselves feel unsafe by driving faster than they would like to in urban areas?
He showed examples, you could see the speed limit is fine. Obviously you go the speed limit in town when faster would be OK and you drive slower if the road conditions require. It's not a target.
It's only dangerous if you're a terrible driver.
@richardhammer187 No, not always the case. It could be a new driver or someone who has been hit before by a speeding idiot and is cautious. A bad driver shows no consideration for such and impatiently and aggressively tailgates. Period.
It's reassuring to know there are people out there who are empathetic towards cautious drivers. I'm new to driving alone and was a learner for longer than usual due to anxiety. I was also in a crash right before my test, which was the other driver's fault and resulted in both cars being written off.
I still tend to go slower than some people would like, but that won't be the case forever. In the meantime, I passed my test and have a right to get where I need to go. If you're pressuring me to go faster then I'm stressed, and if I'm stressed then I'm distracted. No one in their right mind wants to be following close behind a distracted driver!
You tend to find people that drive at 40 on a national speed limit road when it is safe also drive at 40 in a 50, 40 and 30 speed limit.
Oh the ''general driving speed'' lol. special humans.
on longer moterway jurneys I drive at 60 as its so much more fuel efficient but ill stick to the left lane unless overtaking
Have you actually watched the instantaneous fuel consumption reading? In my car 80mph is the most efficient.
Same! I do 60 on motorways/dual carriageways, in lane 1.
@@wayland7150 mine is a VW Tiguan diesel. 60 mph is defo more efficient than 70 mph. I have tried same route, same wind direction, same temperature, 60 gives me 58 mpg and 70 mph gave me 52 mpg. I’m sure 80 would be in the 40s for mpg, but I don’t go above the speed limit, so I wouldn’t know.
I think gently tailgating is like gently shooting your gun at someone.
100%, they are using the vehicle as a WEAPON 100% with you
@@DGQ1Q2No they are not. Shut up. Lol!
@@HaroldBluetooth-uz1zz Yes they are, if youre tail gating, you are intentionally risking harm on you and others.
Its similar to a .44 magnum. They are using a weapon
This is why I decided to do GPS 56 on the motorway instead of 70-77, because the British public reduce the capacity of a 3 lane road to a 2 with their lane discipline.
But even when you’re in lane 1 doing 56, you get some donkey joining at 40 mph, or you still get some idiot up your backside as if there aren’t 3 empty overtaking lanes.
I find driving at 70 stressful! Plus it uses more fuel than 60/65 which I tend to do in lane 1 which I find much more relaxing. Sometimes, I will just drive at a safe distance behind a lorry doing 56 mph.
I would say you should do at least 60 on a motorway. If you're doing 56 you are likely to be getting in the way of lorries, which then causes long tailbacks as they try to pass you.
@@ryanwilliams6526 Lorries are limited to 56, and due to their weight are often going slower.
@@chop.stix_ what car do you drive? Most new cars 70 feels like 40 in an old car
@adamek9750 a 2023 VW Tiguan. And you're right, 70 does feel calmer in this, even compared to a 2016 swift that I had. But I just find at 60, I'm usually catching up to slower moving vehicles, slowly, giving me more time to plan my overtake when compared to 70. 60 just feels like the sweet spot for good mpg, good progress and I end up feel relaxed at my destination.
I heard a story about my friend rushing to the hospital and that opened my mid that if im not in a hurry, i will try to be as predictible and out-of-the-way as possible. Even giving signals to drivers behind me if its safe to pass.
im still learning to drive so im curious how do you signal to a car that its safe to pass?
@@TonySmith47For example, we drive on the right on the continent. If you turn your right indicator on, it can be perceived as "i checked the road ahead, it's clear" with the message "you may go".
So in case of Britain, by using the left indicator.
@@heros2110 Thanks for explaining
I want to drive at the speed limit when it's safe, meaning when there are no crossing points or situations where a child or anyone might suddenly jump in front of me, and I could risk hitting them at 50 km/h. If someone is tailgating me at that speed, they would rear-end me regardless, so I prefer to slow down to 40 km/h to have more reaction time and a shorter braking distance if a child runs in front of me, or someone falls, etc. The more you tailgate, the more I will slow down. If you want to rear-end me, go ahead - I have a dashcam. Besides, the law in many countries requires drivers to slow down near crossing points, and not necessarily stick to the speed limit..
This should be mandatory learning material to any driver. The start of the video made me giggle :)
That's a relief to hear! So far the response has been better than I thought! Phew :)
This video does not cover enough. It barely scratches the surface of a problem statement and its effects.
I was beginning to think, around my friends and family, that I was the only one thinking like this. Thank you for your common sense
Why do people tailgate me when I have 10 cars in front of me, and there is no possibility of me going any faster? That's the most common case.
While I understand and agree with most of the video, going slightly less than the speed limit in a town or section you don't know and you search your way or try not to miss a turn is actually fine. Actually in this case, the "it's a speed limit, not a speed target" is relevant. Especially in cities/towns, where pedestrians, childrens and just people can pop out of the blue. It's very dangerous to go the actual speed limit in a place you don't know. It's better to be a little slower than to be dangerous.
But the rest of the video is actually correct. And I also guess it depends on the country.
I'm from France, and here, tailgating is actually illegal. If someone is slower than you and you can't take over, you slow down to an appropriate distance. You don't get in the rear of someone or you will get a fine. Or if an accident occur, you will be at fault and forced to pay up the repair/health fees. The only exception is when there is slow heavy traffic, since you're dead slow, or even stopped, the rule isn't applied since it's not exactly tailgating.
We don't have "flow of traffic". If you go over the speed limit, it's illegal, wether or not you're taking over on the other lane. So if I'm at the speed limit, taking over someone with a security distance before going back to the lane, it's fine. If someone is tailgating me, wanting to go faster in this case, he's in an illegal position. And no amount of flashing your ugly ass BMW lights will change my mind. I will not put myself in an illegal position just because you have a bigger car.
But also, driving in the other lane while the travel lane is free is also illegal (unless exception, like construction obstructing the travel lane or other stuff).
Driving is a matter of going somewhere in a secure way. If it means going slower, then so be it. I don't care if someone is going a bit slow, maybe they're new to the region, maybe they have a replacement wheel preventing them to go faster, maybe they're short on oil. I won't pressure them and tailgate them.
By matter of politeness, tailgating shouldn't even exists. But I guess when you have a big SUV/BMW, you just want to show off that you're faster/louder.
The most frustrating situation is you decide to overtake a car going slow in the travel lane.... And then as you are trying to do so, they match speed right when you are next to them... And then someone else comes flying up your bum behind you... And you're already at the speed limit so two cars have boxed you in... 😅
This happens all the time on the motorway, people just can't maintain speed, especially noticeable when you're using cruise control.
You probably drove up their ass and then expected them to let you in.
Great topic! Thank you so much! When i was living in Belarus - i faced only one type of tailgating - you are at the overtaking lane and you are moving faster than the other lanes, that lane has bigger speed limit and you are moving at that limit. There is no space in other lanes and they move slower by 10-15 miles per an hour. You will be tailgated all the times. Then brake checked if possible.
Now i live in Poland. 1 lane, 40 km/h limit, you have a LONG queue behind you, you may move 50-60 at the limit of 40. You will have the same - tailgated. Then here are a lot of 1 lane roads (i mean in one direction) with the limit of 90 km/h and sharp corners. You are tailgated when you drive safe. It is not only my case - i see it a lot with other cars. Main reason of car crashes i see here - tailgating in the city with the limit of 50 km/h.
The speed you drive should be appropriate to the road, traffic and weather conditions. If you recognise that you’re holding up traffic then speed up if safe. If you don’t realise you are preventing traffic flow then you shouldn’t be driving….
The ''don't realise'' crew are the problem for sure
I would agree to most of this except on country roads where you always get that person who expects to to do the speed limit or more no matter what, approaching sharp bends or not or even in narrow country lanes where the cars the days are too big for the country roads
8:27 the problem is “appropriate speed” is subjective. This is even with speed limit signs to give some guidance on what should be the speed for a lane. Inevitably there will be density increases in a lane.
speed limit signs are exactly that. they are not serving suggestions lol
I think the only reason why people get annoyed if the car in front is going slower is because the car behind will have to concentrate more to leave a suitable gap and slow down earlier etc, if there isn’t a slow car ahead you can drive at a decent speed without thinking too much, rhat said though it won’t make any difference to your journey time so trying to overtake on a single carriageway is usually not worth it in exclusion to bikes and very slow vehicles (when safe)
And tailgating also isn’t safe, whilst sometimes accidental it should be avoided, it uses more fuel, more concentration and results in more risk, and sometimes can even make you slower, the point of not being behind a slow car is to get to the destination on time and not to have to concentrate as much on your speed / gap in front , tailgating does the opposite of that slowing you down and making you concentrate more!
If you’re being tailgated in the normal driving lane you should slow down to reduce risk
lol I appreciate the deadpan delivery
I down voted but then I realised you're being sarcastic. Good one.
Some people below haven't got it - this is 100% the correct thing to do!
Increase your stopping distance and slow down to encourage them to overtake. I did exactly this with the truck, just slowed to 66 and he went around
@@MickDrivesCars should not be the first tactic to employ because it can have a cascading effect behind you, behind them, behind them them. I can’t tell how many people behind me while somebody is tailgating. If it persists and it’s mostly safe then gradually reduce speed.
The highway code is quite positive about this. You should travel in the near side lane unless overtaking.
The worst tailgating experience I have was in summer 2022 when I drove through Hungary.
Picture this: intermittent heavy rain and standing water, fully loaded two lane highway, slow lane mostly filled with slow truck traffic and fast lane filled with cars doing 80-120 km/h depending on conditions. I'm keeping a reasonable distance from the car in front of me.
Then a tailgater awakes behind me, even though I'm doing about what is appropritate in the conditions and the lane is full of cars in front of me as fas as eye can see anyway. He gets some 2m behind me at times, flashing and eventually even holding his high beams. WTF do you want me to do? Fly away? I'm not going to slow down and get stuck between the trucks for you, especially since there is dense traffic all the way in front of me anyway and you are getting nowhere even if I disappeared.
After about 15 minutes, a bigger gap in the slow lane appeared, so I let him pass. He proceeds to do the same wild stuff to the car in front of me. Before I thought he might be triggered by a foreigner, but the other car was a local and he did it to him just the same. Some people are so self-centric they lose sight of all the context and how their dangerous behaviour is futile and has no chance of getting them what they want.
Agree. their habitual tailgaters. they do it to you then the car in front and again so forth. Endlesss cycle to get a few car lengths further but leaving a trail of pissed off drivers
I came across your channel by chance and have now watched all the videos. I like the way you communicate the topics in an understandable way and also your (for me as a German) clearly understandable pronunciation. Your videos are very enjoyable to watch.
I'm all too familiar with tailgating on the highway. The left lane in Germany is actually there for overtaking. But there are plenty of slow drivers who block the space there, especially on stretches without a speed limit. On the other hand, there are also very impatient people who stick directly to your bumper even though there is no reason to do so.
I'm looking forward to new videos. Many thanks for the time and effort you put into this.
Thanks mate! Really appreciate you watching all the videos!
please *don't* take advice from this video! tailgating is NOT okay. go watch the video by "Conquer Driving" about tailgating. he's an actual driving instructor.
Yeah he’s amazing. Mick is a wannabe racing driver who thinks he knows how to drive. In reality he promotes dangerous driving and just appears to be a twat
Hahahaha the dumb way people are being taught to drive defensively. Just dumbed everything down. Thats why everyone drives nowadays like braindead
You are so very right. Tailgating is NEVER alright. Those who do it fail to understand the basic Highway Code lessons about stopping distances. Years ago, I hit a dog which was called out across the road, across my path. I braked, the dog was very forcibly nudged but absolutely alright. If I hadn’t braked the animal would have been flattened under my wheels. I was travelling about 26 mph in a 30, but the car behind had only given about 4m space or 13 ft as we used to call it. Both cars were a write off, the total payout exceeded the cost of replacing one new car. The driver behind, “did not give himself a chance”, I was being pushed down the street before he even realised he needed to brake.
Driving instructors and forced to conform to the law, even when the law is not safe, example is following the flow of traffic. Don’t break the flow, and if you want to, do it in the travel lane.
@@tabbycat406 tell me then why tailgating is safe
I agree and also when at night driving and you are the lead car, especially on single track you tend to go slower so you are more aware of if anything is around a corner, people that tailgate then are putting themselfs at risk even when the lead car is going slow
been loving the videos Mick, the production and the driving has been excellent, also showcasing the lesser known tips of driving has been really beneficial.
Thanks mate! Trying my hardest :)
With the exception of speed cameras, a wise police officer once told me keep up with the flow of the trafic, if a bunch of cars are all exceeding the speed limit just make sure your not the last one in the queue😊
What a load of crap. Wanting to go faster than the vehicle in front is not a justification for tailgating. And if you want to exceed the speed limit and someone is in front of you in the overtaking lane then undertake.
See I think the undertaking is even more dangerous. You can guarantee the person that's driving slowly in an overtake lane isn't doing to realise you're there.
I should have mentioned but my preferred method is to flash the lights from a distance. Might look a little aggressive but overall safer for all I think.
@@MickDrivesCars So flash from a distance and then indicate change to the left. They'll notice you and not be surprised when you come up on the left. It's illegal in the UK but no more than speeding or tailgating.
@@MickDrivesCarsyour simply wrong your actually braindead
being tailgated in the slow lane doing the speed limit is very frustrating. I had to brake to convey a message today to this idiot. Don't like doing it but he got the message and backed off. Some people need telling/reminding its just not ok. Good analysis and break downs in the video!
Well done, great video. I wish people would travel in the left lane.
there is a law against it now, but since it came in there has been 1 case brought to charges after 9 years on the statute book
My personal rule is, if there isn't an overtaking lane, I go the limit where safe to do so. If there is an overtaking lane I can go a little under as long as I don't slow the road. Going 60mph instead of 70 can get me an extra 80 miles of driving per 40L tank so I often drive at around 60 when the motorways are quiet to help with my 60 miles per day round trip driving to university.
Hello! This is the first video on this channel for me, so I will apologize if there's already a video on it. BUT. While I am agreeing to 93% of this video I had to reflect on my own experiences. Which is; I have a GPS speedometer which tells me exactly how fast I need to go. It means that my gauge/cluster, on MY car*, says usually 5km/h higher than the signs along the road. Even though I am collecting cars behind me, every single day. Which again means that the ones tail-riding me is in fact deliberately speeding.
* Worth mentioning is also that I use bigger tires than original, so when I add about 5kmh others could probably be looking at 9-10kmh over the set speed limit.
Other than that, great video! You have a new subscriber :)
we are not on the roads to police it. this seems to be forgotten. you've got people around you thinking the same of you. it's not a fight, it's just travelling
Thanks mate, appreciate the kind words!
I actually recorded a bit about this and how an indicated 66mph is really more like 62... so if someone's doing a gps 70 there's a big difference. Ended up cutting that part because it just wasn't that interesting/too slow. Maybe a follow up video might be good.
A gentle flash (I mean the shortest flash possible and only one blink) for people who stick in the outside lane tends to get the message across well. And if they then still don’t move, a quick double flash. And then if they still don’t move, they haven’t looked in their back mirror in 10 years. And you’ll either have to put up with it or do a sensible and steady undertake. That always gets the message across and people tend to pull in. Dangerous? If don’t aggressively yes. You have to be extremely careful when performing an undertake. Also it’s worth stating, undertaking is NOT against the highway code.
One correction I will make. There is no fast lane and slow lane as people commonly refer to them as. The left-most lane is lane 1. Additional lanes are 2, 3 etc. depending on how many are present. The highway code indicates traffic should always drive in the left most lane unless overtaking slower traffic, or speed restricted traffic.
Yep my smooth basic brain reverted to the common man's wording for the video :)
I have to disagree with your take.
I agree that it can be frustrating, but it's a me/you problem if we're being honest. It took me a long time to stop myself from getting frustrated, and I'm still not a zen master.
WIth traffic lights, cross walks and other variables - I am literally losing zero time by being behind someone going 25 in a 30.
It's up to me to decide how I react to something that doesn't affect my day.
It's such a primal instinct, I don't even think people realize that they're lying to themselves when they're complaining about losing time for instance. It's not about time when they get frustrated, it's the fact that they're not in control any longer and that's a psychological issue that almost all drivers have to learn to deal with.
"I can no longer dictate my own speed, it's dictated by the person in front of me. The person in front of me must be stupid because the person isn't me and he/she is going slower than me!ARRRGGHHHHH."
I completely agree on your segments about highway driving though, people need to respect that there's a lane you drive in and there's a lane(s) you overtake in - no matter how fast or slow you go.
I have adhd and have to drive a bit faster to stay focused. I need the adrenaline.
If I'm doing 10 mph below the flow of traffic (for good reason or not) and I get tailgated I tend to find they drop back when I get up to an appropriate speed. To those tailgaters I say fair enough.
But special mention to the Tesla driver just before Christmas who got really aggressively on my bumper, flashing and hooting when I was doing a little over 70mph and had an HGV alongside to the left. I have no idea what that guy wanted to me to do.
First example is basically perfect.
2nd example is just a special individual... or someone with a baby being born.
It's all about the situation. If it's a built up area and the speed limit is 30, I'm going to do 25-27 just incase someone pops up between the cars. Same if it's a school area and try and do 18 max just incase. 40+ areas are usually safer to go the speed limit.
Best video of yours to date! Completely correct! Exactly the same here in Spain on motorways and regular roads. Eventhough some of the lower speed limits here are ridiculously slow... Also trying to get my parents to understand speed limit vs speed target 😂😂
Thanks dude!
Your logic is spot on. Too many people think driving is about following the rules of the road. They are wrong. Too many people do not follow the rules, therefore, you must adapt to others driving to be safe. It is 100% safer to go with the flow of traffic then to try to force everyone else on the road to “follow the rules“. Unfortunately, these days, it’s the ones trying to force everyone to follow the rules that cause traffic and road rage.
i agree with you on most points however i don’t agree with you re speed limits. Especially country roads at night when raining or snowing - you wouldn’t do 60… to hit a deer it’s no joke..
I literally listed the reasons you would go under the limit and it's everything you just said (except snowing) :)
Yeah, suppose need to finish watching the video first before commenting. 😅
I've been aggressively tailgaited on single carriageways in the dark (with blinding neon headlights constantly flashing) twice in the past few months. I was going the speed limit and gave them opportunities to overtake. I want them following me even less than they want to follow!
I thought this video would enlighten me, but it seems that some people are just horrible
Yo Mick i became such a better driver at high speeds thanks to your advice ❤️
Love to hear it!
Motorway etiquette is different in the United States. Expectations are a bit different here too. I drove semi over the road for 14 years. Big trucks don’t stop nearly as fast as cars. Due to people pulling out in front of me, I started to travel down even moderately populated roads around 45 mph rather than at the 60 mph speed limit, just to give me the chance to slow down or stop. Yes, it irritated people behind me but that was better than potentially injuring or killing someone. I hear the drivers in Europe are far more courteous so I might not have had to go to those extremes there. I’ve been retired since 12/2019 and I have no desire to ever drive a semi again. It is simply too dangerous.
agree with everything you said in this video. Great one. Really love these type of videos. Keep it up!
Thanks mate!
I get tailgated pretty often, but not on the motorway. My city (not UK) is pretty challenging to drive, yet doing 48-51km/h in a 50 still gets you tailgated, as most people drive 55km/h under these circumstances. I really hate that to be honest, since these roads are pretty challenging with lots of obstacles, signals, and especially **radars** everywhere that make the city good cash from tickets for speeding 3-4 km/h too much.
Well, even on country roads, doing a full 80km/h in an 80 is often not enough. I always hope that they overtake me as soon as possible (when safe) so that I can rest easy again.
What are your thoughts on undertaking being legal like is it in the US, NZ and Australia?
Traffic flow seems to be better in these countries.
Also lane discipline is very poor in the UK, most European countries Especially Germany could teach us many things.
Undertaking is not illegal in the UK.
No to undertaking!!! And putting can't drive on our roads because it's full of immigrants who do their own thing
@@PointNemo9 it's not illegal in certain circumstances but undertaking for the purpose of getting past a lane hogger could be considered driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving depending on the circumstances.
It's an interesting question...
Personally I think the people driving slowly in the overtake lanes are also the ones that won't check their mirror before moving back over - potentially causing big crashes.
ruclips.net/video/zF8gShMOBwo/видео.htmlsi=-jdri5z5jC25yADE
I live in the mountains in Colorado, in an area that gets a lot of tourists in RVs in the summer. When the roads are twisty, it's impossible to pass on the two lane road, and often prohibited and marked as such with a double-yellow center line. When the terrain opens up, there are often designated passing areas with additional lanes and signs that say "keep right except to pass" or "slower traffic keep right". But what inevitably happens is that as soon as we get to the passing zone, the big RVs will speed up a bit, but fail to move over to the right. It's illegal and dangerous to pass on the right, and the right lane usually has appropriately slower moving traffic. So then some yahoo behind me will try to pass me and the RV in front of me, on the right, and not have enough room to do so. This causes a huge bottleneck as the lanes merge back together and the RV hits the brakes to allow yahoo to pass and merge.
And then ten miles up the road we're all sitting at the same stoplight, fuming because our lovely mountain drive turned into a scene from Mad Max.
I was doing 19/20mph in a 20mph zone going to ASDA in Cardiff very last night. The car behind me was so up my chuff that I couldn't see his headlights. I could only see it when it was temporarily lit by a street light. If I had to brake suddenly for someone crossing the road (They always wear black to do this, so you have be on your guard), they would have gone right into me.
I think there's probably a lot of this in Wales at the moment with the new 20mph limits
@@MickDrivesCarsHow in the hell could you possibly go that slow? The UK is a commi state!!!!
In the USA, a small amount of Tailgating is NOT okay for conveying a message. And, most law enforcement officers would likely agree.
1) The driver in front is not likely to be persuaded to speed up.
2) In increases the risk of an accident.
3) It is also illegal - and can get you a traffic ticket.
I can see the scenario. "Well, judge, I was just trying to convey a message". During daylight, you can turn on your high beams to 'convey a message'.
Do this math. Take a 5 KM local trip. Calculate the time at 30 KPH. Then calculate the time at 26 KPH. What is the difference? Not much, right?
See the video:
ruclips.net/video/rr4DHWlV3-Y/видео.html
Our interstate speeds is roughly 70mph and I usually go between 80 and 100. So no, I’m definitely getting there quicker.
I disagree with this video. Specially at night, tailgating should be a crime.
In Denmark you get a pretty hefty fine and a clip in your license.... but I think it seldom happens. Beeing tailgated by a Tesla is bad, they blind one totally, and then I slow down, and down, and down, so they overtake ;-)
Where I live it is a crime . Just don't look in your mirror . You can only control your own life.
@@zosozoso2well u do u. I usually move over let them pass. Not worth it and that one time in your tesla u slow down and the guy tries to kill u. Let them pass let your ego go and go on with your day no problem u kept driving the speed limit and had a good day. Unless its a single lane road with solid lines even then u can always veer a bit to the side and let them pass.
And in the rain
I think people forget it's not the "fast lane" or the "BMW/Audi lane", it's the overtaking lane. So if you're not overtaking, go back to the left lane.
I’m almost always overtaking.
🇬🇧 Make up your mind, is it the slow lane or the travel lane? Similarly, is it the fast lane or the overtaking lane? Consistency please!
its much worse in america. you will get ran off the road of you drag your ass on the highway fast lane here. rules are similar and all but we HATE ass draggers here and most people consider it reckless driving.
MY TIME HAS COME
ITS CALLED A SUV , not a truck 😅 love your videos tho , taught me to balance things when driving. Definitely would recommend if you drive like you in a race
haha I always thought pickups can be called trucks, no?
Thanks for the words though
@MickDrivesCars love from south africa 🇿🇦
I use to speed up when i was being tailgated when i first passed now i just ignore that there behind me much better solution they usually eventually get bored and find a way past you
Stop calling lanes "fast lane" and "slow lane" there is no such thing. You correctly pointed this out early in the video and called them "overtaking lanes" and then switched back to the incorrect description. As an advanced driver we do drive to the speed limit where it is safe to do so, it is called progression. There is never an excuse to tailgate the car in front no matter how frustrating it can be. Have you never heard of the two second rule? If the car in front has to brake suddenly you will rear end it before your reaction times will get you on the brakes, this is the most common type of accident. As for advising people to drive to the speed limit, this has to be followed with " when it is safe to do so". There are plenty of A and B roads with for instance a 60mph limit but because of tight bends, blind summits, mud on road etc. etc. driving at 60mph would be foolish. Your statement makes some people think we'll if it's a 60mph limit it must be safe to do that everywhere. The standard of driving in this country is getting worse with people driving too fast, undertaking and tailgating being the main problem followed by drivers not using headlights and fog lights correctly and when needed. Your intention to educate had good intentions but was poorly executed.
Completely agree
💯
I hate the people doing 50 or less on a national speed limit road. It’s mostly elderly who don’t realise the limit changed years ago from 50 to 60. I even have them flashing me if I overtake them as though I am in the wrong. The others are the ones that just do 40 everywhere, in a 60 zone or a 30 and all these people think they’re safe drivers. It’s these people that cause accidents as people get frustrated and end up overtaking in sometimes bad situations.
Preach on brother. I call them the 10 mph brigade. 50 in a national, 30 in a 40. They have no lane discipline on a motorway. Or, as you suggest, 'I'm doing the speed limit, I don't need to get back in the left lane'. When you ride a bike for your full license, you get a royal bollocking from the instructor if you do not accelerate quickly up to the limit. When you do an advanced course, if you're in a national speed limit, they basically want to see you ride as fast as is safe and to hell with 60. I drive and ride. When in the car I just resign myself to the fact that I am going to be impeded at every turn. When I ride my bike, I am going to howl past you. On the motorway, on a big bike, I am starting to hang back, choose my moment and undertake quickly. I'm gone before they know I exist. I know it's bad, but if they have no lane discipline, and if I can do it quick enough that it's safe, why should I adhere to the rules ?
It's become a jungle out there and abiding by the law is not going to stop you getting wiped out. End of rant. Sorry!
PS - subbed
speeding undertaking is never safe. if passing a moron how do you know they won't go left without looking? filtering is the same, don't do it at the speed limit lol. on fool moves and it's game over.
I appreciate what you are saying. What do you ride ? @@LukeAnthony-v3r
Since I keep it to the correct lanes while on the motorway in my country I have no issues there. Issues start happening on one lane roads, at 30km-70km/h. Having people 2-3 meters up my ass is extremely frustrating while I'm doing the limit. I'll slowly decrease my speed until they pass me or back off. Those of you who's tailgating like this, you do realize there's no way you're not slamming straight into me causing not only damage to our cars but to people in our cars if I actually need to stop quickly because of people, animals, something on the road etc? I couldn't care less about what mood it puts you in, I'll park my ass on that lane if I have to - unless there's multiple cars behind me.
I'm a confident driver who can do a few spirited runs now and then. I love cars and driving in general. I'm also very educated on accidents, not only because I've actually had to learn while taking my license but also due to people I know who's been in accidents. It does not take much to permanently damage a human neck, can be done at parkinglot speeds. You can do whatever you want when you're not affecting others but acting like mentioned is not alright and coming up behind me is not going to make your day any better.
Perfect example of defensive driving.
High praise! Thanks
To add to your video, if you are driving slower than desired by tailgaters on a two-lane road, the tailgaters are allowed to pass on a dotted center line assuming the oncoming lane is safe and car free. If the center line is a solid double yellow, i make it a rule of thumb to pull off to the side, when there are 3 or more vehicle behind me, and let the tailgaters pass as im obstructing the flow of traffic, if theres room to pull over presumably. I was pulling a trailer loaded with tires on a 2-lane road, and 3 cars (and counting) were behind the trailer. I pulled off so they could be on their speedy way, i was just trying to transport the tires safely. :)
3:05 might of been a better idea to say overtaking lane and not fast lane, doesn't help correct peoples logic if you label it with the same ignorance they do XD otherwise great video, 100% agree and people that don't follow best flow infuriate me. Especially when merging in turn and trying to make use of the road space.
Yep, I caught myself saying this so many time in the video. I'll go through and put text on screen correcting myself. Might take a while lol
Thanks for the kind words though!
good on ya mate@@MickDrivesCars
Just like there are reasons why someone might driving a little fast, there are also reasons why somene might be driving a little slow. The car might be old and can't go up to the speed limit, the car might not be running properly and cant safely go up to or can't drive the speed limit at all, someone might be hauling something fragile and could be accelerating slowly to prevent said thing from shifting around too much. Tailgating to "send a message" isn't going to work in some circumstances. People need to be more considerate both ways. Not just people driving slow or people driving fast. Best to slow down until you can safety pass or they turn off the street. (this is assuming that the person isn't just hogging up the overtaking line when the travel line is wide open 🙄)
why am i even watching this being in india lmao
Loooooool you probably have someone that close from the moment you leave home
fr@@MickDrivesCars
Many moons ago, I was driving in freezing conditions, icy road that hadn't been gritted in a semi rural area. The speed limit was 30, I was doing 20-25MPH. I was tailgated by a Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Transit Van. At the earliest opportunity, I pulled out of his way at a passing point on this road. He pulled past and stopped. Informed me that I could be "nicked" for obstruction if I wasn't doing the speed that the road signage said. I eventually just agreed with him as the police officer was a complete knobber. You can't win.
People are often saying that they are going 5-10 slower than speed limit because thay want to be safe, but what they don't realise is that actually it is more dangerous, because people behind you are more likely to tailgate and do dangerous overtakes.
Laughs in NSW learner/P1 driver on a 110km/h highway
basically; you're not a cop, you're allowed to dislike something but don't think it's worth telling people what to do.
tho at the same time im not one to blame people doing a little or even a lot under the speed limit. i don't mind getting to my destination 40 seconds later. I'd rather keep my distances and overtaking when it's safe sounds safer than force someone who doesn't feel confident or maybe isn't fully able, to go faster (physical or mental conditions, injuries, or other situations that put them at a much greater risk for going faster). going under the speed limit is going to get people frustrated, and that's dangerous. but remaining calm and approaching any situation safely is what saves lives.
stop saying "fast lane", that doesn't exist.
Cope
One thing that annoys me is when someone gets overtaken by a line of cars and then hops into the passing lane because I think the psychology is that they think that they can't be overtaken while in the passing lane but in I believe in America if you try to signal to the guy in front of you to get out of the passing lane by beeping the horn and flashing your lights and they still don't move over then it is permissible to pass in the right lane in an attempt to keep traffic flowing and thank god that American police are actually starting to crack down on these left lane campers that just won't move over due to laziness/an overinflated ego
You’re putting the blame on the victim, you should NEVER tailgate. I agree if the victim is lane hogging, they shouldn’t be there, but tailgating them isn’t the way to deal with that situation. You need to give yourself options, and to do that you need space & time, two things that you don’t associate with tail gaters.
Indicating right to signal your intention to pass or using the "flash to pass" feature are less aggressive and safer (imo)
Then that makes me the victim and he blaming me for going the speed limit. But let me tell u some advice move over from the passing lane and let them pass. that way no road rage no problems and u are happy. Unless u got a ego and think oh because I'm driving thr speed limit everyone should. Nah man let them pass they will forget u and they keep going on their merry day and I do too. Unless u want to end up in a road rage by some crazy man or woman and risk injury or death. Then ok they hit your car and insurance debacle all thing I rather just avoid.
I’ll just weave around you.
thank you for the quick intro, I will be staying, and I will probably agree