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Country lane cruising?

I share the frustrations of many on both sides here, I despise tail-gating - my car is a magnet for this kind of behaviour (i.e usually male drives who think they can 'have a go' at the AMG), but I also take issue with well below limit driving on fast roads (not talking about any built-up urban areas here). I like to make fair progress, brisk/fast when the mood takes me and it seems that there are many drivers out there who object to that, purely because they want to be judge, jury and executiioner.

I've been taught to use ALL the road (there is no 'wrong' side) when fast road driving, particularly when planning and executing overtakes - this is where some people get very upset. I suppose they see a black Merc in their three quarter view, partially or fully over the white line on the other side and think 'tw*t', when in reality, all i'm trying to do is get a clear view of the road ahead, before passing. I've lost count of the amount of times i've been gestured at, threatened, flashed and then tailgated by said driver after passing - all for trying to drive safely and reduce my T.E.D.

But sadly not everyone see's it that way.
In the mid 70s I did a week long ambulance driving course where I learnt all about road positioning for optimum views ahead. My company was in a relatively remote area and several of the activities carried out on site were such that there were potential serious injury risks. It was considered that the time taken for an ambulance to travel to the site from the nearest hospital could possibly make the difference between life and death, so we bought our own ambulance and a few of us were trained up to drive it.

The vast majority of the route between the site and the hospital was winding country roads, and it was obviously important to get there as fast and as smoothly as possible. Initially, being told to use all the road from kerb to kerb felt wrong. Our instructor said that we'd be regarded as idiots by most people who saw us moving over to the far right of the road when approaching a bend to the left, but not to let that concern us. The vastly increased view allowed faster and safer progress. Obviously, this could only be done where legal - so no crossing solid white lines.

It works the other way too. Hugging the left edge of the road on approach improves the view of bends to the right, and sets up a better line to take the bend rather than the all too common corner cutting we see every day.

A multitude of other techniques help to make progress fast, smooth and safe on country roads. A glance down at the sat nav can give a good idea of the frequency, extent and severity of upcoming bends, but looking ahead at tree lines also provides valuable information for planning speed and approach.

Putting into practice the skills I learnt on that course, together with other things picked up over the years (including on various other courses), results in me enjoying the driving I do all over the world. By thinking about what I'm doing I can still appreciate the scenery while giving my passengers a smooth ride and without inconveniencing anyone else.

(The best lesson on smooth driving was during the ambulance driving course. Each of us took it in turns to lie on the gurney in the back whilst another student drove "normally". It's terrifying.)
 
The vast majority of the route between the site and the hospital was winding country roads, and it was obviously important to get there as fast and as smoothly as possible. Initially, being told to use all the road from kerb to kerb felt wrong. Our instructor said that we'd be regarded as idiots by most people who saw us moving over to the far right of the road when approaching a bend to the left, but not to let that concern us. The vastly increased view allowed faster and safer progress. Obviously, this could only be done where legal - so no crossing solid white lines.

It works the other way too. Hugging the left edge of the road on approach improves the view of bends to the right, and sets up a better line to take the bend rather than the all too common corner cutting we see every day.

A multitude of other techniques help to make progress fast, smooth and safe on country roads. A glance down at the sat nav can give a good idea of the frequency, extent and severity of upcoming bends, but looking ahead at tree lines also provides valuable information for planning speed and approach.
Totally agree, my instructor encouraged me to use whichever side of the road was most appropriate, also keeping left as long as possible to see the exit of an upcoming bend etc. The other thing (which I would never have thought of) was checking verges and walkways for signs of things like wheelie bins, bus stops etc - i.e if there are bins out and lined up, that will almost certainly mean there's a slow moving or stationary refuse truck somewhere ahead, so don't try and pass etc. All useful stuff.

On my second day on the course in rural Cambridgeshire, we even attracted the attention of a van driver (who we'd safely passed at speed earlier), he insisted on catching, passing and gesturing at us and then running a level crossing with the barriers almost down just to prove the point that he could pass. Baffling really - but sadly the mentality of a lot of drivers.
 
Any fool can drive quickly (until the "accident"), all it needs is a heavy right foot.

The real skill lies in making brisk progress while remaining safe. I've had two friends who demonstrated the latter... and the most memorable occasion was in a Fiat Multipla (Diesel) following an Escort Cosworth driven by a civilian driver along winding "B" roads. Try as he could, he couldn't shake off the oil burner!
 
The other thing (which I would never have thought of) was checking verges and walkways for signs of things like wheelie bins, bus stops etc - i.e if there are bins out and lined up, that will almost certainly mean there's a slow moving or stationary refuse truck somewhere ahead, so don't try and pass etc.
Known as “observation links”.

Observation and anticipation are two key elements to making good progress safely. The trouble with most drivers is that they seem to concentrate their gaze no further than 10 feet ahead of their car’s bonnet.
 
I share the frustrations of many on both sides here, I despise tail-gating - my car is a magnet for this kind of behaviour (i.e usually male drives who think they can 'have a go' at the AMG), but I also take issue with well below limit driving on fast roads (not talking about any built-up urban areas here). I like to make fair progress, brisk/fast when the mood takes me and it seems that there are many drivers out there who object to that, purely because they want to be judge, jury and executiioner.

I've been taught to use ALL the road (there is no 'wrong' side) when fast road driving, particularly when planning and executing overtakes - this is where some people get very upset. I suppose they see a black Merc in their three quarter view, partially or fully over the white line on the other side and think 'tw*t', when in reality, all i'm trying to do is get a clear view of the road ahead, before passing. I've lost count of the amount of times i've been gestured at, threatened, flashed and then tailgated by said driver after passing - all for trying to drive safely and reduce my T.E.D.

But sadly not everyone see's it that way.
A lot of people are simply in no hurry , nothing more to it than that .
 
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A lot of people are simply in no hurry , nothing more to it than that .

I'd class myself as in no hurry most of the time unless there is a reason, for example dawdling at 40 is no use when driving long distance or it would take for ever to get there. What I don't do is accelerate to 60mph followed by heavy braking on an unrestricted road between two roundabouts a few hundred yards apart. Lots of people do seem to do that though and I probably did the same when I was 20. I'm more about conserving momentum these days and I might still be faster than them through the roundabout due to observation and timing.
 
Basically what every biker like me already knows!!
I was a biker before getting behind the wheel of a car, as well as a few years after. The best thing I learnt on two wheels was how to read road surfaces.

As for bikers knowing it already, it’s a shame that such a small number appear to apply that knowledge!
 
As for bikers knowing it already, it’s a shame that such a small number appear to apply that knowledge!
I suspect that’s because many bikers today were car drivers first, rather than the other way around.
 
If they forced new drivers to spend 12 months on a motorcycle, before getting into a car, I think the standard of driving would be hugely better.
Roadcraft, awareness and self preservation, would be quickly installed!
Passed my bike test and was tonking about on a 350 LC and a Z750 about a year before passing my car test.
 

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