Overtakes me then slows down

[Bobby Dazzler]

Happens quite often. I'm cruising along at max permitted speed (using Distronic Plus) and a car that has just overtaken me, pulls into my lane then proceeds to slow down to below max permitted speed causing my Distronic to reduce my speed. I then have to either slow down or overtake them. Sometimes when I do overtake, they start speeding up again. What's that all about? Rant over.

Sorry, that’s me. I check my mirrors when I overtake a car, and if I spot a distronic star then I pull in and slow down.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I don’t mind if the other car is cruising at a similar speed and they’re just not consistent in speed. What irks me more - but is still far from irritating - when someone goes out of their way to briskly accelerate past me and then slows down. Odd.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I see that often, even when when lane 1 is completely empty someone will be at 66 mph hogging the middle lane, I can never use cruise control on the M69 or around Leics M1 unless they make it legal to undertake.
I followed a white Mercedes’Van the other day, he was cruising along the M69 at 60 all the way from M69 Leics to Coventry in the middle lane, no one at all in Lane 1.

It is legal to 'undertake' on a motorway . But not reccommended on a virtually empty motorway as that would seem to imply that the middle lane hogger is indeed in a world of their own and not expecting to see you. or anyone else for that matter.

Although not strictly illegal, undertaking is strongly discouraged by The Highway Code, stating “do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake.” However, there are exceptions that apply when a car undertakes in slow-moving traffic if its lane is moving faster than a lane on the right, undertaking in this circumstance is often deemed safer than weaving in and out of traffic.



Rule 268 of The Highway Code states: “In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to you right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.”

 

[Slartibartfast]

Sorry, that’s me. I check my mirrors when I overtake a car, and if I spot a distronic star then I pull in and slow down.

I'll be ok then, mine doesn't have a Distronic Star

 

[Red C220]

I don't notice this at all as I'm generally in the outside lane proceeding as fast as I dare whilst constantly on the lookout for cameras and the rozzers.

Each trip I take of any distance is then followed by 14 days or so of half expecting a FPN to drop through the letterbox. Tell me you're different!

I hardly ever use cruise control and don't spec any of my cars with any of the driving aids. The Mazda daily EV hack that we have comes with every possbile aid as standard and the thing constantly bleeps at me from a few hundred yards of leaving the house. The dashboard is in a constant state of flux at the apparent laxity of my driving skills.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I don’t mind if the other car is cruising at a similar speed and they’re just not consistent in speed. What irks me more - but is still far from irritating - when someone goes out of their way to briskly accelerate past me and then slows down. Odd.

That's exactly what I said in my first post

 

[John N]

I'll be ok then, mine doesn't have a Distronic Star
View attachment 123417

Ahh! But the quick witted and observant folks on here would spot the "OCD" on your Number Plate and blatantly slow down in front of you!

 

[Slartibartfast]

Ahh! But the quick witted and observant folks on here would spot the "OCD" on your Number Plate and blatantly slow down in front of you!

You got it

 

[m80]

The ebb and flow drivers don't know they're doing it. Their right foot is an emotion detector.
They pull out a lane therefor they should be going faster, so harder on the right foot.
They are relieved at being back in lane 1, so relax a little.
They don't monitor the mirror or they might well see me approaching at a constant cc speed.

If they see wagons ahead they often ease back and consider, and consider, and eventually pull out to overtake.

Not understanding how to use the 3rd brake effectively it must be scary when surrounded in a multi wagon situation. But I guess they just slow down.

 

[Martyn_n]

You suffer from this MUCH more whilst towing a caravan. It appears that most drivers have to be in front of you, regardless of whether you are travelling at the same speed as the rest of the traffic (It's an ego thing I think). Similar when filtering from 3 to 2 or 2 to 1 lane as mentioned on another thread. The fact that they have chosen to cut in and then slow down in front of a vehicle with more challenging braking efficiency seems lost on them.

 

[Stratman]

It appears that most drivers have to be in front of you, regardless of whether you are travelling at the same speed as the rest of the traffic (It's an ego thing I think)

It's a visibility thing

 

[Martyn_n]

It appears that most drivers have to be in front of you, regardless of whether you are travelling at the same speed as the rest of the traffic (It's an ego thing I think)

It's a visibility thing

A visibility thing? Not sure what that means but I have plenty of dash cam footage of people visibly behaving like d!ckheads in this way.

 

[BTB 500]

It's a visibility thing

If you mean not being able to see through/past when following then that applies to lots of vehicles ... tall/wide SUVs with tinted glass, most vans, all trucks, etc.?

 

[BTB 500]

You suffer from this MUCH more whilst towing a caravan. It appears that most drivers have to be in front of you, regardless of whether you are travelling at the same speed as the rest of the traffic (It's an ego thing I think).

This also happens on normal roads of course - people pull out from side turnings/fuel stations/etc. at the last second to get in front of you. I've mentioned it before but a good few years ago I ended up overtaking a Porsche 911 that was doing a steady 30-35 mph on an unrestricted single carriageway road. Fortunately I always use towing vehicles that have a good reserve of power & torque but it still took a good few miles to find somewhere to get past safely.

 

[Martyn_n]

This also happens on normal roads of course - people pull out from side turnings/fuel stations/etc. at the last second to get in front of you. I've mentioned it before but a good few years ago I ended up overtaking a Porsche 911 that was doing a steady 30-35 mph on an unrestricted single carriageway road. Fortunately I always use towing vehicles that have a good reserve of power & torque but it still took a good few miles to find somewhere to get past safely.

So glad it's not just me!

 

[Stratman]

Yes. a visibility thing. I'd rather see the road ahead for myself whenever possible rather than rely on someone else to react in a timely fashion to anything that might happen. Someone who might be on his/her phone, having a row with a passenger, cuddling a dog or otherwise distracted. Of course it's not always possible on single carriageways but when it's possible to do it I will, I don't see anything wrong with it and yes, I do the same with any large vehicle obstructing my view of the road ahead. When safely possible of course.

Given the choice of being able to see the road ahead or not being able to see the road ahead, which would you choose?

 

[m80]

Yes. a visibility thing. I'd rather see the road ahead for myself whenever possible rather than rely on someone else to react in a timely fashion to anything that might happen. Someone who might be on his/her phone, having a row with a passenger, cuddling a dog or otherwise distracted. Of course it's not always possible on single carriageways but when it's possible to do it I will, I don't see anything wrong with it and yes, I do the same with any large vehicle obstructing my view of the road ahead. When safely possible of course.

Given the choice of being able to see the road ahead or not being able to see the road ahead, which would you choose?

I'm the same in that I prefer to see well ahead. But by leaving a good buffer gap I can often decelerate rather that brake. It's when the impatient sod that must get into that gap that then annoys.

Like those that pull out in front, rather than chance being caught behind a slow moving slug, I have been known to do the same.

Often If I'm going to or via Macclesfield I can see a wagon trundling toward me as I wait to turn right onto the main road. If I end up behind I can be there for the next 6 miles as they haul up the Cat & Fiddle. Then I need to boot it so I don't slow them.

 

[Martyn_n]

Given the choice of being able to see the road ahead or not being able to see the road ahead, which would you choose?

When towing I choose to leave a space in front of me so that, yes I can see the road ahead AND have enough room to react accordingly. Some people, like yourself it seems, appear to think that your perceived need to see ahead (which could also happen if you held back a bit) is more important than leaving adequate space in front of a vehicle towing a caravan. I would suggest that most caravan drivers are aware of the limitations of their outfit and generally drive in a manner that allows them to anticipate when they need to brake, you are highly unlikely for one of them to have to brake sharply in front of you EXCEPT when the afore mentioned prat decided that he HAS to be in front of you even if that means filling the nice braking space you had left in front of your vehicle.

We are talking about people NEEDING to get past the caravan, even if that means they are only one vehicle further up the queue. On an open road I absolutely understand why you would want to overtake and then drive off into the distance but this is different behaviour I am talking about.

Seriously if you haven't tried towing a 'van you will not be aware of how innate this behaviour is in other drivers.

 

[Phil1968]

Yep, notice it all the time driving for my job. I usually have the van on cruise control on the motorway when conditions permit. They overtake you then pull in front, then slow down. Or you're behind them & they pull out to overtake, you follow behind, then they slow down whilst overtaking, then speed up when they pull over again. I think a lot of people just move cars from A to B, they don't drive.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

You suffer from this MUCH more whilst towing a caravan. It appears that most drivers have to be in front of you, regardless of whether you are travelling at the same speed as the rest of the traffic (It's an ego thing I think). Similar when filtering from 3 to 2 or 2 to 1 lane as mentioned on another thread. The fact that they have chosen to cut in and then slow down in front of a vehicle with more challenging braking efficiency seems lost on them.

Absolutely true.