Professional driver?????

[Aoraki]

HGV driver was probably...texting his mate/reading the Star/watching telly/eating sandwich/all of the above, and had the cruise set at 60mph.

Then looked up and saw your rearend approaching at frightening speed and panicked.

BLOW HORN, FLASH LIGHTS, GETOUTOFMYROAD!!

Nah. restricted to 56mph

 

[219]

Why didn't you put your hazard lights on when you drove off, knowing you would be travelling slower than the rest of the traffic? The poor truck driver would not have known you were driving on a space saver tyre.

It is illegal to drive with hazard lights operating .

 

[renault12ts]

It is illegal to drive with hazard lights operating .

You can use them whilst moving on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway to warn of an obstruction or hazard ahead. Not sure if that would apply to the OP when driving with a speed limited spare.

 

[ajs37]

Not sure if that would apply to the OP when driving with a speed limited spare.

believe me - it would not apply - 50mph is a reasonable speed on a motorway (I have had to drive 100 miles on a motorway on a spindly spare as well - and also remember running in a re-bored engine for 1000 miles at no more than 50mph a few years ago).

The lorry driver should have his licence taken away from him!

 

[neilrr]

I wouldn't drive 100 miles at 50mph on any motorway.

I'd find an alternate route or find a new tyre.

 

[timskemp]

I'll often drive at <60mph on the motorway, and once drove from birmingham to hull on the spacesaver.

Only thing I do different from PXW is I call the RAC to change the tyre - all that risk and manual labour...

As for truckers impatience, make a note of the reg and any phone number or company details and report them, it is the employers duty to ensure the complaint is investigated and any advice or training given accordingly.

 

[219]

Does the space saver disintegrate if it goes an indicated 55 or even 60 mph on your speed for a few miles?

I don't think the speed restriction on the spacesaver is so much because the tyre would fail .

More likely it is because spacesavers offer much less grip than the other tyres therefore the car's handling , braking and cornering abilities will be seriously compromised - just imagine what would happen if you had to emergency brake from high speed with a full size tyre on one front wheel and a space saver on the other side ! If the s-s is on the rear , the danger of the rear end breaking away is also greater .

 

[219]

You can use them whilst moving on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway to warn of an obstruction or hazard ahead. Not sure if that would apply to the OP when driving with a speed limited spare.

That is the single exception to the general rule that it is illegal to drive with them operating ( because you then cannot indicate ) .

 

[219]

I posted that as having gone through the highway code to check there is no minimum speed limit on a motorway or any road unless specifically signed. I am not advocating driving slowly I just wanted to be clear on my answer.

If you can find the minimum speed limit I would be interested.

There used to be a minimum speed restriction of 20 mph on motorways ( hence mopeds and certain other vehicles which would have difficulty maintaining this speed up gradients are excluded ) , but this would seem to have been abolished some time ago .

 

[219]

50mph is a reasonable speed on a motorway.....

The lorry driver should have his licence taken away from him!

I agree . The most anyone ( other than emergency vehicles ) is permitted to do is another 20 mph above that speed .

For many years vehicles towing trailers were restricted to 50 mph , and during those years I towed caravans at that speed over many motorway miles . As long as you do not hinder faster traffic from overtaking there is no problem .

 

[MOCAŠ]

The most anyone ( other than emergency vehicles ) is permitted to do is another 20 mph above that speed.

That puts me in mind of an amusing episode I encountered on the M3 earlier this year, where there was an ambulance driving along with full lights and sirens, clearly strugggling to maintain 65mph and being routinely overtaken by other drivers.