Tailgaters?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Tailgaters?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

84 posts

Master Geek

#1786457 23-May-2017 09:36

I think that it should be like Australia and Britain whereas the law states keep left unless passing and its strictly enforced, its only the road code rules over here so most ignorant drivers don't care and think its their right to stay in the right lane

Linuxluver

5828 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1786469 23-May-2017 09:46

Wiggum:

Linuxluver:

dafman:

Disagree 100%

What you are arguing is "not sensible", is actually the law. After you have passed traffic on the left travelling less than the limit, then move back left. Simple.

And it's definitely not your job to control 'impatient' drivers travelling at 110 - stay left and leave that to the police.

This YouTube from Australia sums it up perfectly. The overtaking lane hog story starts at 20:40 into the video, with a perfect summation commencing at 22:00 (warning: strong language). Link here

You obey the motorway signage as far as lane choice goes. Left is leaving the motorway at an exit not far away....and right is express traffic carrying on through....within the speed limit, of course. Where this particular sign is located the speed limit is 80kph.

Anyone staying left in this scenario - the norm as you traverse the urban area - is going to find themselves off the motorway at an exit not of their choosing.

Still no reason to be on the far right lane. The far right (over taking) lane very rarely has an off-ramp. So there is never an excuse to be in it unless you over taking.

Your beliefs around the priority of remaining left related to all other considerations aren't aligned with the sign above (both rightward lanes clearly available for express traffic) and are utterly irrelevant on the two-lane, bi-directional road. The right lane will fill up when the left lane is congested and people want to "pass".....which is what happens all day, every day.

Now back to tailgating.

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

Linuxluver

5828 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1786471 23-May-2017 09:54

Journeyman:

HamletUnicorn:

The majority of tailgating is simply out of ignorance. They have no idea they're doing anything wrong. If I pulled over every time someone follows too close I'd be pulling over dozens of times over a 15 minute journey and my fuel consumption would go thru the roof.

Sounds like you're a moving obstruction on the road.

That may be true unless you want to speed. Then it's not true. You'd be the problem in that case.

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

Linuxluver

5828 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1786473 23-May-2017 09:57

MikeAqua:

Personally I think Aucklanders should be banned from using the outside lane. Then through traffic would have faster journey through Auckland

That's almost a separate topic: "passing and merging".

I see so many people determined to get one car ahead they end up slowing *everyone* down - including themselves.........which is why the police tend to shut down some passing lanes on holiday weekends. That need to be first is a huge source of delay as then everyone needs to make space....and everyone is tailgating so there isn't any....and it's all stop.

You could forgive people not understanding this for a day or three.....but to carry on being braindead for literally years?

That's "special".

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

dafman

3928 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1786487 23-May-2017 10:18

New Zealanders motorway driving is, on average, atrocious.

I spent several weeks driving around Spain last year and it's amazing how well motorway traffic flows when all drivers obey the keep left when not overtaking rule (or in their case, keep right).

One thing I never experienced in Spain was drivers using the outside lane to "spread out the congestion" or, as we often see here, assuming a 'self-appointed-speed-police' role by staying in the outside lanes to slow down drivers they think are travelling too fast.

NzBeagle

963 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1786489 23-May-2017 10:20

dafman:

New Zealanders motorway driving is, on average, atrocious.

I spent several weeks driving around Spain last year and it's amazing how well motorway traffic flows when all drivers obey the keep left when not overtaking rule (or in their case, keep right).

One thing I never experienced in Spain was drivers using the outside lane to "spread out the congestion" or, as we often see here, assuming a 'self-appointed-speed-police' role by staying in the outside lanes to slow down drivers they think are travelling too fast.

I found in Italy there was general acceptance of speeding in an orderly fashion... Nobody died.

Dratsab

3946 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1786511 23-May-2017 10:38

dafman: New Zealanders ~~motorway~~ driving is, ~~on average~~ for the most part, atrocious.

There, fixed that for you.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

Linuxluver

5828 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1786512 23-May-2017 10:42

dafman:

New Zealanders motorway driving is, on average, atrocious.

I spent several weeks driving around Spain last year and it's amazing how well motorway traffic flows when all drivers obey the keep left when not overtaking rule (or in their case, keep right).

One thing I never experienced in Spain was drivers using the outside lane to "spread out the congestion" or, as we often see here, assuming a 'self-appointed-speed-police' role by staying in the outside lanes to slow down drivers they think are travelling too fast.

Someone doing the speed limit isn't a "self-appointed speed police"...they are doing the sped limit. Shouldn't be a problem for anyone but speeders.....

Personally, I let speeders go. I have no desire to spare them the ticket and demerit points they clearly seek. A few times I have driven past a speed camera with a guy behind me who appeared a minute ago at high speed and I haven't had a chance to pull over (a lot of roads have no shoulder at all - or even a deep ditch). I've just spared that guy a fine.....something I regret and he probably fails to appreciate.

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

MikeB4

18435 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1786520 23-May-2017 10:55

The issue is not hard to work out. Too many New Zealanders believe the public roads are their personal play ground, their vehicles are toys and the rules do not apply to them.

rb99

3425 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1786566 23-May-2017 11:23

Linuxluver:

rb99:

MikeB4:

Tailgatters without exception are idiots. There is no justification for this behavior. Hold back, keep to the 2/3 second rule and if really needed pass in a sane and safe manner

I've obviously had my idiotic moments then, not so much on the faster roads, as I do try to leave a reasonable space so I can accelerate before I overtake, as mentioned above, but admittedly more in town where I get frustrated by people who crawl around at 30 (if you're lucky) in a 50 zone. They can't exercise their foot on the accelerator if you beep, but they don't have any trouble exercising the odd finger...

Those people are often from out of town and trying to make sense of the messy assemblage of commercial and road signs all mixed in together....and a very common lack of any street names. Try this sometime ....you're on a road and you can see all the side streets....but what is the name of road you're actually on? It can be almost impossible to know without Google Maps or a GPS Nav device. So you go slow trying to give yourself a chance to see what you need to amid the visual signage diahorrea that is far too common on many urban streets.

Perfectly good point, including the phrase 'Those people are often'. I often struggle to spot road names, and if you're going with the flow and looking where you're going, by the time you've spotted it its gone already. But I also reckon some are just selfish - they're perfectly happy driving at 60% of the speed limit and bugger everyone else, never ever seen one move over to let the dozen cars behind them past.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

MikeAqua

7785 posts

Uber Geek

#1786580 23-May-2017 11:38

Linuxluver:

Someone doing the speed limit isn't a "self-appointed speed police"...they are doing the sped limit. Shouldn't be a problem for anyone but speeders.....

They become road monitors when they fail to pull left to let people pass. The law has no explicit speed exemption for this particular rule. A driver has to pull over (as far to the left of the reasonably usable part of the road as practicable) when their driving speed is impeding the reasonable and normal flow of traffic and it's necessary to pull over for other traffic to pass.

It's possible to argue speeding isn't normal and reasonable flow of traffic and there is no obligation to pull over.

The problem is we don't really know if someone else is speeding because our speedos are not calibrated in any meaningful way.

So still best to pull over if safe to do so.

When I'm towing the boat (90 kmh max) I regularly pull left to check if anyone is behind me as I can't see a vehicle directly behind me.

Mike

PeterQ

84 posts

Master Geek

#1786591 23-May-2017 11:50

Mike: There is actually a law called inconsiderate driving AFAIK but its not enforced

Geektastic

17946 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1786592 23-May-2017 11:51

It's very common here. We often comment on the little trains of cars we see in NZ where half a dozen cars are so close together that if the one in front stood on the anchors, the remaining cars would be piling into the back in a concertina of death.

People apparently have no concept of how long they might require to stop: I blame the lack of proper motorways because driving too close on a motorway of 12 lanes or something at 120km per hour will be a recipe for an early death in the first accident that you are involved in.

Never mind - she'll be right. The ACC will pick up the tab etc.

Geektastic

17946 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1786597 23-May-2017 11:56

Linuxluver:

dafman:

New Zealanders motorway driving is, on average, atrocious.

I spent several weeks driving around Spain last year and it's amazing how well motorway traffic flows when all drivers obey the keep left when not overtaking rule (or in their case, keep right).

One thing I never experienced in Spain was drivers using the outside lane to "spread out the congestion" or, as we often see here, assuming a 'self-appointed-speed-police' role by staying in the outside lanes to slow down drivers they think are travelling too fast.

Someone doing the speed limit isn't a "self-appointed speed police"...they are doing the sped limit. Shouldn't be a problem for anyone but speeders.....

Personally, I let speeders go. I have no desire to spare them the ticket and demerit points they clearly seek. A few times I have driven past a speed camera with a guy behind me who appeared a minute ago at high speed and I haven't had a chance to pull over (a lot of roads have no shoulder at all - or even a deep ditch). I've just spared that guy a fine.....something I regret and he probably fails to appreciate.

Agreed. The GPS on my radar detector tells me my speed and is set to give me an 'overspeed' warning at 98.

The moral hazard is what to do when the f-wit behind who just screamed past you at 140, cutting you up and driving like a lunatic is then found trapped in his vehicle in a ditch 2 miles down the road where he lost it on a bend...

Sometimes I believe I would just wave and drive on by. I probably wouldn't in reality, but the temptation would be there.

Geektastic

17946 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1786600 23-May-2017 11:58

PeterQ:

I think that it should be like Australia and Britain whereas the law states keep left unless passing and its strictly enforced, its only the road code rules over here so most ignorant drivers don't care and think its their right to stay in the right lane

Also to do that you need to make undertaking illegal. (Note - by that I mean passing on the left, not disposing of speeder's dead bodies!)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8