Bullying of small cars.

S

S class

Registered User
Messages
825
I drive two different vehicles, a Hyundai i10 and a VW Transporter Van.
I often drive on the M50 at off peak times when the traffic is light.
I typically drive in the left hand lane at 70 to 80 km per hour.
Very often while driving my Hyundai I would have motorists following behind me within a couple of meters from my rear bumper. More often than not these are lorry or van drivers. They look large and threatening behind before overtaking me.
This rarely occurs when I drive the Transporter.
This pattern of behaviour also occurs on suburban roads when I keep to the 50 km speed limit.
Have any other small car drivers noticed this bullying behaviour.
 
Last edited:
I have a big car and notice the same even at or on the limit on the M50. Truck and van drivers are some of the worst offenders. Plenty of car drivers do it as well. It's impatience, poor driving, dangerous. and in some cases bullying.
I have seen Garda drivers tailgating for no reason. Therefore I hold out little hope of any enforcement of safe driving gaps in any class of road. In a recent trip to the UK, it's was immediately obvious that driving etiquette was much better that what I see on the M50.
 
MrEarl said:
70km sounds too slow for the motorway, tbh. I think you need to be a bit closer to the speed limit, even if in the inside lane.
Click to expand...
Maybe so on a long stretch of motorway with long gaps between junctions, but on the M50 I would say that traffic moving at speeds near the maximum limit in the left lane makes it more hazardous for vehicles entering and exiting at junctions. There are slip roads on the M50 where traffic both enter and exit. Crisscrossing traffic at 100 km per hour is not a good idea. In a lot of European cities with short stretches of motorways and frequent exits, reduced speed limits apply.
 
Last edited:
The 'bullying' on continental roads would be far more. Trucks are on a tight schedules and having slow cars in front of them massively frustrates them.

The other issue is that entering cars pull onto the motorway at a too slow speed. The point of the slip road is to first get to the full speed as the rest of the traffic, before entering the motorway.

None of the above justifies dangerous bullying, but there is a debate to be had which role the slow cars take in this. No problem if someone feels uncomfortable with 100 kmh, but it is then better to take a few targeted driving lessons for motorways or to use other slower roads.
 
It's the law of the jungle. The bigger the vehicle, the more power you have on the road. Trucks, while slow, are the biggest vehicle on the road and can bully anyone.

If you are going 70km, even on the left lane where trucks drive, you are going to get more instances of this.
tom1220 said:
The 'bullying' on continental roads would be far more.
Click to expand...

If you don't use your lanes properly, you'll be let know! No hogging the outside lane, you'll be blasted out of it by the cars behind.
 
"Failure to progress", or driving too slowly, will cause someone to fail their driving test.

If you are driving so slowly that you are causing other motorists to manoeuvre then you are driving dangerously. If you do that in France the police will stop you.
In the UK you can also be stopped by the police for driving too slowly on a motorway and can be charged with dangerous driving.
In my experience traffic on motorways outside cities in the UK moves considerably faster than in this country. I travelled on the M6 and M5 a few years back, going from Holyhead to Plymouth, and the traffic was moving at between 85 and 90 MPH most of the time.
 
S class said:
I drive two different vehicles, a Hyundai i10 and a VW Transporter Van.
I often drive on the M50 at off peak times when the traffic is light.
I typically drive in the left hand lane at 70 to 80 km per hour.
Very often while driving my Hyundai I would have motorists following behind me within a couple of meters from my rear bumper. More often than not these are lorry or van drivers. They look large and threatening behind before overtaking me.
This rarely occurs when I drive the Transporter.
This pattern of behaviour also occurs on suburban roads when I keep to the 50 km speed limit.
Have any other small car drivers noticed this bullying behaviour.
Click to expand...
While it’s possible that driving a small car gives rise to more perceived bullying drivers ?, people are usually entirely focused on themselves, you’re speeds are also very slow and this irritates a lot of drivers
 
MrEarl said:
70km sounds too slow for the motorway, tbh. I think you need to be a bit closer to the speed limit, even if in the inside lane.
Click to expand...
I dunno.

There’s no minimum speed on the M50 and the OP is driving in the left lane at off-peak times. It should be reasonably easy to pass using the other two lanes without recourse to intimidation.

As he’s said, it doesn’t happen when driving the van so that should tell you something.

I’d agree with the “law of the jungle” analogy. For Hyundai i10, perhaps think stray wildebeest.

The M50 is at most times a glorified bypass. At peak times, it’s a car park where notions of speeds of 70kmh are just fanciful.
 
Truck drivers try and maintain a constant speed as it takes so long and too much fuel to be slowing down and then speeding up again. Therefore on the motorway you really need to be travelling at 90km an hour to be comfortable
 
I drive an i10 as well, and am on the M50 on occasion. I've never experienced the bullying you mention, but I drive at the same speed as other vehicles, which is normally at or around the speed limit. I respectfully suggest it is the fact that you are driving slower than the surrounding traffic, including trucks that is causing the perceived bullying. I would guess that driving at 70 kph in a large car would cause the same following distances, but would not be as noticeable to you inside the larger car.
 
S class said:
There are slip roads on the M50 where traffic both enter and exit. Crisscrossing traffic at 100 km per hour is not a good idea. In a lot of European cities with short stretches of motorways and frequent exits, reduced speed limits apply.
Click to expand...
The slip roads onto the M50 are massive by international standards. Try drive in Italy where the merge lanes are super short and drivers a little touched!
 
I do not agree that it's slow speed causing this. I am generally on the M50 off peak and aim to drive 80kmph on the left. It's a very efficient way to drive and it's also more relaxing. 5min more on my journey is nothing.

When the high fuel prices hit, in the UK at least, people were being asked to moderate their speed on motorways to conserve fuel. Conservative driving is ignored by many, but there is lots of truth in it.

The posted limits are not minimum speeds or target speeds. Also, vehicles towing a trailer are restricted to 80kmph, even on motorways. It is the responsibility of other motorists to safely pass them and others driving at these speeds in a respectful way.

Truck drivers wanting to keep a steady speed etc makes sense but is no excuse for them. to drive up behind a vehicle. If they see traffic ahead moving slower, they should pull out to the middle lane in good time (if safe) or gradually slow to keep a safe distance. That is not difficult to do and helps them keep a high average speed, and thus save fuel.
 
I believe all the "Rules of the Road" are not necessarily law but this is what is stated there:

"Avoid driving too slowly.

In normal road and traffic conditions, keep up with the pace of the traffic flow while obeying the speed limit. While you must keep a safe distance away from the vehicle in front, you should not drive so slowly that your vehicle unnecessarily blocks other road users. If you drive too slowly, you risk frustrating other drivers, which could lead to dangerous overtaking. However, remember: you must not drive at a speed at which you cannot stop the vehicle within the distance you can see to be clear ahead."
 
Salvadore said:
The M50 is at most times a glorified bypass. At peak times, it’s a car park where notions of speeds of 70kmh are just fanciful.
Click to expand...

I drive on the M50 working every day between 6.00 and 7.30 in the morning and between 5.00 and 8.00 in the evening. I rarely experience it being a glorified bypass. Maybe twice a month there's a delay of between 5 and 15 minutes but most days it moves fine. Even at peak times it usually takes around 10 minutes to travel between the Tallaght and BIanchardstown exit. I go South to North in the morning and return in the evening. I think it's a great road.
 
Leo said:
The slip roads onto the M50 are massive by international standards. Try drive in Italy where the merge lanes are super short and drivers a little touched!
Click to expand...
Or in the USA where exits and on ramps can be on either side of the road.
 
Purple said:
Not for all the drivers stuck behind you!
Click to expand...
This I find hard to understand and it's a massive assumption to make. As I said, it's off peak, with low traffic volume. There is no reason for anyone to be stuck or frustrated behind me. I also overtake cars that are going slower ahead of me, and don't find it frustrating to have to do so. I signal and move out in good time and pull in again. Other motorists do the same to me. I should add that while driving at less than 100kmph I have passed cars in middle lane. These are more likely to cause frustration to other motorists than someone going 70/80 safely in the left lane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top