As a generalisation , if someone can pass you on the left then you’re in the wrong lane.
Ha ha. Das ist ein Deutscher Schäferhund.
I would generally agree, but there are also times when it’s difficult to be on the inside, not least because you’re approaching a junction and the inside lane is being peeled off, such as on the M40 approaching High Wycombe. Cars - usually a large Mercedes or BMW - will use that lane and weave through the traffic. In general, the worst UK drivers for dangerous speed these days seem to be in Mercs, and the worst for sitting in the middle lane driving at 50mph use small Asian vehicles.
In Brazil in the 70s we used to fear small Asians, invariably wearing a hat, driving small cars at 50mph in the middle lane. I wonder if that is still true?
Room for improvement.
You do realise that you are not supposed to leave the handbrake on? This is to minimise damage when you get pushed:upside_down_face:![]()
That’s because the whole of the Netherlands is covered in speeding cameras. So in their Porsche they can finally speed and pay the fines. French points don’t apply abroad.
See also Audis - to quote Tony from the London DashCam YouTube Channel - “It’s always an Audi!”. ![]()
And they use the inside lane to bypass a queue of traffic trying to leave a motorway via the slip-road, only to cut in at the very last minute, because they are far too important to queue up like the ordinary plebs.
That is incredibly dangerous. We’ve had an absolute shed-ton of that sort of behaviour at the A3/M25 junction over the last two years while National Highways have been rebuilding the junction.
And white vans as well, especially box-body Transits.
My friend who lived in the Netherlands but worked in eastern Europe bought his car in Poland and kept it registered there to escape speeding fines.
The area around Edinburgh seemed absolutely jammed with speed cameras last time I was there in 2004 and I can’t imagine it’s any better now. Likewise the Pyrenees a few years ago. One of the things I like about the Morvan is the feeling of relaxation and not being under scrutiny on the road.
In another lifetime in UK…
a new member of staff, who was on secondment from one of our foreign outlets… went “up north” for a meeting.
He returned the same day and I was surprised to see him as I’d expected him to stay there overnight.
No probs he said… the roads were clear and I just put my foot down. It was wonderful.
Ooops… he got 7 speeding tickets I think…
He hadn’t appreciated that these “lovely roads” had speed cameras and average speed thingies/whatever… he had simply enjoyed the thrill of letting rip.
Speeding fines for staff in staff vehicles… were frowned on by the company… and he’d amassed enough to lose his job.
Lucky for him he knew someone with enough authority to get the fines paid and help him keep his job. ![]()
Because its so easy to err and climb a few mph/kph over and suddenly you are a criminal despite several hundreds of miles driving at or under the limits. More crap in modern times.
Beware, I was followed by a camera car from Thoisy-la-Berchère to Pouilly-en-Auxois.
That is just so Swiss a comment ![]()
(And not really true btw - there are definitely different ranges of particular bits of behaviour in driving, that differ across countries …as one sees after a while driving in different ones)
Better not go to Italy then, if you think France is bad for this.
And in France, you don’t have to go on an autoroute to get severely tailgated either, that’s available on most days on a local route near me
Each country trains according to their code de la route, as there is no universal code, non local drivers are viewing from their reference point.
If you drive in CH you will see that those trained locally are better behaved. One of the main reasons for this is the country has “8 million Polizisten“.
My wife is always warning me of the speed limit on the road we are travelling and of a speed camera ahead.
I ignore her commentary in the knowledge that I am driving below the permitted speed limit.
I love our camping-car.
How nice that your wife is fulfilling her role as your co-pilote.
but don’t ignore her completely… ![]()
It might only be once that her commentary and/or observation of the road ahead comes in useful; but that one time might save lives.
Been there, done that !
I’ve driven a few times in Italy, between Pisa and Sienna, Rome to Positano and around Turin. The Italian drivers always seemed competent, quick and generally as though they would be at home in London where I learned to drive.
Last time I was in London (inside the ULEZ zone) in February it seemed that the maximum speed limit was 20mph everywhere
Yes it is! Mr Khan has mandated this to reduce accidents I believe. In lots of areas of London the effective speed limit was 10mph due to traffic congestion, but it’s a bit of a pain in places where there is more room.
The “20mph” plague is spreading - the whole of Wales is also 20mph I think, and Surrey County Council is getting in on the act too. The next village along from me on the way into Guildford has now been “twenty-ised” complete with humps on pedestrian crossings and a double set on speed bumps on the way in where the road now goes from 40mph to 20mph.
I’m all in favour of saving lives but I do wonder how much difference it makes, given that the average German car driver and L-plated Deliveroo rider ignores the 20 signs just like they used to ignore the 30 signs.