Travel Warnings

If you want to or need travel significantly under the speed limit you should move over at regular intervals to let following traffic pass. Seems to me to be common courtesy.

hope you're not expecting congratulations for refusing to move over and let other vehicles pass if you are driving 10k under the speed limit.
i'm only half way to a telegram from the queen but i was taught that good manners and some respect for my fellow adventurers on this planet are a good thing.
ymmv

It is simply about common courtesy which you clearly don't have. I have no problem with you travelling well below the speed limit, however it is polite to help those who need to or wish to travel faster a chance to get past you.

These sort of actions are purely selfish. What right do you have to hold everyone else up.

Don't mean to cause offence, but the nice thing to do is let others past if you must travel slower.

Kind Regards

Geoff

PS. I'm betting you drive a Toyota!!

SDG,
How stressed out you must have been, you poor little sausage.
All the stress you must have gone through, deliberatly holding up traffic!
There are many times when you are towing & you cant pull over, (because of the road conditions ie not wide enough etc) or you just werent prepared to pull over & let some one past unless you expected to be thanked/appreciated for it.
Sitting here typing this just thinking what a lousy holiday you had....WAKE up to youself you are on holidays relax & let the world pass you by!
How many time have you held a door open for some one ...they walk through & ignore you .... not everyone has perfect manners.
Pull your head in.... just relax, pull over a little & let them past.
Normally I say CU down the road dont think I will this time.

Tony H

If any have ever driven on the Great Alpine Road,as an example, it will be noted that there are very few areas to allow vehicles to overtake. I will move off the road to allow vehicles to overtake as a curtesy. It is this pratice I will no longer do. If need be i will wait for a firm surface to bring my entire vehicle over. Actually illegal for me to drive over the fog line anyway to allow vehicles to overtake.
Yes it is a curtesy to allow others to overtake where it is safe to do so. Is it a curtesy to hurl abuse at those who do move over?

I don't think SDG deserves the mouthful he has copped in this thread. He made a valid point about rudeness of other motorists who are so impatient, even if his choice of words "i will not move over a bit to let you pass" was not the best. SDG you cannot tell if i or anyone else who up comes behind you wanting to pass is one of the impatient rude breed, or someone who will wave a cheerful thank you when you get a chance to pull over and let us past.

I just shake me head and think "just what are you going to do with that extra five minutes in your life - if you live that long".

Those who are of the opinion that if you or your vehicle cannot maintain the MAXIMUM speed posted for that road, regardless of conditions, you shouldn't be on 'their' road have no understanding of varying road conditions, the needs of large or tow vehicles, driver experience or confidence, or about safe driving in general. They are the losers - unless they run into someone else.

My husband has made an observation that women driving rarely thank you for pulling over, but most men do - regardless of state of registration.

Motherhen

DSG

I do not care what drivers behind me are doing, unless they have a blue & red flashing light going. The key too it is that you are in front, and they have to get around you, when safe, and not when they their patience has run out.

I drove a concrete truck around Sth Gippsland, back in the early 90's, and I never got over, or waved peoples through. The way I seen it is that if people want to get past they will, and flashing lights to get me to pull over a bit, and make 3 lanes, is not only illegal, it's downright dangerous.

Towing a camper, is usually only 5 - 10 km/hr slower than a normal passenger car, and I am stuffed if I would pull over for anybody, except a truck. I will actually call them up on the UHF, and when safe I will help them through.

It's the impatient Dh's that cause all the road toll, because they think it is their God given right to travel at the speed limit, no matter what.
Cheers
Bucky

My opinion SDG is you have not done anything wrong. Any of those who expressed their opinions in an extremely derogatory manner... wake up. For your information in case you didn't know the posted speed limit is the MAXIMUM safe limit for optimal road conditions. Have you thought for a moment before releasing your vitriolic responses that there may have been good reasons why a particular vehicle was doing 10 kph under the MAXIMUM. God forbid that some poor bugger hold you up from your overridingly important time table. Yes truckies quite often are on tight schedules and like SDG I try my best to not hold them up and pull over when safe to let them pass, these big rigs can't accelerate or stop like the family car. 99% of these guys will give you an appreciative flash of their blinkers or if you are on channel say thanks. Maybe it is time to have a rethink if you believe road rage is the answer to our ever climbing road toll. You hope you never meet SDG on the road..............I hope I never have the occasion to cross paths with you.

I appreciate that the author is annoyed that people do not thank him for not moving over to let them pass. However, I suspect people touring on holidays often forget that the roads are also used by people traveling for business and leisure who are on much tighter schedules than they are.

Hence it is only common curtsy to let people who are traveling at the speed limit pass when it is safe to do so. It does not worry me one bit if I get thanked or not. That is the philosophy that I take when I am driving, and it results in a much relaxed trip for all concerned.

I usually tow my van at about 90-95km/hr. I'll glady move to the left BUT ONLY IF IT'S SAFE TO DO SO! If putting my van and vehicle off into a rough dirt strip beside a sealed road puts the rig, or worse, my family at risk, the line up can wait.
What annoys me is when I get to an overtaking lane I'll usually slow down to let as many as possible go past, but what usually happens is the snoozer in front of the conga line will cruise past instead of giving their car a good squirt for 5 seconds, and as a result only two or three vehicles will get around me before I have to barge my way back onto the road. I really hate being run out of road at the end of an o'taking lane!

What amuses me is some drivers will just about suck the doorhandles off your car going past and 10 minutes later I will pass them at a roadside stop having a coffee.

If someone has to travel below the speed limit for safety reasons, then would it be safe to say that the road is a bit narrow or windy. There for would it not be safe to overtake, or pull off to the side of the road and let others pass!

I had a guy overtake me the other day coming into Melbourne. I was on the speed limit and he flew past me. Well Well, guess who I pulled up behind at the first set of traffic light. Yep, the idiot in a hurry who was speeding and overtook me......got him a long way, hey.

Thats why there are so many head on's. So many people are so impatient and just have to overtake. They are not happy to sit there until the divided road or overtaking lane. SDG, you drive how you are happy to drive and you keep your family safe. Let the others behind you worry about what they are going to do.

We are just about to travel Aus with a 31 foot van, and I can tell you now, we will not be pulling to the side and putting us at risk, to let cars past, unless we can pull off in a parking bay or similar.

Karen

You should ALWAYS drive with due consideration and care for others.

If you are unable to maintain the posted speed limit you SHOULD keep a constant look in your rear view mirrors and when someone is following you and obviously intent on passing you SHOULD offer them every opportunity to do so and if that means you pulling off to the shoulder of the road then you SHOULD do so.
You must understand that by constantly driving below the posted limit YOU become a SERIOUS HAZARD to other road users travelling in the same direction.
By your actions you may cause other drivers to take unnecessary risks or do stupid things (such as crossing double limes, passing on corners etc).

Consider the situation where you are toddling along at say 80 km/ph in a 100 zone. A vehicle coming from behind and around a curve or perhaps over a crest and being confronted with your mobile road block, may not be able to stop, slow or evade you and collides with you. Yes it might be his/her fault BUT you would have been a very significant contributing factor in the incident perhaps even a fatality - whether you like it or not. Could you live with that ? Your holiday/trip may even be spoiled !
If you and your vehicle are not capable of travelling at the posted speed limits then it is YOU that has to make allowance for other motorists, NOT them for you.
Have you considered not travelling on main highways or thoroughafares? You could consider using the back-roads (secondary roads) !!

Suggest that you have a long hard think about your attitude to your manner of driving and your attitude towards other drivers.

In some States if detected by Police when you are travelling below the speed limit and obviously holding up other traffic, you may be committing an offence and you MAY be issued with an Infringement Notice and fined. Might even get a couple of demerit point and even have your rig inspected. There's always the chance then of having a defect notice issued and your trip/holiday put in jeporady. What a pity.

Courtesy,courtesy & courtesy three very important words & highly applicable to our driving/travelling this great country of ours. Maybe the Forum should have a section similar to a certain ex TV show called "What Cheeses me off" There are motorist "out there" that are rude & just plain unfriendly just like the public can be at times. I would like to mention some "antics" performed by people/motorists who "cheese me off" 1. Caravan park. Get told to quiten down & don't talk so loud as "We are trying to get to sleep & have to leave early morning" Time 2000hrs (8pm) Woken by the same person 0530hrs (5.30am) backing 4wd onto c/van hitch with wife yelling out instructions...his mate in white 60 series Tojo backs up to his van with....reversing beeper blaring!!! Actually catch up to the gruesome twosome hours later travelling at 80 k/pH in a derestricted zone saving fuel holding up all the truckies & everyone else. 2. Service station. pull up behind vehicle at only diesel pump available...little vehicle in front uses unleaded but has blocked access to 6 pumps!!! waiting,waiting, waiting for driver of car to appear when they finally do he/she decides to unwrap ice cream slowly walk over to car and proceeds to sit in car putting seatbelt on, play with radio & eat ice cream...then gets annoyed when requested to move forward!!! Yes. could go on and on but at the end of the day, have faith there are more of us that consider others than those who don't

Good on ya SDG.

You obviously make the attempt to allow other vehicles to overtake you ... where possible ... And its the lack of courtesy that seems to be getting to you.

heh heh ... 100kph on the clyde and the brown ???? .... There was a time when the only vehicles doing that sort speed on those roads .... were the runaway trucks looking for a safety ramp ... How times change eh .... LOL

90kph is not that much of an inconvenience on a mongrel section of road and Im sure there will be other roadusers besides you travelling at that speed on that road at any given time.

Im also choosey about how "polite" I am when travelling ... Vehicles behind me that are driven in what I deem a "professional" manner ... e.g. a couple of lengths back, and positioned to the right to view oncoming conditions ... are given every oppotunity to overtake me.

As for the rest ... darting from one side of the road to the other at constantly changing speeds .... I just hug the LHS edge of the bitumen - maintaining a constant speed and position ... so they can do what they like.


Many years ago I made a very obvious point of thanking a slow travelling caravan owner for moving onto the verge, allowing my motorbike to pass him without having to cross on into the oncoming lane.

I had to shout at him so as to drown out the drivel from the person writing me a ticket for crossing double white lines - when I hadn't.

Apparently if he didnt stop quizzing the officer about the need for my ticket - he would have been booked for " SOMETHING " too.

Just a cautionary tale ... about how an act of courtesy can backfire.

Do the math. Speed limit 100kph. Your speed 95 kph. 5kph for 5 hours equals 25 kms less than the speedsters. Extra time ...oh about 15mins. Slow down, save fuel, be more relaxed and virtually get there at the same time.

Reading through the initial post the first image that crossed my mind was: ‘No-one's saying what a good boy I am, so I’m going to take my toys and play all by myself”

The actions described above are a manifestation of a road rage from a passive aggressive!

I understand totally the frustration of a lack of thanks from people you have let pass you; ignorant uncouth children of a lesser god that they are (travelling the Great Ocean Road a few Easters ago the kids counted a 15% thank you rate when I pulled into areas to let the backlog go).

However, to actively inconvenience people travelling the same road with the same “rights’ as the driver is amazing…I hope karma is real

No-one has commented on the fact that virtually all of those who abused SDG were Victorians.

Are you lot really that impatient and rude?

It would be interesting to see which State those who have replied come from and which side of the fence they sit on with respect to this post!

FWIW I too generally travel at below the posted limit when towing but always try to move over and allow those behind to pass if I can.

On narrow roads I don't like moving over if there's loose gravel on the edge for fear of spraying the vehicle behind with stones so sometimes thay just have to wait. If that annoys them then so be it, but I'm sure they'd be more annoyed if I was responsible for some chipped paint or a chipped or broken windscreen.

The less vehicles behind me (and in front) the safer i feel when travelling.....if that means pulling over to let them pass, then i will. This is particularily important when i see a truck up my rear, it is not worth the hassle for all of us to simply ignore the situation and hold him up. The same be said of a car which may have different priorities.

Safety comes first when travelling long distances i feel, and if i can help the situation then i will. If that means travelling 10km/h slower then i will. However i am aware that if i do that then there are other ramifications that can cause an accident. I need to deal with that situation then. Ignoring it and not letting others past is not helping the situation IMHO and may cause an accident due to the risks people may take when overtaking. I could not live with that situation on my mind.

My thoughts on the situation.

Andrew

On a 100Kmph road it is an offence to exceed that limit even whilst performing an overtaking maneuver. Therefore if vehicle A was travelling at 95kmph and vehicle B was overtaking vehicle A, the maximum legal net difference in speed is 5kmph.

On the other hand if vehicle A was travelling at 80kmph and vehicle B was overtaking at 100kmph, then the net difference is 20kmph.

It's not hard to work out that vehicle B would therefore complete the overtaking maneuver in a shorter distance and quicker time.

This is blatantly obvious in the case of overtaking a triple road train. If the road train is struggling up a hill , I'd rather it be travelling at 60kmph rather than 95kmph if I were the one overtaking.

Sometimes it pays to see the glass half full rather than half empty.

It is amazing how little self control some people have. Australians call themselves "mates" but there is little evidence in everyday life that this has any meaning. But even our traffic laws make the drivers ignorant and create aggression. It is unknown in other countries that vehicles have right of way over pedestrians at pedestrian crossings. When you ride a bike along a road with traffic frequently turning into side roads you can bet that you get run over ig you don't pay attention, and may other situations.
My own experiences when towing made me decide that Australian drivers are not rude but plain stupid. When I have my camper loaded and towing my boat I usually run at +-2 of the posted speed limit. Thats the tolerance of my cruise control. In WA the situation is different because we have the towing speed limit at 100 when the rest can go 110 (creates a real problem at times). When towing the boat a lot of other vehicles towing have the urge to pass me (because towing a large boat and having a camper loaded means to them that they cannot stay behind - why ? is beyond me). The real nasty ones then pull in front of you and slow down and force me to switch of my cruise control and adjust to their speed. The majority of towing vehicles slow down on hills - I don't - and as a consequence I pass them on uphill passing lanes going the posted speed to experience the same thing again: I get passed with speeds way beyond the limit and then the vehicle pulls over to slow down. I have this all the time in WA with towing vehicles and with cars in the other states. I cannot really say that any particular state is worse than the other, because it happens pretty much everywhere and it is also pretty much independent of my speed. I tried going -5 and it happens and I tried going + 5 and it happens. Why it is beyond me. My cruise control holds speed very accurately and it should be a real gain to sit behind me and save fuel and relax. I usually do that with a truck when we are not going uphill and they slow down too much.

Another real bad thing is when you go along a 4 lane road and you run up to a slower vehicle and someone sits to your right not letting you pull over but make you brake until they have passed. Something unthinkable for me. When I see a truck running up to a slow vehicle I will either pass quickly or stay behind to let him pull over in front of me that he does not loose momentum.

What is described as courtesy in this thread is common sense for me, but unfortunately the majority of my fellow Australians are too selfish or do they lack the mental capacity to understand that ?

good on you when you try to do the right thing.. and don't worry about those with tiny brains.

have fun
gmd

As per usual we only have one side of the story.

Not trying to say you were in the wrong SDG, but there is usually 2 sides to a story and the truth usually sits somewhere in the middle.

Happy travelling.

Greg

Hi SDG,

I try to let the people in a hurry overtake when ever I can. I pull to one side and let them thru and you are correct some of them give you the 1 finger salute or hurl abuse.

I ignore them as over the years I've learnt that it doesn'tdo me any good getting cranky and hurling abuse back or giving the bird back.

It certaintly makes me a lot happier not giving a bleep what the people do I find it funny that some people get that worked up or are on such a limited time table.

You certaintly have copped it in this thread but saying that you wouldnt pull over will do that ( I know it was as a result of frustration) .

Cheers Wilko

Hello SDG, please don't change your normal courteous habits and keep allowing other motorists to pass you by waving them through at a safe point regardless of their response. You'll be keeping the roads a bit safer as a result. People who get frustrated because they can't do the speed that they want to do sometimes let their now elevated emotions overrule their judgment further down the road.

Please ignore the lack of respect shown by these people, you're a far better driver than that. Just smile at them as they drive past and shake your head later. You know the limitations of your towing situation and if the idiot behind you is to dumb to realise that then that is his problem, not yours.

What you really want is to get these guys well and truly out of your way. A poor overtaking decision by them could result in you being involved in an accident through no fault of your own.

So, don't change the good driving habits you've developed over a life time. You know that you are doing the right thing and you don't need the accolades of idiots like theseto back up your stance. What the hell would they know about good driving. To put it simply, these sorts of drivers aren't even worth getting worked up about.

As a CFS volunteer fire fighter/road crash crew/ and many other assigned duties, it is most irritating when there is a hold up ahead and the blocking vehicle stays much slower than is safe on that section of road. Whilst using our own vehicles to get to the station to crew up on the emergency vehicle we are not permitted to exceed the speed limit or indeed break any road rules. It is usually only one or two vehicles ahead driving at 40-45 kmh with other vehicles coming from the opposite direction thus preventing us overtaking and getting to the station two minutes faster. Remember that two minutes may be enough to save your life or property in the country - don't block vehicles who seem to be in a hurry for no apparent reason. It may be me trying to save you or your loved ones one day. And further to your post near the top, suggest you check the legality of using flashing headlights in the Australian Road Rules - last I looked it was legal for this to be used as a warning. Never was once but things have and continue to change. And also keep your eyes out for those flashing red and blue lights accompanied by a siren. It's amazing how many ignorant and inattentive drivers never see us - even when right behind you, and the headlights are also flashing as a further warning.

SDG,

Many people these days enjoy the high speeds associated with country travel. If they choose to do that, that’s fine but I believe there has to be a higher tolerance to those, like yourself who don’t. I usually travel around 80/90km/hr due to my vehicle. On most occasions people understand this and overtake, or if a curvy road I will wave to let them know its safe to pass.

However, many also seem to tailgate. On one particular incident I was tailgated for some time before this person decided to overtake and cross into the other lane, on a blind corner and into the direct path of another vehicle coming the opposite way. The other vehicle put the lights on and horned it and this bloke still tried to pass, I reckon he made it with just less then a meter to spare from the other vehicle and a few inches from my bulbar -due to me braking to let him in. The stupid thing was that there was an overtaking lane not more then 5kms away…

Depending in your speed, if your doing 50km or less I rekon its good courtesy to let people pass when you can. IF however you cant, then they are going to have to live with it and overtake when safe to do so - if possible indicate to let them know its safe. During the tourist season im always stuck behind them, its always interesting trying to overtake, but its all part of sharing the roads isn’t it.

There’s always your idiots on the roads, but there’s also sensible ones who will appreciate it, so don’t generalise all to be idiots and not let them pass, what if I get stuck behind you one day? Haha

Cheers,
And good travels!
Tommo

What would you all call it when, after being held back, along with at least 20 other cars, at 70kmh for 45 mins in a 100kmh zone, you finally get behind the hold-up car after many others have nearly killed them selves and us.

Sheer Bloody Arrogance!

Especially when the driver of that car has hand painted a sign which sits in the rear window that says, " I choose my speed, NOT YOU!"

This happened 20 yrs ago between Hervey Bay and Gympie, when there were very few overtaking lanes, not many straight stretches and very narrow roads.

When we got to Gympie, and reached the south end of town, ahead of the S.O.B. due to double lanes in the town, we were very pleased to see a police car sitting on the side of the road and hoped they were waiting for the arrogant old geezer to come around the bend.

On a recent trip to Brisbane, I was shocked at the number of cars which changed lanes in front of us with little or no warning. They cut it so fine, I was flinching in expectation of being hit by them. Sad to say, too many of them were towing camper and boat/trailers.

Sheila.

Courtesy is all i can say. Give some and expect some, but as others have said you can only do what you feel is safe to do. Dont let impatient buggers get to you, take a break, relax, soak it all in while it lasts. Just say to yourself, well im on holidays, and he/she aint, who gets the last laugh then.

I would be more worried about the trucks which are overtaking you, if your only doing 10k under the limit, then how on earth are they going so fast?
Thats the real danger.

I did the great Ocean road last year, and i was fairly flogging my vehicle to get around and up and down, and sticking as close to the limit as possible without becoming dangerous, and yet i sometimes had up to 5 cars behind me, and motorbikes overtaking on corners. I stopped when i could safely, but it just had me absolutley stunned at the speeds these people were travelling. I would have stopped for at least 50 cars, and around 10 of them P platers.

Im suprised there isnt a death a day on that road.

Now here is a new twist for those people who are following this thread - most of the impatient ones out there on the roads are non EO members ! :-))

KK