I should pay for driver caught speeding

[TwickenhamCyclist]

what the speed cameras don't take into account is that you can break the speed limit in order to overtake a slower moving vehicle if its the safe thing to do in order to minimumise the amount of time spent on the wrong side of the road provided you drop back to the correct speed once past the slower vehicle

.

???????????????

 

[magnatom]

Come on Catrike, you must have seen my recent video (Must Pass Cyclists). So you already knew that this rule applied, so the fact that the car approched from behind, you should have know that the BMW would have had to overtake, and so should have adjusted your speed accordingly. Pay up you bad man! Tsk Tsk.

 

[Black Sheep]

???????????????

not joking, the reasoning being that the tractor going 25ish mph will be hard to overtake safely due to the length of time taken to get past

to prevent a long line of vehicles waiting to pass in the event of the tractor not having anywhere to pull in, the following vehicle is allowed to overtake ignoring the speed limit until he is in front of the vehicle - if done with the consideration and not holding anyone up (ie not cutting in or just overtaking someone doing the same speed and then slowing them down etc) the overtaking vehicle won't be going much more than 35 and unlikely over 40 before tucking back in and dropping back to the speed limit

this is all supposed to happen when it is safe to overtake, ie no blind corners or road endings etc, more reserved for outside of city centres i feel

 

[thomas]

Are you sure you're not getting mixed up with being allowed to cross solid white lines to overtake slow vehicles?

Or is this just another motorist's urban myth?

Or are you right after all? I'd like to see the evidence.

I swear I read that if they're doing under 10mph you can, eg, road sweeping things.

 

[jay clock]

you can break the speed limit in order to overtake a slower moving vehicle if its the safe thing to do

not true! and certainly not if the "slower moving vehicle" is already exceeding the speed limit

 

[Black Sheep]

Are you sure you're not getting mixed up with being allowed to cross solid white lines to overtake slow vehicles?

Or is this just another motorist's urban myth?

Or are you right after all? I'd like to see the evidence.

as far as i'm aware you are not, ever allowed to cross solid white lines unless caused to do so by roadworks or a broken vehicle

and under no circumstances should you go the wrong side of a traffic island since its technically a one way street

 

[Black Sheep]

not true if the "slower moving vehicle" is already exceeding the speed limit

read what i put at first, i clearly said the slower moving vehicle doing less than the speed limit.

most police i know agree with this

 

[HLaB]

as far as i'm aware you are not, ever allowed to cross solid white lines unless caused to do so by roadworks or a broken vehicle

Rule 129 of the Highway Code permits it if the object you're overtaking is going at less than 10mph and Catrike was certainly going faster than that. I've never heard of being allowed to break the speed limit to overtake somebody going faster than the limit.

129

Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

 

[cheadle hulme]

not joking, the reasoning being that the tractor going 25ish mph will be hard to overtake safely due to the length of time taken to get past

to prevent a long line of vehicles waiting to pass in the event of the tractor not having anywhere to pull in, the following vehicle is allowed to overtake ignoring the speed limit until he is in front of the vehicle - if done with the consideration and not holding anyone up (ie not cutting in or just overtaking someone doing the same speed and then slowing them down etc) the overtaking vehicle won't be going much more than 35 and unlikely over 40 before tucking back in and dropping back to the speed limit

this is all supposed to happen when it is safe to overtake, ie no blind corners or road endings etc, more reserved for outside of city centres i feel

This isn't right is it?

If a learner is doing 25 in a 30, what possible justification is there for me (in car) accelerating to 40 just to get past?

 

[Lurker]

not sure if i've understood you correctly,

the driver is claiming he would not have been got speeding if the op had been going slower or not been there, because the op was going at the speed limit or slightly above, the driver of the BMW had to break the speed limit in order to get past.



what the speed cameras don't take into account is that you can break the speed limit in order to overtake a slower moving vehicle if its the safe thing to do in order to minimumise the amount of time spent on the wrong side of the road provided you drop back to the correct speed once past the slower vehicle

obviously if this was allowed for people would just use the wrong side in order to avoid the fine.

Err no, the speed limit is an upper limit; no ifs, no buts. The driver of the BMW discussed here didn't *have* to break it; they *chose* to break it. The use of 'must not' in the Highway Code makes clear that speed limits are enforceable by law....


Speed limits
124

You MUST NOT exceed the maximum speed limits for the road and for your vehicle (see the table above). The presence of street lights generally means that there is a 30 mph (48 km/h) speed limit unless otherwise specified.

[Law RTRA sects 81, 86, 89 & sch 6]
125

The speed limit is the absolute maximum and does not mean it is safe to drive at that speed irrespective of conditions. Driving at speeds too fast for the road and traffic conditions is dangerous. You should always reduce your speed when

* the road layout or condition presents hazards, such as bends
* sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, particularly children, and motorcyclists
* weather conditions make it safer to do so
* driving at night as it is more difficult to see other road users

Use a fixed point to help measure a two-second gap
126

Stopping Distances. Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear. You should

* leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops. The safe rule is never to get closer than the overall stopping distance (see Typical Stopping Distances PDF below)
* allow at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster-moving traffic and in tunnels where visibility is reduced. The gap should be at least doubled on wet roads and increased still further on icy roads
* remember, large vehicles and motorcycles need a greater distance to stop. If driving a large vehicle in a tunnel, you should allow a four-second gap between you and the vehicle in front....

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070304

 

[Riding in Circles]

I should clarify it was in a 30 limit, it was an obvious case of "must pass the cyclist". As to the barman, it is a little pub in a village only frequented by locals and me, it took a while but I am now considered to "belong".

 

[downfader]

You should contact the Police (or whoever looks after the cameras) telling them of the c*ck in the BMW who aggressively overtook you and then verbally assaulted you in the pub about it being your fault... date / time and they should be able to track down his nice image on the camera and have a quiet work alongside his fine... he'd be pleased you went to so much trouble, I'm sure.

I think thats a great idea... the police might also see that he's not the kind of person you want on the roads and is prone the "the rage"

 

[Riding in Circles]

Nice one Catrike!! Those trikes are fast, are they not? I'm going quicker on mine every day. 1200 miles now have sculpted my bent legs.

Yep, that was the Expedition you test rode.

 

[Black Sheep]

This isn't right is it?

If a learner is doing 25 in a 30, what possible justification is there for me (in car) accelerating to 40 just to get past?

with each post people are making more and more sense that it is not true,

i have been assured it is legal and in the highway code, presumably under the overtaking section however i don't have a copy to hand

i'm now presuming it only applies on rural roads

 

[col]

I always thought you could exceed the limit to overtake on motorways for example?