Motorway driving speeds...why do people seem to speed up then slow down?

Desmo

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I see this a lot on the motorways and used to think this was down to traffic conditions or other things, but on a quiet journey the other morning I'm just left a bit bemused.

Taking my mum to Gatwick airport at 2.30am on Tuesday I travel down the A12, M25 and M3. As you can imagine, there's not a great deal of traffic on the roads. On the M25 I approach a car that is in lane 2, I'm sitting at 72mph on cruise control in lane 1. I pull in to lane 2, then in to lane 3 and pass the car. As I get just in front, he increases his speed and is now sitting about 1-2ft behind me. I can't pull back in front of him so I speed up a little to create more room, pull in to lane 2 and then back across to lane 1. As I do this, the guy decides to accelerate quite fast until he gets stuck behind another car in lane 2, then slows and stays there meaning I catch up again, still sitting at the constant 72mph on cruise control :confused:

Coming back home on the M3 another car did exactly the same thing. I approach at a constant speed, overtake, pull back in and then they accelerate past until they hit more traffic and then slow down again.

Why do people do this? It's almost as though you've just woken them up and they realise they're travelling slower than other cars.
 
You know, I speak about this type of thing with friends all the time, when we travel down to England.
I'll sit at a steady 80-85 mph.
I'll get someone go steaming past me.
A couple of minutes up the road, they've slowed down and I'll go past them.
I just don't get it, why don't they pick a speed and stick to it?
 
It doesn't seem to matter what speed you're doing either. I normally cruise along at 85-90 and it still happens. It's only because it was early hours of the morning and I may not have been as alert as I normally would be that I decided to drop my speed.
 
It doesn't seem to matter what speed you're doing either. I normally cruise along at 85-90 and it still happens. It's only because it was early hours of the morning and I may not have been as alert as I normally would be that I decided to drop my speed.

Maybe some people think that a public road is their own personal race track
 
I'd be interested to see what the police class as more dangerous.
The bloke minding his own business and sticking to an illegal 80/85mph for mile after mile.
Or the bloke booting it up to 90/100mph for short stretches, before pulling back in and doing 70-75mph.
 
In which case you'd think they'd be speeding around all the time. If they wanted to do that, why would they slow down when they came across more traffic in front?
 
In which case you'd think they'd be speeding around all the time. If they wanted to do that, why would they slow down when they came across more traffic in front?

They often don't even need more traffic to slow down.
Every time I'm on the M6, someone goes past me at licence losing speeds, only for me to go past them again a few miles further on.
It's like they're throttle leg has had a momentary seizure.
 
I get this quite often. I think some of this is due to the fact that people without speed control cannot maintain a constant speed and hence speed up and slow down.
 
I get this quite often. I think some of this is due to the fact that people without speed control cannot maintain a constant speed and hence speed up and slow down.

This isn't slight variation in speed though.
This is people flying past you at 90/95mph, then slowing down again to 70/75mph.
That doesn't suggest a lack of control, it suggests a very definite decision to 'floor it' for a while, then slow down.
Our only conclusion is that they like the 'thrill' of speed for a while, but aren't comfortable enough to maintain it.
 
I tend to slow down when I'm talking on the telephone although I tend not to be on the phone at 2:30am
 
The problem is people don't care about other people.

I'm doing 70 lane 1, move to lane 2 to overtake a wagon, then another car in front as I gain pulls into lane 2 from 1. I go to lane 3 nothing behind me. Car in lane 2 matches my speed as they've decided they can't be overtaken. So you are the left the two choices of ease off and behind into lane 2. Can't do this if car is gaining in lane 3. So you have to floor it to get past lane 2 car. Then once you're past back to lane to lane 2, then lane 1 if clear. Where lane 2 driver now slows down. Just don't get it either. I choose to stick to 70 unless dangerous to do so. So I plan my lane changes in advance. We all know the unofficial speed, but it's my choice to stick to, as have an accident and they won't take into consideration keeping up with the flow of traffic. If we were all made to do the same speed and cars were equal then the motorway would be safer. Going back to an old car I know the speedo overreads more.
 
I was in lane 1 of the M4 and quite quickly catching a middle lane owners club member in an Audi A4. I had to pace him for a while as there were quite a few other cars having to pass him. Suddenly his speed tailed off to about 50, I passed him and lo and behold he was on the phone. I kept watching him in my mirror and he stilled stayed hogging lane 2 by which time people were passing either side of him.

Five minutes or so later he went past me like a bat out of hell, obviously trying to make up time. My speed was showing 75 on the speedo.

PS I hate all members of the middle lane owners club.
 
You know, I speak about this type of thing with friends all the time, when we travel down to England.
I'll sit at a steady 80-85 mph.
I'll get someone go steaming past me.
A couple of minutes up the road, they've slowed down and I'll go past them.
I just don't get it, why don't they pick a speed and stick to it?

Well for me personally I've found I stay in lane 1 a lot recently at about 65mph, what happens is I eventually get behind someone who wants to sit at about 45mph, so you'll probably then see me flying past you to get past them and then me sitting back in lane one at 65mph.

But in most peoples views on here, I'm weird/bad driver/bored because you see me accelerating past and then see me back in lane one later on.

Motorway driving speeds...why do people seem to speed up then slow down? It's called overtaking :)
 
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Well for me personally I've found I stay in lane 1 a lot recently at about 65mph, what happens is I eventually get behind someone who wants to sit at about 45mph, so you'll probably then see me flying past you to get past them and then me sitting back in lane one at 65mph.

But in most peoples views on here, I'm weird/bad driver/bored because you see me accelerating past and then see me back in lane one later on.

Depends on what you mean.
If you want to get past someone doing 45mph in lane 1, you'd pull into lane 2 and go past at 70/75mph.
That wouldn't be weird.
Going into lane 3 and roaring past everyone at 90mph, then pulling back into lane 1 to do 65mph would be weird.
 
Depends on what you mean.
If you want to get past someone doing 45mph in lane 1, you'd pull into lane 2 and go past at 70/75mph.
That wouldn't be weird.
Going into lane 3 and roaring past everyone at 90mph, then pulling back into lane 1 to do 65mph would be weird.

The thing is those same people that go flying past at 90mph could well just be overtaking a middle lane driver, alot of cars can get to 90mph easily from 70mph in a few seconds.

I'd agree it would be odd to do triple figure speeds for 5 mins then sit in lane 1 at about 50mph 5 mins later.

What sometimes happens though is I overtake the 45mph driver then end up behind the 50mph driver in lane 2 so end up in lane 3 overtaking both of them then end up back in lane 1 further up when I can get back to my preferred speed.

Although depending on my mood it can be nice to sit behind the slow drivers in lane 1, relax and listen to music.

What I hate more than anything are those lane 2 drivers that get to someone in lane 2 doing 60mph and they decide they want to overtake and then perform a "blistering" 30minute overtake at 61mph :laugh:

These same drivers are completely oblivious to cars in lane 3 travelling at 75-85mph, it's downright dangerous to pull out at such a low speed with cars approaching so fast.
 
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I'll often overtake a lane 2 hogger in lane 3, then go into lane 1.
Nothing wrong with that, it's what the lane 2 hogger should do.
But my speed is pretty constant during the process.
 
The opposite also makes me laugh. Everyone bunched up in the outside lane doing 70 mph, or above when lanes one and two are empty, or less populated.
 
The opposite also makes me laugh. Everyone bunched up in the outside lane doing 70 mph, or above when lanes one and two are empty, or less populated.

The odd time that happens and the driver infront doesn't move into lane 2, when I decide to undertake them is when they suddenly decide to move into lane 2 :facepalm:
 
Well for me personally I've found I stay in lane 1 a lot recently at about 65mph, what happens is I eventually get behind someone who wants to sit at about 45mph, so you'll probably then see me flying past you to get past them and then me sitting back in lane one at 65mph.

But in most peoples views on here, I'm weird/bad driver/bored because you see me accelerating past and then see me back in lane one later on.

Motorway driving speeds...why do people seem to speed up then slow down? It's called overtaking :)
You've just described an even nothing like my OP...well done :D
 
I drive a BMW so I don't use the middle or slow lanes :D

Better Make Way. Just check your mirrors for a grey Scirocco with a short tempered Taff driving it and pull over. Any time from the 15th June.:thumbsup:
 
You've just described an even nothing like my OP...well done :D

Thank you I do try :blush:

On a serious note, I know what you mean, unfortunately some drivers are weird about people overtaking them, they decide to then speed up.

It's worse on single roads like national speed limit roads, they'll sit at about 40mph, I'll pull out and I can see them speed up, luckily I leave them for dust, but it could be downright dangerous.

They then decide to sit up behind my bumper later on, and sometimes give me a few hand gestures :laugh:
 

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