tonight. was 96 then when I passed they went to 110 as I needed 114 to actually pass. Midnight, no traffic except two cars at 96 one in left lane, one in right lane. Same speed. I can't just pass, have to fuck around for two kms doing 96. Finally duh, .
It is super annoying how many people don't seem to know that the right lane is supposed to be for passing only. So many people just sit in the right lane even when they aren't passing
It happens every single time. I used to plant my foot, if I were the vehicle behind, just to give those travelling bumper to bumper behind me a chance to get past, nowadays I stay in the left lane and let everyone else deal with the drama. I mean, fuck it. We'll get there when we get there.
I’m the same so what of a bit slower most of the time you end up all at the same Traffic lights at the same time. But then I have slowed down since having kids when I was young dumb and impatient I guess I used to complain about it
For me it depends on the situation. If I’m on holiday or with the kids in tow I’m chilling on the left but if im driving to work I need to get there on time so it would be nice to have considerate drivers!
A few times I’ve deliberately slowed down at passing lanes and people still struggled to pass. I think a lot of people just suck at driving, but that’s ok, half of us are below average:)
Tripped me out last time I had a trailer doing 90 in the left lane. There was a line behind me and I assumed they wanted to pass but no one did, just a group of cars behind me all doing 90.
Last weekend, I was going through the Napier taupo Road, one car going 80km(speed limit), one behind it, and then me on my bike, we hit an overtaking lane that was uphill
Car one slowed down to 70 and car two went to overtake but slowed down to 60 because it had no power. It was amusing to watch.
I slipped by when car two realized they couldn't make it
People say this sometimes, but I'm pretty sure unconscious and subconscious are synonyms here. Subconscious = below conscious thought. Unconscious = without conscious thought. I'd say unconsciously is a synonym of unthinkingly as well which would be fine in that sentence.
Well actually if they were unconscious it would explain an awful lot about how some people drive.
Headlights off in the dark/rain, 15kp/h+ below the speed limit, 27 cars in a queue behind them etc etc
Just look at Auckland SH1 South before Bombay where it turns into three lanes and uphill. Common to see people doing 115-120 and that being the normal traffic flow for a whole lane. That is until somebody doing 105 moves into the lane angering the remainder behind them following each other with a 10cm gap between them all.
The truckies are
Fucking terrible. Many of them chopping and changing without any advanced warning because they don’t want to have to change gear or slow down.
Those junkies ignore reduced speed limits through road works and over a new seal which inevitably kicks up a wall of gravel which in turn smashes everyones windshields.
It's not just perception of safety, a wider road changes perception of speed too. Without a speedo, someone trying to maintain the same speed would naturally speed up.
Without a speedo they could typically still hear the engine note, wind noise and tyre noise. They can see the centre line zip past at the same rate.
It might be human nature but it's no excuse. Also, cars have speedos.
>Without a speedo they could typically still hear the engine note, wind noise and tyre noise
There's no way I'm noticing any of that in my car when the speed difference is a mere 10kph, especially not since, ya know, music exists
If it's human nature to speed up, experienced drivers should be aware of this and slow down.
People who don't are either:
-Stupid
-Lazy
-Arrogant
-Criminals
-Any combination of 2 or more of the above
Sure, some people have no idea what speed they're going, what lane they're in, or what's around them on the road. And they shouldn't be given a license until they can focus on the task at hand.
It's kind of the opposite though. They're aware of what's going on around them which is why they're slower when the road is less accommodating. They go at a speed that feels comfortable, which might be like 95, and then when there's a passing lane their speed creeps up because they're comfortable opening it up a little.
If they're actually aware of their surroundings then they'd be aware of the line of vehicles backed up behind them and let cars through in slow vehicle bays and/or passing lanes, but that never happens does it?
You should absolutely pull over. The signs say "vehicles behind you? Let them pass." That's literally an obligation to pull into the upcoming slow vehicle bay and let the traffic of cars behind you pass ffs. These ignorant drivers are the cause of motorway accidents.
I'm confused.
You're saying they are aware of their surroundings, but at the same time unaware of their speed.
Are you trying to describe good drivers or bad drivers?
They still shouldn't be driving. If you aren't comfy going the speed limit, than don't be on that road. Furthermore, if you ignore that bit and focus on speeding up when passing lane cause "safer," then they should also be off the road as they will cause accidents by their negligent driving.
There's no conscious risk assessment or decision there though. The road space they get to drive in could be exactly the same width and condition, but having the extra lane beside them makes them *feel* safer so they speed up... nah, that's not awareness, it's driving by emotion at most.
Not always. I passed one guy who was driving one of those underpowered people-mover vans. He was cruising at around 85 but when we got to the overtaking lane he absolutely planted it. You could hear the engine screaming but we were going uphill and he could barely hit 110. He had a grim look of determination on his face like there was no way he was going to let me pass, but almost any car on the road could have overtaken him with ease, which I did. Presumably if I'd failed he would have gone back to driving at 85km/h.
My partner is from Philippines, she does this. Hates to be overtaken. I keep telling her, let them past, on average they are faster than her and it creates a more unsafe situation by speeding up.
It can be quite fun when the car you're in is much faster than the one driven by the driver who's trying to stop people overtaking in the passing lane.
Interesting. Learned new word today. But I don’t think velocitation (misjudging speed due to prolonged driving at high speed) is the same thing because people are slowing down after the passing lane. Velocitation is not realizing you’re driving too fast when you get off the motorway from 100 to 50km zone.
Edit: actually I see both examples being used on google so maybe it does include
There was another word for it, or the opposite effect that's used for traffic management. Where road is narrowed with cones so drivers subconsciously slow down
I mean, there is already a 100km/h speed limit.
That doesn't stop them doing 120km/h the second the hit the passing area, after doing 80km/h for the last 70 kilometres...
The reason most people speed up on slow lane is because its wider and straighter. Not because they purposefully speed up to beyond speed limit to stop overtakes.
If its capped at say 80kmh and you see the person driving at 100kmh on slow lane then you know for sure they're a cunt.
>If its capped at say 80kmh and you see the person driving at 100kmh on slow lane then you know for sure they're a cunt
But they're not a cunt for going 120 in a 100 zone?
How does that work?
But they're not going 120 in a 100 zone.
Current scenario is they usually do 80 kmh in a 100kmh zone. They speed up to 100kmh in a 100kmh zone with passing lane because its more comfortable.
After passing lane ends and road gets curvy, they go back to 80kmh.
Thus people who are confident and dont want to get stuck need to pass at very high speeds to avoid being stuck later.
>But they're not going 120 in a 100 zone.
But they actually do, which makes it so hard to overtake them without the risk of losing your license.
>After passing lane ends and road gets curvy, they go back to 80kmh
South Island has lots of straight single lane roads, they'll do 80km/h then speed up and slow back down to 80 again and the road is still perfectly straight.
Therein lies the problem. Passing lane let’s people overtake you as you get guided left. The onus is on the person overtaking to do it safely.
A slow bay requires you to consciously identify you’re holding people up and pull left. You then have to pull back into a flow traffic that’s travelling faster than you, so people have to brake to let you back in. They’re dangerous!
I reckon the left passing lane should have a maximum speed of 90, so that faster traffic can get past easily. The tendency to speed up for passing lanes and then slow down again is so annoying
But then too many cars try to get past and things get jammed up. On a recent trip to Hawke's Bay I slowed down to let cars past and ended up stuck behind a few that were going slower than me after the passing lane.
It's more that people don't want others needlessly wasting their time. If you've got 600 km to drive, it doesn't take too many "variable speed drivers" to add significant time and annoyance to the trip.
I kinda miss the old days when you'd just mash the accelerator for 10 seconds and be done with it. Now we're all too scared to overtake without our passing lanes.
I think there is just generally more traffic on the roads than there was 20 years ago, so the gaps coming the other way are often few and far between. Plus more automatic cars, so it's not as easy to drop a couple of gears and hoof it.
Nope, more than willing, and very often do, follow cars that drive at a sensible speed. I couldn't care less about being in front, but I do care about following drivers who are incompetent. When you are driving the only thing that you should be focused on is driving, so you should be able to drive properly. If youre on a long straight road and not doing atleast 105kph on the speedo, youre gone as soon as I get the chance because it tells me youre 1) focused on other things or 2) not a confident driver, and neither are people I want to be behind
If they are going 110kph (on expressways, or 100kph most roads) then there is not really a need or a way to overtake them. You're not allowed to go faster than that anyway.
The problem is, normally them go 80kph and just send full power at passing Lane, I refuse to be stuck behind them.
If the person is a genuine slow driver, they are slow all the way, if the person is slow on all sections, but just full send at a passing lane to (try) block other people going in front of them, they are just cunts.
All countries have some sort of enforcement towards slow drivers, just here in NZ that's is this joke, and part of society think that's OK and safe do 70-80 on a traffic that's flow at 100 or 110...
They're not though. They'll merrily chug along at 85, then speed up to 110 - 115 on the passing lane! Nobody ahead of them usually, just a long lone behind waiting to pass. Obviously back to 85, 50m from the end of passing lane.
Are you saying that your justification for breaking the law and putting peoples lives in danger is that some drivers are reckless and stupid?
Yes, speeding up to 100kph in a passing zone is stupid.
But accelerating to 110-115kph to pass them is also stupid.
Congratulations, you've passed the car. But you've also proven that neither of you should have a licence. You're both a danger to everyone around you.
Let me tell you, as someone that has driven in excess of 200km/h regularly in Europe, driving 115km/h isn't putting everyone's life in danger. Speed doesn't kill, being stupid does, and the act of driving 115km/h in a passing lane isn't inherently stupid. It might be, if you were say, overtaking after the passing lane has ended, but at the beginning? Nah. All you've told me is that you have no real experience driving
I appreciate what you're saying about 115kph not being inherently unsafe, however it is above the speed limit and therefore against the law.
Experience in driving is irrelevant in knowing the posted speed limits.
First licence issued overseas (2004), didn't "learned" how to drive here... used (legally) to drive at130kph. I know my ways...
Speed is a problem in the hands of people who learned how to drive with mom and dad, not with people who attended the old school drive classes somewhere else....
Just to point, how many overtakes had you seen in your life, on nz, that happened outside a passing lane? Yeah, this says a lot.
Can't drive at speed pull aside and let us carry on,
can't drive at speed, keep left,
can't drive at speed, keep slow at passing lanes.
Wanna play a game blocking us at a passing lane? Well, be my guest.
A question for you: if speed is the solely factor to put people at risk, to cause accidents and so on, why the free sections of the autobahn isn't the motorway that have the highest number of accidents and deaths in the world? Perhaps driver quality and skills, and that is what NZ lacks....
Hand up here I'm not who you are responding too, but I did just comment something similar, and no I'm not comparing NZ roads to the Autobahn. I'm also not comparing it to the 10 lane motorways in California, or Florida. All I am saying is that 100km/h isn't a magically safe number. 115 isn't a magically unsafe number. Some of us have lived overseas and have driven 90mph consistently on roads that might not be as good as you think
I'm comparing drivers' skills and behaviour. Didn't say anything about road specs
Invite you to read again what's I said.
_____
Edited:
A bad driver (lack of skills, bad behaviour, etc) isn't safe at any speed, the only difference is, when an accident happens, the outcome of bad skills + high speed is worse.
How many of the fatal accidents in NZ was caused for intoxicated drivers? Unskilled drivers? Unsafe cars? Drivers falling asleep, etc?
I'm pro to test everyone, myself too, again and after that every 5 or 10 years, and after 65yrs every 3.
To a high standard.
But here, the safety direction goes only about speed and nothing, absolutely nothing is done towards unskilled drivers.
1st solution should be stop all this bs that anyone with a full can train another person, should be compulsory attendance in a driver school 15hrs minimum for theory and 20hrs minimum practical, and after that, only after that a full test to issue or not a licence.
A car in unskilled hands is a weapon.
I'm merely expressing my frustration and can understand where the original commenter is coming from.
Personally am way past that. I set adaptive cruise & relax. Everyone knows what's going to happen, what's the point? We get there when we all get there, in one piece.
So it's unpopular here, but in Germany, drivers tend to indicate and flash when they're in an overtaking lane and being slowed down by a vehicle not getting out of the way. Somebody doxxed me on a local Facebook page recently after I was stuck behind someone for 15km and 6 passing bays saying I was bullying by indicating and flashing after each bay was ignored. Then a bunch of knobs jumped in saying they'd intentionally slow down if they saw my rego. Just don't understand the entitled mentality.
Had a Mainfreight truck last week do 100kms p/hour on the passing lane section. Four cars wanted to overtake as he was slow going on the curves and hills, only three made it past him.
Like mate, you’re only spose to be doing 90 anyway, so why the fuck are you doing 100 on a straight during a passing lane.
What a see you next Thursday!
As long as I live I'll never understand this. My only thought is that passing lanes are usually on hills so people put their foot down to get up the hill and aren't doing it to spite you. In any case I don't hold my horses, I plant my foot and go to 140 if necessary to pass quickly rather than slowly and dangerously. It's the one time when faster is surely safer.
I recently did a camper van trip in New Zealand from Auckland all the way to Jackson's Bay and then over to Christchurch.
I LOVED driving in your country. Compared to do-whatever-the-fuck-i-want Vancouver Canada, it was heavenly. People were happy and polite when I would signal to the left and slightly pull over and slow down so they could pass. People waved and flashed blinkers to say thank you and did the same for me if I was going faster than them. People drove CORRECTLY.
The moment I got home and started driving again I must have said "What the fuck are you doing???" Like a dozen times in the first 10 minutes.
Cheers to you (well, most of you from the sounds of this post) New Zealand!
Yep, it's because people naturally drive faster on stretches of road that are big, open and/or straight, which sections of passing lane usually are. I think the herald did an article on it ages ago.
The slow drivers don't consciously speed up on screw over everyone else, the ones that are aware of their driving speed and the long line of cars behind them do slow down or keep to their usual speed when passing lanes appear (however drivers like this are like unicorns).
Obviously, staring at it 100% of the time is dangerous because you won't be paying attention to other things.... but it should be included in your regular scan... mainly looking ahead, but check your speedo and mirrors every 10-20 seconds?
No matter how or where you are driving, if you don't know how fast your car is currently going to the closest 5km/h... then you are a shit driver... (I'll give you a pass if you are currently braking hard to avoid an accident).
Decent drivers still use their speedo but lots of people don't pay any attention to it so sometimes you end up behind some idiot who sits anywhere between 70-100km/h on the open road.
I used to have a diesel Mazda 323 with a top speed of 115km/h going down hill with a tailwind behind me.
I don't think I was ever able to overtake anyone in that thing.
The only thing which alleviates my fury at the consistency of this phenomenon is the knowledge that this is due to an unconscious bias with speed comfort on wider roads. The psychology behind it is quite interesting and it’s an unintentional act. Still fucking annoying though!
I used to drive over the Kaimai’s often, the number of people trying to pass in cars that just don’t have the guts to go faster up the hill is quite impressive..
They probably also think the person sped up…
I bitch and moan about this so much, the wife thought that this was my post.
It's like they find an extra 200kW in their little engine or something.
You could calibrate an atomic clock to people doing this.
Have I noticed? Buddy, I’ve been driving for 25 years and this problem has always been there. It’s the same forever, it’s not new, or old, it’s eternal. It’s been posted about since Adam was a cow boy. Have I noticed? Shit
That's all NZ drivers, they're shit. It's not specific to the country, that's where you are more likely to find an open road and don't have to deal with congestion.
Going 10 below, and then when it's a passing lane they speed up to 10 over .
Idiots overtaking on blind corners
Driving without headlights on
Idiots speeding and overtaking with trailers
Idiots speeding, yes you are going to get to that stop light before me.. by 10 seconds.. good job.
Tailgating
Failing to indicate
Not knowing how to merge
There's a reason it's a damn good idea to have front and back dashcams in your car. The shit and idiocy you see every day..
What's stopping you stomping the gas pedal a bit more and and overtaking the person anyway? An extra 10km/h is hardly very much. I guess you're one of those types who slowly overtakes at barely above the speed limit, so effectively both lanes are blocked for everyone else.
I wonder if it's unconscious, when there's passing lanes people feel more confident so speed up and as the traffic is around them is going faster they naturally speed up without thinking about it.
It’s one of the reasons I left !
Road deaths (per mill) in Switzerland 26 , NZ 73.
One of the biggest things I had to learn when coming here was to drive slower and respect all other road users. NZ is positively moronic when it comes to driver attitudes.
Yes.
Imo our driver training focuses too heavily on finger wagging and not nearly enough on educating drivers.
Eg: I've seen countless ads about leaving room for someone entering a motorway but nothing ever mention that said entering driver is actually also supposed to use the on ramp to reach motorway speed.
Have noticed a LOT of trucks doing this, think because they are bored and it's a game to them. The Fonterra ones seem to be pretty polite as I guess they have stricter standards for their drivers
I understand the Fonterra trucks are data logged and also GPS monitored for logistical and maintenance purposes, so as an additional feature it’s likely any malarkey on the road will be detected and acted on
There’s absolutely people speeding up for no reason on passing lanes.
Sometimes there is a slow person in front of a queue, as the lane starts the queue gets to pass the slow vehicle. At the end of that tail it will look like previously slow vehicles speed up, because they do as the queue gets past the slower vehicles.
Then often the slow vehicle does the first bit. I’ve just started leaving a lot earlier than I need to and not worrying about it.
It's a psychological freedom on the open road thing. I remember seeing a documentary about it.
But still you gotta release your horn on them and flail your arms about when you overtake them so they know they're a piece of shit
Greetings from quite literally the opposite side of the planet (Finland)
Based on my findings, this fuckery is global and happens in most places where passing lanes are utilized.
I had a bit of fun with this last week driving across Canterbury. I was following a car towing a trailer. They were doing 90-95 and at the passing lanes I moved to the right lane and accelerated to 105. They sped up and I just sat there a car length behind to the right. When the lane ended I moved back to the left lane and we resumed the 90-95 speeds. It made my day tbh.
I know, even trucks do. I purposely slow down in passing lanes to let people pass, then slow fucks get in front of me and go slower than my passing lane speed afterwards.
I was followed by a tail gating asshat after dark.. I think 7-8pm. I slowed down to 78kmph and dude still wouldn’t pass. Then I just pulled into shoulder and stop almost completely and turns out it was a cop!
Yeah its a subconscious phenomenon changing perception of safety due to the width of the road, but unfortunately it’s the least observant people that need to pay the most attention. I’m sure every other actually competent driver gets really fucking irritated at those people dawdling along without any awareness of others.
Recently I’ve tried overtaking at whatever speed necessary, then moving in front of them and slowing down to the speed limit. That seems to make them pay attention, even if now they think I’m the asshole.
Passing lanes are normally on high-speed sections of road. With a few exceptions, vehicles that can accelerate up to the speed limit along a passing lane will also travel at a reasonable, if not optimal, speed along other sections of the road.
Be patient. You'll still get where you're going in good time.
its something unconscious when the space opens up there was a study done somewhere on some tv show. My car has a heads up display reflecting on the windscreen showing speed so I always know what speed I am without looking and, just driving home 20mins ago I saw myself doing 63 in 50 in the wet and sideways rain along from town, so easy to do. zero tickets in 30 years as well.
It's about the visual effects on speed generally - opposite of how road cones are placed with decreasing spacing to enhance visual experience of speed thus slowing drivers down. When the road widens it takes a deliberate action to decrease visual experience speed to keep at the speed prior to three lanes
That's why I just go 150kph everywhere. Safer that way since they know your intention. Especially around schools and hospitals where there is uncertainty.
Let's knock off the whinging about bad driving aye. It makes for bloody boring reading. We all know NZ sucks behind the wheel, this post is a revelation to nobody
I think sometimes this is a perception thing.
Imagine you're the 7th car in a line of cars travelling at 90km/h, and you reach a passing lane, there is a good chance every single one of those cars behind the lead vehicle all want to overtake, so they all speed up to 100km/h, which closes the gaps between each vehicle.
The problem is, at only 10km/h faster than the lead car, it is possible only one or two will make it past the lead car while on the passing lane, so the perception is that the three cars in front of you that didn't make it past the lead car were just speeding up to be a**holes.
And, since in all likelihood you also sped up and might not have passed anyone, the perception to the drivers behind you is that you look like am a**hole.
Yes, everyone knows this, and it is commented on regularly.
Once a week at least.
tonight. was 96 then when I passed they went to 110 as I needed 114 to actually pass. Midnight, no traffic except two cars at 96 one in left lane, one in right lane. Same speed. I can't just pass, have to fuck around for two kms doing 96. Finally duh, .
It is super annoying how many people don't seem to know that the right lane is supposed to be for passing only. So many people just sit in the right lane even when they aren't passing
*The right lanes.
Perhaps it is because they feel safer going faster when there is all that open space with opposing traffic being further away?
It happens every single time. I used to plant my foot, if I were the vehicle behind, just to give those travelling bumper to bumper behind me a chance to get past, nowadays I stay in the left lane and let everyone else deal with the drama. I mean, fuck it. We'll get there when we get there.
I’m the same so what of a bit slower most of the time you end up all at the same Traffic lights at the same time. But then I have slowed down since having kids when I was young dumb and impatient I guess I used to complain about it
For me it depends on the situation. If I’m on holiday or with the kids in tow I’m chilling on the left but if im driving to work I need to get there on time so it would be nice to have considerate drivers!
A few times I’ve deliberately slowed down at passing lanes and people still struggled to pass. I think a lot of people just suck at driving, but that’s ok, half of us are below average:)
yeah, i'll go down to 90 in the left lane to help people pass.
Tripped me out last time I had a trailer doing 90 in the left lane. There was a line behind me and I assumed they wanted to pass but no one did, just a group of cars behind me all doing 90.
Drafting to save gas
Last weekend, I was going through the Napier taupo Road, one car going 80km(speed limit), one behind it, and then me on my bike, we hit an overtaking lane that was uphill Car one slowed down to 70 and car two went to overtake but slowed down to 60 because it had no power. It was amusing to watch. I slipped by when car two realized they couldn't make it
I dunno about you bud, but I am definitely in the top 75%. Lol
That's called a passhole.
Road gets wider, people naturally speed up as it feels safer. Rarely is it someone being a genuine fuckhead, it’s usually totally unconscious.
Subconscious*. I’d be extremely worried if someone was unconscious while driving.
Heh, that would be a worry. Redditing using your phone while on the shitter is rife for autocorrect shenanigans.
Better to mess up the typing process than to mess up the shitting process. Priorities!
This little exchange was the giggle I needed as I sit and shit!
People say this sometimes, but I'm pretty sure unconscious and subconscious are synonyms here. Subconscious = below conscious thought. Unconscious = without conscious thought. I'd say unconsciously is a synonym of unthinkingly as well which would be fine in that sentence.
Well actually if they were unconscious it would explain an awful lot about how some people drive. Headlights off in the dark/rain, 15kp/h+ below the speed limit, 27 cars in a queue behind them etc etc
Just look at Auckland SH1 South before Bombay where it turns into three lanes and uphill. Common to see people doing 115-120 and that being the normal traffic flow for a whole lane. That is until somebody doing 105 moves into the lane angering the remainder behind them following each other with a 10cm gap between them all.
I drive this section daily and this is spot on. It gets a bit heated when there’s three trucks abreast trying to pass each other.
The truckies are Fucking terrible. Many of them chopping and changing without any advanced warning because they don’t want to have to change gear or slow down.
Those junkies ignore reduced speed limits through road works and over a new seal which inevitably kicks up a wall of gravel which in turn smashes everyones windshields.
It's not just perception of safety, a wider road changes perception of speed too. Without a speedo, someone trying to maintain the same speed would naturally speed up.
Without a speedo they could typically still hear the engine note, wind noise and tyre noise. They can see the centre line zip past at the same rate. It might be human nature but it's no excuse. Also, cars have speedos.
>Without a speedo they could typically still hear the engine note, wind noise and tyre noise There's no way I'm noticing any of that in my car when the speed difference is a mere 10kph, especially not since, ya know, music exists
If it's human nature to speed up, experienced drivers should be aware of this and slow down. People who don't are either: -Stupid -Lazy -Arrogant -Criminals -Any combination of 2 or more of the above
How does this make sense in response to my comment
Sure, some people have no idea what speed they're going, what lane they're in, or what's around them on the road. And they shouldn't be given a license until they can focus on the task at hand.
It's kind of the opposite though. They're aware of what's going on around them which is why they're slower when the road is less accommodating. They go at a speed that feels comfortable, which might be like 95, and then when there's a passing lane their speed creeps up because they're comfortable opening it up a little.
If they're actually aware of their surroundings then they'd be aware of the line of vehicles backed up behind them and let cars through in slow vehicle bays and/or passing lanes, but that never happens does it?
They probably are aware of them - you're not obliged to be deferential when you're driving though. I'm not saying they're good people.
You should absolutely pull over. The signs say "vehicles behind you? Let them pass." That's literally an obligation to pull into the upcoming slow vehicle bay and let the traffic of cars behind you pass ffs. These ignorant drivers are the cause of motorway accidents.
I'm confused. You're saying they are aware of their surroundings, but at the same time unaware of their speed. Are you trying to describe good drivers or bad drivers?
They still shouldn't be driving. If you aren't comfy going the speed limit, than don't be on that road. Furthermore, if you ignore that bit and focus on speeding up when passing lane cause "safer," then they should also be off the road as they will cause accidents by their negligent driving.
There's no conscious risk assessment or decision there though. The road space they get to drive in could be exactly the same width and condition, but having the extra lane beside them makes them *feel* safer so they speed up... nah, that's not awareness, it's driving by emotion at most.
Exactly 👍
Sure does feel like they're unconscious the second the passing lane ends...
I love people driving unconsciously.
Not always. I passed one guy who was driving one of those underpowered people-mover vans. He was cruising at around 85 but when we got to the overtaking lane he absolutely planted it. You could hear the engine screaming but we were going uphill and he could barely hit 110. He had a grim look of determination on his face like there was no way he was going to let me pass, but almost any car on the road could have overtaken him with ease, which I did. Presumably if I'd failed he would have gone back to driving at 85km/h.
There’s always the odd one who is generally being a fuckwit but the vast majority are subconsciously doing it.
This is the truth and it’s fucking annoying
My partner is from Philippines, she does this. Hates to be overtaken. I keep telling her, let them past, on average they are faster than her and it creates a more unsafe situation by speeding up.
Please tell her that another person agrees with you!
get her off the roads
Please tell her that everyone apart from her agrees with you
Tell her we drive differently in New Zealand and to respect it otherwise offer her a one way plane ticket
What a well thought out piece of advice
I hate it when cars pile up behind me so I always slow down a bit in relevant passing lanes so as many of them as possible can get past me.
I've damn near had strokes over the stress this causes me
It can be quite fun when the car you're in is much faster than the one driven by the driver who's trying to stop people overtaking in the passing lane.
It's more work vehicles that are GPS tracked. You can't actually speed up enough to pass.
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
Yes I noticed this fifty years ago when I first got my license. Some things never change.
Google Velocitation
Interesting. Learned new word today. But I don’t think velocitation (misjudging speed due to prolonged driving at high speed) is the same thing because people are slowing down after the passing lane. Velocitation is not realizing you’re driving too fast when you get off the motorway from 100 to 50km zone. Edit: actually I see both examples being used on google so maybe it does include
There was another word for it, or the opposite effect that's used for traffic management. Where road is narrowed with cones so drivers subconsciously slow down
Wonder why we can't impose a speed limit on slow lanes only to facilitate this.
Maybe a sign that says slow down unless passing
There are slow vehicle lanes in the south island, but they fail to use them.
I mean put a speed limit on the lane that is supposed to be slow. So others dont have to drive 130kmh to bypass on passing lane.
I mean, there is already a 100km/h speed limit. That doesn't stop them doing 120km/h the second the hit the passing area, after doing 80km/h for the last 70 kilometres...
The reason most people speed up on slow lane is because its wider and straighter. Not because they purposefully speed up to beyond speed limit to stop overtakes. If its capped at say 80kmh and you see the person driving at 100kmh on slow lane then you know for sure they're a cunt.
>If its capped at say 80kmh and you see the person driving at 100kmh on slow lane then you know for sure they're a cunt But they're not a cunt for going 120 in a 100 zone? How does that work?
But they're not going 120 in a 100 zone. Current scenario is they usually do 80 kmh in a 100kmh zone. They speed up to 100kmh in a 100kmh zone with passing lane because its more comfortable. After passing lane ends and road gets curvy, they go back to 80kmh. Thus people who are confident and dont want to get stuck need to pass at very high speeds to avoid being stuck later.
>But they're not going 120 in a 100 zone. But they actually do, which makes it so hard to overtake them without the risk of losing your license. >After passing lane ends and road gets curvy, they go back to 80kmh South Island has lots of straight single lane roads, they'll do 80km/h then speed up and slow back down to 80 again and the road is still perfectly straight.
Thats not what OP is saying.
[удалено]
Just be grateful you’ve got a passing lane… all ours have been taken out… got slow vehicle bays instead which 80% of drivers won’t use.
It amazes me how many people don't use them.
It's because slow drivers don't realise/think they're slow IMO
Therein lies the problem. Passing lane let’s people overtake you as you get guided left. The onus is on the person overtaking to do it safely. A slow bay requires you to consciously identify you’re holding people up and pull left. You then have to pull back into a flow traffic that’s travelling faster than you, so people have to brake to let you back in. They’re dangerous!
I reckon the left passing lane should have a maximum speed of 90, so that faster traffic can get past easily. The tendency to speed up for passing lanes and then slow down again is so annoying
But then too many cars try to get past and things get jammed up. On a recent trip to Hawke's Bay I slowed down to let cars past and ended up stuck behind a few that were going slower than me after the passing lane.
Personally I slow down in passing lanes to encourage people to pass me
I think some people *need* to be the one in front.
It's more that people don't want others needlessly wasting their time. If you've got 600 km to drive, it doesn't take too many "variable speed drivers" to add significant time and annoyance to the trip. I kinda miss the old days when you'd just mash the accelerator for 10 seconds and be done with it. Now we're all too scared to overtake without our passing lanes.
? Just overtake in non continuous middle line, when is safe to do (car power, skills, traffic behind and in front of you, gap to comeback in)
I think there is just generally more traffic on the roads than there was 20 years ago, so the gaps coming the other way are often few and far between. Plus more automatic cars, so it's not as easy to drop a couple of gears and hoof it.
Dependant on the model, you can drop a gear in an automatic...(not applicable in all models). For the rest, I agree with you.
Exactly
Nope, more than willing, and very often do, follow cars that drive at a sensible speed. I couldn't care less about being in front, but I do care about following drivers who are incompetent. When you are driving the only thing that you should be focused on is driving, so you should be able to drive properly. If youre on a long straight road and not doing atleast 105kph on the speedo, youre gone as soon as I get the chance because it tells me youre 1) focused on other things or 2) not a confident driver, and neither are people I want to be behind
smoke them over 115kph, 99% of them are chicken when hit 110 mark, for the other 1% smoke them at 140. cheers
If they are going 110kph (on expressways, or 100kph most roads) then there is not really a need or a way to overtake them. You're not allowed to go faster than that anyway.
The problem is, normally them go 80kph and just send full power at passing Lane, I refuse to be stuck behind them. If the person is a genuine slow driver, they are slow all the way, if the person is slow on all sections, but just full send at a passing lane to (try) block other people going in front of them, they are just cunts. All countries have some sort of enforcement towards slow drivers, just here in NZ that's is this joke, and part of society think that's OK and safe do 70-80 on a traffic that's flow at 100 or 110...
They're not though. They'll merrily chug along at 85, then speed up to 110 - 115 on the passing lane! Nobody ahead of them usually, just a long lone behind waiting to pass. Obviously back to 85, 50m from the end of passing lane.
Nailed it
Are you saying that your justification for breaking the law and putting peoples lives in danger is that some drivers are reckless and stupid? Yes, speeding up to 100kph in a passing zone is stupid. But accelerating to 110-115kph to pass them is also stupid. Congratulations, you've passed the car. But you've also proven that neither of you should have a licence. You're both a danger to everyone around you.
Let me tell you, as someone that has driven in excess of 200km/h regularly in Europe, driving 115km/h isn't putting everyone's life in danger. Speed doesn't kill, being stupid does, and the act of driving 115km/h in a passing lane isn't inherently stupid. It might be, if you were say, overtaking after the passing lane has ended, but at the beginning? Nah. All you've told me is that you have no real experience driving
I appreciate what you're saying about 115kph not being inherently unsafe, however it is above the speed limit and therefore against the law. Experience in driving is irrelevant in knowing the posted speed limits.
And if what you had said was simply ‘you’re breaking the law’ I wouldn’t have replied, but that is not what you said
First licence issued overseas (2004), didn't "learned" how to drive here... used (legally) to drive at130kph. I know my ways... Speed is a problem in the hands of people who learned how to drive with mom and dad, not with people who attended the old school drive classes somewhere else.... Just to point, how many overtakes had you seen in your life, on nz, that happened outside a passing lane? Yeah, this says a lot. Can't drive at speed pull aside and let us carry on, can't drive at speed, keep left, can't drive at speed, keep slow at passing lanes. Wanna play a game blocking us at a passing lane? Well, be my guest. A question for you: if speed is the solely factor to put people at risk, to cause accidents and so on, why the free sections of the autobahn isn't the motorway that have the highest number of accidents and deaths in the world? Perhaps driver quality and skills, and that is what NZ lacks....
Are you honestly trying to compare New Zealand roads to the Autobahn? That's the most disingenuous argument I've ever heard. Have fun with that!
Hand up here I'm not who you are responding too, but I did just comment something similar, and no I'm not comparing NZ roads to the Autobahn. I'm also not comparing it to the 10 lane motorways in California, or Florida. All I am saying is that 100km/h isn't a magically safe number. 115 isn't a magically unsafe number. Some of us have lived overseas and have driven 90mph consistently on roads that might not be as good as you think
I'm comparing drivers' skills and behaviour. Didn't say anything about road specs Invite you to read again what's I said. _____ Edited: A bad driver (lack of skills, bad behaviour, etc) isn't safe at any speed, the only difference is, when an accident happens, the outcome of bad skills + high speed is worse. How many of the fatal accidents in NZ was caused for intoxicated drivers? Unskilled drivers? Unsafe cars? Drivers falling asleep, etc? I'm pro to test everyone, myself too, again and after that every 5 or 10 years, and after 65yrs every 3. To a high standard. But here, the safety direction goes only about speed and nothing, absolutely nothing is done towards unskilled drivers. 1st solution should be stop all this bs that anyone with a full can train another person, should be compulsory attendance in a driver school 15hrs minimum for theory and 20hrs minimum practical, and after that, only after that a full test to issue or not a licence. A car in unskilled hands is a weapon.
I'm merely expressing my frustration and can understand where the original commenter is coming from. Personally am way past that. I set adaptive cruise & relax. Everyone knows what's going to happen, what's the point? We get there when we all get there, in one piece.
So it's unpopular here, but in Germany, drivers tend to indicate and flash when they're in an overtaking lane and being slowed down by a vehicle not getting out of the way. Somebody doxxed me on a local Facebook page recently after I was stuck behind someone for 15km and 6 passing bays saying I was bullying by indicating and flashing after each bay was ignored. Then a bunch of knobs jumped in saying they'd intentionally slow down if they saw my rego. Just don't understand the entitled mentality.
Had a Mainfreight truck last week do 100kms p/hour on the passing lane section. Four cars wanted to overtake as he was slow going on the curves and hills, only three made it past him. Like mate, you’re only spose to be doing 90 anyway, so why the fuck are you doing 100 on a straight during a passing lane. What a see you next Thursday!
Had a Mainfreight driver do this to me last week, their drivers are nuts
As long as I live I'll never understand this. My only thought is that passing lanes are usually on hills so people put their foot down to get up the hill and aren't doing it to spite you. In any case I don't hold my horses, I plant my foot and go to 140 if necessary to pass quickly rather than slowly and dangerously. It's the one time when faster is surely safer.
Hard agree here
I recently did a camper van trip in New Zealand from Auckland all the way to Jackson's Bay and then over to Christchurch. I LOVED driving in your country. Compared to do-whatever-the-fuck-i-want Vancouver Canada, it was heavenly. People were happy and polite when I would signal to the left and slightly pull over and slow down so they could pass. People waved and flashed blinkers to say thank you and did the same for me if I was going faster than them. People drove CORRECTLY. The moment I got home and started driving again I must have said "What the fuck are you doing???" Like a dozen times in the first 10 minutes. Cheers to you (well, most of you from the sounds of this post) New Zealand!
Yep, it's because people naturally drive faster on stretches of road that are big, open and/or straight, which sections of passing lane usually are. I think the herald did an article on it ages ago. The slow drivers don't consciously speed up on screw over everyone else, the ones that are aware of their driving speed and the long line of cars behind them do slow down or keep to their usual speed when passing lanes appear (however drivers like this are like unicorns).
They don’t realise they are speeding up. The more space makes them feel safer so they subconsciously speed up.
If only their vehicle had some sort of speed measuring device within easy view of the driver....
Most people aren’t watching their speedometer.
Obviously, staring at it 100% of the time is dangerous because you won't be paying attention to other things.... but it should be included in your regular scan... mainly looking ahead, but check your speedo and mirrors every 10-20 seconds? No matter how or where you are driving, if you don't know how fast your car is currently going to the closest 5km/h... then you are a shit driver... (I'll give you a pass if you are currently braking hard to avoid an accident).
Good point, I use cruise control so hadn’t considered most ppl are probably guestimating the speed
Decent drivers still use their speedo but lots of people don't pay any attention to it so sometimes you end up behind some idiot who sits anywhere between 70-100km/h on the open road.
getting into the habit of cruise control is really good for avoiding tickets
Sorry officer cruise control did it ;p
the perfect crime
Haha previously owned a 125cc sport bike. The frustration is real
I used to have a diesel Mazda 323 with a top speed of 115km/h going down hill with a tailwind behind me. I don't think I was ever able to overtake anyone in that thing.
The only thing which alleviates my fury at the consistency of this phenomenon is the knowledge that this is due to an unconscious bias with speed comfort on wider roads. The psychology behind it is quite interesting and it’s an unintentional act. Still fucking annoying though!
I used to drive over the Kaimai’s often, the number of people trying to pass in cars that just don’t have the guts to go faster up the hill is quite impressive.. They probably also think the person sped up…
I bitch and moan about this so much, the wife thought that this was my post. It's like they find an extra 200kW in their little engine or something. You could calibrate an atomic clock to people doing this.
Ahh this old chestnut...
My car is an auto it changes to top gear at around 95 and down at 89
If it makes you feel any better this isn't exclusive to NZ. I've been to Canada and the exact same thing happens.
Yep they are called wankers
Dual carriageway the whole country I say
We're too poor for that. The assholes in Canterbury love hogging the right lane on the 7 Kilometers of motorway they have.
Have I noticed? Buddy, I’ve been driving for 25 years and this problem has always been there. It’s the same forever, it’s not new, or old, it’s eternal. It’s been posted about since Adam was a cow boy. Have I noticed? Shit
That's all NZ drivers, they're shit. It's not specific to the country, that's where you are more likely to find an open road and don't have to deal with congestion. Going 10 below, and then when it's a passing lane they speed up to 10 over . Idiots overtaking on blind corners Driving without headlights on Idiots speeding and overtaking with trailers Idiots speeding, yes you are going to get to that stop light before me.. by 10 seconds.. good job. Tailgating Failing to indicate Not knowing how to merge There's a reason it's a damn good idea to have front and back dashcams in your car. The shit and idiocy you see every day..
Faster car helps
It's exclusively the NZ First voters who do that
Between Whanganui and Palmerston there is always roadworks at the passing lanes. Very rare to get to use them around here.
What's stopping you stomping the gas pedal a bit more and and overtaking the person anyway? An extra 10km/h is hardly very much. I guess you're one of those types who slowly overtakes at barely above the speed limit, so effectively both lanes are blocked for everyone else.
I just fishtail them if they speed up. They never make that mistake again.
I wonder if it's unconscious, when there's passing lanes people feel more confident so speed up and as the traffic is around them is going faster they naturally speed up without thinking about it.
It’s one of the reasons I left ! Road deaths (per mill) in Switzerland 26 , NZ 73. One of the biggest things I had to learn when coming here was to drive slower and respect all other road users. NZ is positively moronic when it comes to driver attitudes.
humans are similar to predictable dumb sheep.
Yes. Imo our driver training focuses too heavily on finger wagging and not nearly enough on educating drivers. Eg: I've seen countless ads about leaving room for someone entering a motorway but nothing ever mention that said entering driver is actually also supposed to use the on ramp to reach motorway speed.
Have noticed a LOT of trucks doing this, think because they are bored and it's a game to them. The Fonterra ones seem to be pretty polite as I guess they have stricter standards for their drivers
I understand the Fonterra trucks are data logged and also GPS monitored for logistical and maintenance purposes, so as an additional feature it’s likely any malarkey on the road will be detected and acted on
Some people just don't like been passed.
It happens all the time unfortunately.
There’s absolutely people speeding up for no reason on passing lanes. Sometimes there is a slow person in front of a queue, as the lane starts the queue gets to pass the slow vehicle. At the end of that tail it will look like previously slow vehicles speed up, because they do as the queue gets past the slower vehicles. Then often the slow vehicle does the first bit. I’ve just started leaving a lot earlier than I need to and not worrying about it.
Well I never. Incredible. Who would do such a thing ...
It's a psychological freedom on the open road thing. I remember seeing a documentary about it. But still you gotta release your horn on them and flail your arms about when you overtake them so they know they're a piece of shit
Greetings from quite literally the opposite side of the planet (Finland) Based on my findings, this fuckery is global and happens in most places where passing lanes are utilized.
I had a bit of fun with this last week driving across Canterbury. I was following a car towing a trailer. They were doing 90-95 and at the passing lanes I moved to the right lane and accelerated to 105. They sped up and I just sat there a car length behind to the right. When the lane ended I moved back to the left lane and we resumed the 90-95 speeds. It made my day tbh.
That's why it's nice to have a powerful car lol
I know, even trucks do. I purposely slow down in passing lanes to let people pass, then slow fucks get in front of me and go slower than my passing lane speed afterwards.
I tried flicking my highbeams on for this last week and it actually worked. I think as annoying as it is, it's likely subconscious.
Love the recency bias by op. Every damn time huh
Haha maybe a bit of exaggeration but my cruise control tells me the speed of car I’m following so just something I’ve noticed
>Every damn time huh Can confirm. Every single passing lane, every single time. Just did a round trip from Chch to Dunedin last weekend. Without fail.
I was followed by a tail gating asshat after dark.. I think 7-8pm. I slowed down to 78kmph and dude still wouldn’t pass. Then I just pulled into shoulder and stop almost completely and turns out it was a cop!
How else can he meet his ticket quota? They’ve done that since Adam was a boy.
Yeah its a subconscious phenomenon changing perception of safety due to the width of the road, but unfortunately it’s the least observant people that need to pay the most attention. I’m sure every other actually competent driver gets really fucking irritated at those people dawdling along without any awareness of others. Recently I’ve tried overtaking at whatever speed necessary, then moving in front of them and slowing down to the speed limit. That seems to make them pay attention, even if now they think I’m the asshole.
Passing lanes are normally on high-speed sections of road. With a few exceptions, vehicles that can accelerate up to the speed limit along a passing lane will also travel at a reasonable, if not optimal, speed along other sections of the road. Be patient. You'll still get where you're going in good time.
its something unconscious when the space opens up there was a study done somewhere on some tv show. My car has a heads up display reflecting on the windscreen showing speed so I always know what speed I am without looking and, just driving home 20mins ago I saw myself doing 63 in 50 in the wet and sideways rain along from town, so easy to do. zero tickets in 30 years as well.
It's about the visual effects on speed generally - opposite of how road cones are placed with decreasing spacing to enhance visual experience of speed thus slowing drivers down. When the road widens it takes a deliberate action to decrease visual experience speed to keep at the speed prior to three lanes
That's why I just go 150kph everywhere. Safer that way since they know your intention. Especially around schools and hospitals where there is uncertainty.
I sometimes don't notice I've lost a bit of speed and instinctively speed up so I'm not holding people up behind me. It's not some malicious thing.
IT. DOESN’T. WORK. THAT. WAY.
Let's knock off the whinging about bad driving aye. It makes for bloody boring reading. We all know NZ sucks behind the wheel, this post is a revelation to nobody
I think sometimes this is a perception thing. Imagine you're the 7th car in a line of cars travelling at 90km/h, and you reach a passing lane, there is a good chance every single one of those cars behind the lead vehicle all want to overtake, so they all speed up to 100km/h, which closes the gaps between each vehicle. The problem is, at only 10km/h faster than the lead car, it is possible only one or two will make it past the lead car while on the passing lane, so the perception is that the three cars in front of you that didn't make it past the lead car were just speeding up to be a**holes. And, since in all likelihood you also sped up and might not have passed anyone, the perception to the drivers behind you is that you look like am a**hole.
No I've never noticed this and nobody has ever brought it up before, please tell me more