uk.transport added

On Fri, 18 May 2007 11:23:59 +0100, Alex Heney privacy.net>
wrote:

Since Tuesday I have driven about 900 miles this week on the
motorways. I drive as close to the speed limit (usually 70) as I can,
erring on the top side, my speedometer appears to be accurate and
certainly compares well with the 56 mph speed limiters on LGVs.

Several times per day when I have been approaching in lane 2 at an
indicated speed of 72 or 73, a queue of lorries in the first lane
travelling at 56 mph, I have been approached from behind by a vehicle
travelling at high speed ( I guess 85 +/- 5mph ) which proceads to
undertake me and then try to get through the rapidly closing gap
between me and the rearmost truck. They will do this even if the gap
is about 100 feet and closing at 25 feet/second.

Oddly, they will do this even if the third lane is empty, their
motivation puzzles me, the car drivers seem to be either jack the lad
boy racers with baseball hats on backwards driving beaten up old hot
hatches, or alternatively middle class twats driving BMWs who think
the riskier the way you drive the bigger your cock.

One motor biker passed me on the left despite the fact that I had
already moved over to the left of my own lane (lane 2) to let him past
because all 3 lanes were occupied and he still swooped past Batman
Style at full throttle on my left heading for the "Gap of Danger" 8-(

At the speed they approach they are visible in my mirrors for a very
short time, If I was to have a tyre blow out and make a "B line" for
the hard shoulder, and they were to plough into my vehicle when it was
in lane 1 I can't believe the outcome would be other than they would
be charged with dangerous driving and held responsible for the
accident.

I am coming round to believing this is a version of the old game
"Chicken", they get a buzz out of taking a gamble and cocking a snook
at the law at the same time. Alternately if I am driving around the
speed limit then lane 2 ahead of me is probably empty, so by
undertaking me and chancing with the gap they get the opportunity to
undertake all the nose to tail vehicles in lane 3.

I think they do it to me because I now drive a humdrum prole-mobile, a
Citroen Picasso XSARA, I used to drive a large MPV and saw much less
of it, sadly that got torched on Bonfire Night and the insurance
payout was only 40%% of what I'd paid for the car, hence the XSARA
which was 60%% cheaper than the MPV, however the speed and
accelleration was no better than the Citroen, and the way I drive has
not changed.

DG