At this moment in time, the stretch between junctions 15 to 18 on the M1 is subject to road works in both directions. The workforce (seen in occasional patches) is protected by average speed cameras limiting the passing traffic to 5o miles per hour.
Average speed cameras are no nonsense devices that actually work (not like the Gatso equivalents that just concertina speeding traffic between them and, in my opinion, make our motorways less safe); I enter the works zone and engage the cruise control to show my solidarity with the workers and of course to protect my driving licence.
Other drivers are less risk averse and seem willing to chance their luck with the camera settings.
Last week, something happened that annoyed me to the point of writing this blog post - my purpose to ask any of my readers if they can help me get my head around whether the speed limit rules apply to some and not to others.
At 50 miles per hour, I am constantly finding HGVs overtaking me or driving so close to the rear bumper of my car as to be menacing. The event that I want to share saw me in the middle lane passing junction 15. I was in the middle lane rather than the inside lane because I had been passing traffic exiting the junction that was slowing down below 50 mph. As I passed the junction, I ended up with an articulated truck on my inside and another (belonging to DHL) so close to my bumper that the Mercedes badge and yellow grill filled my rear windscreen.
The truck driver on my inside (1) was doing more than 50mph as he approached the back of a Jag in the slow lane (the Jag driver no doubt also using cruise control). The presence of his truck of course stopped me being able to pull into the slow lane. The DHL wagon (2) right up my arse made it difficult to brake enough to pull in behind (1).
After a short period of time stuck behind the Jag, Lorry driver 1 was clearly impatient with regards to his progress and, being impeded from overtaking by the presence of my car, decided to force a change of scenario. Meanwhile the DHL driver (2), similarly frustrated started flashing his headlights at me – f--cking idiot thought I.
Trucker 1 then put his indicators on and without further ado just started pulling into my lane – that dangerous decision forced me to brake hard and pound my horn.
As lorry 1 started accelerating away, lorry driver 2 sounded his horn at me and started rudely gesticulating from his cab as I pulled into the now vacant space in the slow lane. Insult added to injury!
Driver 2 then accelerated off into the distance – most certainly exceeding 50mph.
I was so cross that if I’d been in a position to report these drivers to their respective organisations, I would have done. Unfortunately, I didn’t have at my disposal the means to record number plates. Maybe I should invest in a dash-cam!
So having vented some frustration, my questions to my readers are:
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Average speed cameras are no nonsense devices that actually work (not like the Gatso equivalents that just concertina speeding traffic between them and, in my opinion, make our motorways less safe); I enter the works zone and engage the cruise control to show my solidarity with the workers and of course to protect my driving licence.
Other drivers are less risk averse and seem willing to chance their luck with the camera settings.
Last week, something happened that annoyed me to the point of writing this blog post - my purpose to ask any of my readers if they can help me get my head around whether the speed limit rules apply to some and not to others.
At 50 miles per hour, I am constantly finding HGVs overtaking me or driving so close to the rear bumper of my car as to be menacing. The event that I want to share saw me in the middle lane passing junction 15. I was in the middle lane rather than the inside lane because I had been passing traffic exiting the junction that was slowing down below 50 mph. As I passed the junction, I ended up with an articulated truck on my inside and another (belonging to DHL) so close to my bumper that the Mercedes badge and yellow grill filled my rear windscreen.
The truck driver on my inside (1) was doing more than 50mph as he approached the back of a Jag in the slow lane (the Jag driver no doubt also using cruise control). The presence of his truck of course stopped me being able to pull into the slow lane. The DHL wagon (2) right up my arse made it difficult to brake enough to pull in behind (1).
After a short period of time stuck behind the Jag, Lorry driver 1 was clearly impatient with regards to his progress and, being impeded from overtaking by the presence of my car, decided to force a change of scenario. Meanwhile the DHL driver (2), similarly frustrated started flashing his headlights at me – f--cking idiot thought I.
Trucker 1 then put his indicators on and without further ado just started pulling into my lane – that dangerous decision forced me to brake hard and pound my horn.
As lorry 1 started accelerating away, lorry driver 2 sounded his horn at me and started rudely gesticulating from his cab as I pulled into the now vacant space in the slow lane. Insult added to injury!
Driver 2 then accelerated off into the distance – most certainly exceeding 50mph.
I was so cross that if I’d been in a position to report these drivers to their respective organisations, I would have done. Unfortunately, I didn’t have at my disposal the means to record number plates. Maybe I should invest in a dash-cam!
So having vented some frustration, my questions to my readers are:
- Are lorry drivers given some kind of special dispensation when it comes to speed limits?
- Are the average speed cameras set at a limit that allows any driver to go faster than the posted limit?
- If so what are the boundaries – is it the posted limit plus 10% for example?
- Does the boundary vary by location/road works?
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