The Longest Overtake In History?

Running empty Westbound up Aston Hill near Queensferry today I was in the left lane which was empty. I was bang on the 50mph limit & going slightly quicker that the cars bunching in the right lane behind a silver Fiesta, doing about 40 but refusing to move over. I crept past the 4 or 5 cars queuing behind her & as we went over the top of the hill I was alongside her. I slid past slowly & put the cruise back up to 56 when the speed limit changed. She got level with my back wheels, then matched my speed.

I passed the Wrexham turn off & she was still in the same position, level with my back wheels. I was expecting her to speed up & overtake or slow down & fall in behind me. Past the Mold turn, she’s still there. The traffics starting to bunch behind her now. Past the services & we’re still going along together, past the Northop turn (must be a good 2.5miles) & its getting a bit silly so I knock it down a couple of mph. Nothing, she’s still just sat there matching my speed.

This continued until she finally passed me by the Halkyn turning. I’m pleased to report that she got absolutely dogs abuse by a number of frustrated motorists who, finally released from the queue (easily a mile and a half by this point), slowed as they passed her to give her some driving advice and demonstrate how well their horns and lights worked to her!

It seemed like forever when it was happening & I knew it was a long way but putting it into the route-finder tells me that she was alongside me for SIX and a QUARTER miles (or 10km if you speak European!!). I have no idea what she thought she was doing, she wasn’t an old biddy - I reckon about mid-30’s but she just didn’t seem to realise what was going on. She was lucky the woman directly behind her in the queue seemed to have the patience of a saint & just sat there the whole time.

I’ve never known anything like it. Has anyone ever had someone take longer to pass them in a car?

Perhaps she fancied you hammer. :laughing:

A slight run of the tyres along her edge of the white line would make her slow enough to get back in

kitbuilder123:
A slight run of the tyres along her edge of the white line would make her slow enough to get back in

This also it’s amazing how persuasive a 21 watt indicator bulb can be

I got stuck behind a pair of billy big balls just south of Bristol and finally got past them at Weston-Super-Mare.

There is no speed limit change at the top of Aston hill for trucks,it’s a 50 mph limit all along the a494/A55 for HGV traffic. :smiley:

This is common practice in the US. As they have absolutely no lane discipline whatsoever on this side of the Atlantic and its quite normal and accepted for an oxygen thief to veer straight out of a slip road without looking in front of traffic moving at 70, while they’re doing 45, and continue to veer to either the middle or “fast” lane and remain at 45 thus forcing all traffic to undertake, which again, in America is perfectly fine but goes against the grain for someone educated in a country where driving licences aren’t dished out in plastic rappers found in the cereal of your choice.

As for slow over takes. I’ve overtaken a car in the US before who’s been pratting about on their phone and slowed down as a result, as Americans can’t do two things at once. No sooner have I pulled back in front than said idiot has launched out in to lane two in some sort of dramatic emergency maneuver sped up until they’re along side my trailer, then slowed down to my exact speed and stayed for there over 15 miles, the whole time talking on their phone, eating their bagel, turning back to wipe their babies face and as a result veering towards my trailer wheels and yacking it back at the last minute, numerous times. I would like to say this kind of behavior is rare, as it is in the UK, where most people just want to crack on, but in the US this is the normal practice and adds so much to congestion that need not exist and makes driving a crappy truck with a crash box a real chore when they’re cutting you up every 2 minutes for no reason other than they want to be in your lane and they want to go slower than you, despite over taking you to get there.

Back in 1998, I had myself a Mercedes 508 5.5 ton van. It was limited to 60 as most HGV’s were back then.
I left wensleydale around 8pm, and joined the M6 at 36 heading south around 9pm on a warm August Sunday evening. An 8 leg bulker moved over to allow me to join the main carriageway.
I eased off, thanked him as he passed, and flashed him in.
As he settled in the lane in front of me, I floored it. (Well the best I could in such an old van)
I pulled out to overtake, got along side him and we came to a hill. It hit me harder than him, I was falling back, but was still beside him. Lane three was empty, and there was very little traffic. Finally passed him, and got flashed in. Get to next hill, and he steams past me. Top of hill, I steam past him.
We travelled together like this all the way to Wigan. At one point, we were side by side for about 20 minutes.
There was little traffic, and we had a giggle about it. As he passed me, my hand would be out of the window as if I was whipping the motor like a horse, He would do the same as I passed him. There was a bit of banter on the CB as well.
He even bid me a good journey on the CB as he pulled off.
The rest of the journey was uneventful until I got home to Calne at 2am.

I cant remember who owned the wagon, just that it was a green Seddon Atkinson with a sleeper cab, and he had twin Modulator aerials.

hammer:
Running empty Westbound up Aston Hill near Queensferry today I was in the left lane which was empty. I was bang on the 50mph limit & going slightly quicker that the cars bunching in the right lane behind a silver Fiesta, doing about 40 but refusing to move over. I crept past the 4 or 5 cars queuing behind her & as we went over the top of the hill I was alongside her. I slid past slowly & put the cruise back up to 56 when the speed limit changed. She got level with my back wheels, then matched my speed.

I passed the Wrexham turn off & she was still in the same position, level with my back wheels. I was expecting her to speed up & overtake or slow down & fall in behind me. Past the Mold turn, she’s still there. The traffics starting to bunch behind her now. Past the services & we’re still going along together, past the Northop turn (must be a good 2.5miles) & its getting a bit silly so I knock it down a couple of mph. Nothing, she’s still just sat there matching my speed.

This continued until she finally passed me by the Halkyn turning. I’m pleased to report that she got absolutely dogs abuse by a number of frustrated motorists who, finally released from the queue (easily a mile and a half by this point), slowed as they passed her to give her some driving advice and demonstrate how well their horns and lights worked to her!

It seemed like forever when it was happening & I knew it was a long way but putting it into the route-finder tells me that she was alongside me for SIX and a QUARTER miles (or 10km if you speak European!!). I have no idea what she thought she was doing, she wasn’t an old biddy - I reckon about mid-30’s but she just didn’t seem to realise what was going on. She was lucky the woman directly behind her in the queue seemed to have the patience of a saint & just sat there the whole time.

I’ve never known anything like it. Has anyone ever had someone take longer to pass them in a car?

Yes the other day. The ■■■■ just sat there between roundabouts on the A1. I was getting ■■■■■■ of about it and so was the car behind him. He soon got the message

hammer:
It seemed like forever when it was happening

Why haven’t you backed then for few seconds to let that idiot pass and unblock all the people behind you two?

orys:

hammer:
It seemed like forever when it was happening

Why haven’t you backed then for few seconds to let that idiot pass and unblock all the people behind you two?

hammer:
its getting a bit silly so I knock it down a couple of mph. ?

muckles:

orys:

hammer:
It seemed like forever when it was happening

Why haven’t you backed then for few seconds to let that idiot pass and unblock all the people behind you two?

hammer:
its getting a bit silly so I knock it down a couple of mph. ?

Ah, missed that one. Explains it on the side of OP. Brings a question: WHY? on the other.

orys:

muckles:

orys:

hammer:
It seemed like forever when it was happening

Why haven’t you backed then for few seconds to let that idiot pass and unblock all the people behind you two?

hammer:
its getting a bit silly so I knock it down a couple of mph. ?

Ah, missed that one. Explains it on the side of OP. Brings a question: WHY? on the other.

was she blonde?? :unamused:

Clunk:
Back in 1998, I had myself a Mercedes 508 5.5 ton van. It was limited to 60 as most HGV’s were back then.
I left wensleydale around 8pm, and joined the M6 at 36 heading south around 9pm on a warm August Sunday evening. An 8 leg bulker moved over to allow me to join the main carriageway.
I eased off, thanked him as he passed, and flashed him in.
As he settled in the lane in front of me, I floored it. (Well the best I could in such an old van)
I pulled out to overtake, got along side him and we came to a hill. It hit me harder than him, I was falling back, but was still beside him. Lane three was empty, and there was very little traffic. Finally passed him, and got flashed in. Get to next hill, and he steams past me. Top of hill, I steam past him.
We travelled together like this all the way to Wigan. At one point, we were side by side for about 20 minutes.
There was little traffic, and we had a giggle about it. As he passed me, my hand would be out of the window as if I was whipping the motor like a horse, He would do the same as I passed him. There was a bit of banter on the CB as well.
He even bid me a good journey on the CB as he pulled off.
The rest of the journey was uneventful until I got home to Calne at 2am.

I cant remember who owned the wagon, just that it was a green Seddon Atkinson with a sleeper cab, and he had twin Modulator aerials.

Had the same one day. Had a giggle with a driver as I struggled past him on a hill. It’s nice to have a laugh on the road

orys:

hammer:
It seemed like forever when it was happening

Why haven’t you backed then for few seconds to let that idiot pass and unblock all the people behind you two?

Why on earth should he do that!!! It’s a ■■■■■■■ car for Christ sake!!! And to be honest, you want to keep people like that behind you, not in front.
Shouldn’t be on the road.

FarnboroughBoy11:

orys:

hammer:
It seemed like forever when it was happening

Why haven’t you backed then for few seconds to let that idiot pass and unblock all the people behind you two?

Why on earth should he do that!!! It’s a [zb] car for Christ sake!!! And to be honest, you want to keep people like that behind you, not in front.
Shouldn’t be on the road.

he already said he did drop back a few mph but she still didnt take the hint, sadly it’s a prime example of how todays motorists behave, now am sure trucknets driving god will be along to tell hammer how crap a driver he is and that it was his fault because he is after all a lorry driver

orys:

muckles:

orys:

hammer:
It seemed like forever when it was happening

Why haven’t you backed then for few seconds to let that idiot pass and unblock all the people behind you two?

hammer:
its getting a bit silly so I knock it down a couple of mph. ?

Ah, missed that one. Explains it on the side of OP. Brings a question: WHY? on the other.

Why was the not getting on with overtaking?
On the phone or talking to passenger or eating or drinking or listerning to a really good play on radio 4 or just plain not concentrating on driving and the road and traffic around

I’m pleased to report that she got absolutely dogs abuse by a number of frustrated motorists who, finally released from the queue (easily a mile and a half by this point), slowed as they passed her to give her some driving advice and demonstrate how well their horns and lights worked to her!

Which no doubt, made the queue pass even quicker :slight_smile:

In the early days of lorry,s being limited ,I once sat behind two professional drivers ? Sitting mirror to mirror on lane 1 and 2 of the motorway just above Hilton park services on the m6 one Saturday morning roads were very quite maybe a bank holiday or something, this went on for miles one got almost past then the other would gain a little on a slight drag or downhill , where did they eventually get the deed done u might ask ? On the long drag to keele services !
I’d say that in 27 years driving that’s about the worst I ever seen.

now am sure trucknets driving god will be along to tell hammer how crap a driver he is and that it was his fault because he is after all a lorry driver

Connor isn’t allowed on the internet at weekends.