I used to use the same reasoning as RC when it came to passing lane behaviour but you are right, it shows a complete lack of awareness and/or consideration of others.
Mind you, it does work both ways. I had to take a load of timber from Dunedin to Bluff last week on a hired trailer. First time I have taken a trailer any kind of distance, it's an NZ thing, I don't really get this trailer obsession you lot have. Anyway, stuck roughly to 90km/h, stopped quite a few times to check the strops and pulled hard left whenever I could to allow anyone behind to overtake if I thought there was room for them to make it. Soon changed my mind on that one though. About two thirds of the people I let get passed did not even acknowledge me so in the end I thought fuck them and stuck in the middle of the lane, ignored my mirrors and let them sort themselves out. It would only have taken a simple thank you wave but there are too many inconsiderate wankers out there who didn't bother.
Slowed down in passing lanes as well to try and let people pass me but they are all happy sitting at 80km/h behind you these days. Fuck em. Just glad that I normally ride a bike where having traffic behind you isn't a consideration.
/rant
That's been my experience when towing a trailer too. I tow quite a bit.
I get super pissy when we get to a passing lane, I move to the left lane and slow down, and the idiots behind me do the same. Having followed absurdly close for the last 10 km prior, they refuse to take the opportunity I'm giving them.
Buying another trailer this weekend. My obsession grows.
Surprisingly, 70% of drivers rate themselves as average or better.
This is because they see the dufus things other people do, but don't see the dufus things they do themselves.
It's a fundamental attribution error. And also a lack of understanding of how averages work.
It was interesting to observe the speed camera behavior on the motorways when I was in the UK.
At the single point speed cameras the traffic would quite uniformly slow down to the speed limit, and then speed off again once past.
For the average speed cameras, there would be a bunch of people taking an off ramp, and a corresponding number using the next on ramp after passing the camera.
Presumably these people have a satnav telling them where the speed cameras, sneaky speed limit changes and tolls are....
Riding cheap crappy old bikes badly since 1987
Tagorama maps: Transalpers map first 100 tags..................Map of tags 101-200......................Latest map, tag # 201-->
When I was moving house about a year ago, I regularly checked my side mirrors to see if I had a queue.
In Manakau (lower Nth Island) I noticed a bike (with pillion) behind me, so I pulled left to give them plenty of space (added to the centre divide) to pass safely.
The rider made quite a show of thanking me, which I appreciated, up until the point where he got a fright from the car in front of him that'd slowed down to take a right turn off the highway.
Measure once, cut twice. Practice makes perfect.
I was on the Paraparamu bypass one day (many trailer trips for the house move) and some old codger insisted on driving right up the arse of my trailer (me doing more or less 90 kph), until I checked for an otherwise empty road behind me, moved to the right lane, slowed down, and then he took off. Some people are just afraid to pass.
Measure once, cut twice. Practice makes perfect.
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