Limit points - at night!

[Horse]

Drivers attempting to prohibit an overtake by speeding up on a straight section after driving slowly through bends would be annoying

OK, there may be other factors which identify the 'attempting to prevent' aspect, but . . .

If the 'advanced' driver has enough additional vision to consider overtaking, doesn't that suggest the the slower driver might also be willing to drive faster if they also have better forward vision?

[fungus]

Drivers attempting to prohibit an overtake by speeding up on a straight section after driving slowly through bends would be annoying

OK, there may be other factors which identify the 'attempting to prevent' aspect, but . . .

If the 'advanced' driver has enough additional vision to consider overtaking, doesn't that suggest the the slower driver might also be willing to drive faster if they also have better forward vision?

Yes.

I'd add driving so close to the vehicle in front others can't overtake when you have no intention of doing so

I find that particularly annoying.

[Dispossessed]

Slink_Pink

Your 4th point reminds me of a night drive I had in Teasdale in a rather nice 911. I noticed a van behind catch me up, he obviously knew the road well as it was very technical and yet despite reduced vision was making better progress than I could. I mentioned to my co driver that I would pull over and let the van through and use him as a path finder. To follow him with his head lights giving great early forward vision was a doddle and it was easy to match his pace.

What's the etiquette with regards to fog driving/single track lane driving etc where the lead car essentially acts as a pathfinder for other vehicles? If I'm on a narrow/unfamiliar/foggy road with somebody patiently waiting 2+ seconds behind - do I let them past (therefore giving me something to follow) or would they be likely to want to stick behind and have something to follow? Obviously if they are glued to my bumper I'd guess they want to get past, but what if they follow from a safe distance?

[jcochrane]

Slink_Pink

Your 4th point reminds me of a night drive I had in Teasdale in a rather nice 911. I noticed a van behind catch me up, he obviously knew the road well as it was very technical and yet despite reduced vision was making better progress than I could. I mentioned to my co driver that I would pull over and let the van through and use him as a path finder. To follow him with his head lights giving great early forward vision was a doddle and it was easy to match his pace.

What's the etiquette with regards to fog driving/single track lane driving etc where the lead car essentially acts as a pathfinder for other vehicles? If I'm on a narrow/unfamiliar/foggy road with somebody patiently waiting 2+ seconds behind - do I let them past (therefore giving me something to follow) or would they be likely to want to stick behind and have something to follow? Obviously if they are glued to my bumper I'd guess they want to get past, but what if they follow from a safe distance?

If they had caught you up and therefore driving more quickly than you then I would have thought to facilitate their overtake would be appropriate.

[TripleS]

When driving in fog, or on a single track road, I wouldn't worry about somebody who apppeared to have settled down to following me at a decent separation distance. I would see it as an indication that they are content with the situation.

On the other hand if somebody catches me up and then follows closely, I would take it that they wish to get on more quickly, so I would seek an early opportunity to help them get past. To my mind the major problem with being followed closely is the distracting effect it can have on the leading driver, so I would always prefer to get rid of a close follower, mainly for that reason. I don't normally feel at risk from them otherwise.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Dispossessed]

If someone came up quickly behind then I'd guess they'd be happy driving at faster speeds, but what if, say, we both turned off a main road (which had a fair bit of traffic on it) and it was just myself and the other car on the narrow/unfamiliar road with me as the lead car?

[Horse]

To my mind the major problem with being followed closely is the distracting effect

At night, the vehicle behind's lights can be a problem - I've had instances where my car was casting shadows in the fog! Let them past . . .

[Ancient]

To my mind the major problem with being followed closely is the distracting effect

At night, the vehicle behind's lights can be a problem - I've had instances where my car was casting shadows in the fog! Let them past . . .

Or when they are illuminating your dashboard with their headlights!

[TripleS]

To my mind the major problem with being followed closely is the distracting effect

At night, the vehicle behind's lights can be a problem - I've had instances where my car was casting shadows in the fog! Let them past . . .

Or when they are illuminating your dashboard with their headlights!

With regard to dashboard illumination, why do certain modern cars have the instrument panel lighting on all the time? Do the manufacturers do it with some constructive intent in mind, or is it merely for the purpose of reducing their production costs, e.g. no need for a panel lights switch?

In the 'good old days' panel lights would not come on unless you had at least sidelights illuminated. This arrangement meant that if your panel lights were not on, nor were your external lights, so it effectively served as a reminder that you were showing no lights. These days it seems to me that many drivers do not bother to put on any lights until it gets quite dark, and sometimes not even then, and I wonder if the fact that the instruments are lit up leads drivers to 'think' (but without actually thinking) that their external lights are on.

Sorry, I know that's a bit off topic.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Horse]

Or when they are illuminating your dashboard with their headlights!

With regard to dashboard illumination, why do certain modern cars have the instrument panel lighting on all the time? Do the manufacturers do it with some constructive intent in mind, or is it merely for the purpose of reducing their production costs, e.g. no need for a panel lights switch?

In the 'good old days' panel lights would not come on unless you had at least sidelights illuminated. This arrangement meant that if your panel lights were not on, nor were your external lights, so it effectively served as a reminder that you were showing no lights. These days it seems to me that many drivers do not bother to put on any lights until it gets quite dark, and sometimes not even then, and I wonder if the fact that the instruments are lit up leads drivers to 'think' (but without actually thinking) that their external lights are on.

Although many new cars have an 'auto' setting for the headlamps. [Nothing new, I'm sure Merc or BMW had them auto-on in the 80s].

I wonder if current DRLs (ie the LEDs) are bright enough to act as sidelights under streetlamps?

[Ancient]

A few months ago (actually, last winter How time flies!), I was driving on a lit, 30mph restricted road in good visibility and part of a line of traffic, using sidelights so as to reduce glare for oncoming cars. A police car that had been travelling in the opposite direction turned around and pulled me over.

He started by telling me that my headlights were not working and that he could have mistaken me for a motorcycle. I got out and looked, both lights were on and visible, so I told him I had been deliberately driving on sidelights because this was a lit street ... etc. His reply was that I must always use headlights after dark, no matter how good the visibility or whether there were street lights or not.

My wife was present and was unwilling for me to get the HC out of the glove compartment in order to refer him to the correct part of the HC and RVLR regs, so I put the headlights on until I was (probably) out of his 'patch'.

[TripleS]

Or when they are illuminating your dashboard with their headlights!

With regard to dashboard illumination, why do certain modern cars have the instrument panel lighting on all the time? Do the manufacturers do it with some constructive intent in mind, or is it merely for the purpose of reducing their production costs, e.g. no need for a panel lights switch?

In the 'good old days' panel lights would not come on unless you had at least sidelights illuminated. This arrangement meant that if your panel lights were not on, nor were your external lights, so it effectively served as a reminder that you were showing no lights. These days it seems to me that many drivers do not bother to put on any lights until it gets quite dark, and sometimes not even then, and I wonder if the fact that the instruments are lit up leads drivers to 'think' (but without actually thinking) that their external lights are on.

Although many new cars have an 'auto' setting for the headlamps. [Nothing new, I'm sure Merc or BMW had them auto-on in the 80s].

I wonder if current DRLs (ie the LEDs) are bright enough to act as sidelights under streetlamps?

In many cases I think they are bright enough. TBH I feel some of them are too bright even in daylight!

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[TripleS]

.

[Gareth]

I wonder if current DRLs (ie the LEDs) are bright enough to act as sidelights under streetlamps?

I reckon most are a lot brighter. The other night I was followed by a car and the DRL were almost as bright as the headlights just above them, (from the pov of the onlooker - I imagine they don't provide a huge amount of illumination to the driver).

[TripleS]

.