[Closed] Getting stressed about motorway incident yesterday

Calm down, just ignore it.....................Let me know if that worked, never does for me

So that was you in the way was it??? 😉 Didn't you know it's Audi's, BM's and Focus ST's in the outside lane only??

I had cause to run on the road yesterday. I'm never too happy running into oncoming traffic but there's no option sometimes.

A woman aimed for me missing me by centimetres, she blasted her horn clearly very angry. There was no oncoming traffic for her just a total dick move. What if she had hit me?

I'd like to have remonstrated with her but in hindsight I was so angry probably best not.

People are dicks. Most are not, that's about the best I've got.

Just remind yourself you can’t control other folks
Tw*ts will be tw*ts

Leave a bigger gap to the gar Infront.

The lowering of the speed means the consequences are lowered

Idiot asshat behind gets more irate but has no way to do anything about it.

Don't stress about what you can't change, but do think about what you can change, and do something positive (even if you think it's pointless, do something).

Assuming you didn't get the registration, make, colour, etc when the car eventually came past, think now about how you'll react if it happens again. Talk to your missus about it; if she's in the car, you'll ask her to write that info down - just talking it through will stick in your mind and you'll do it next time. Think about a dashcam - a front facing one would have captured the details and would be evidence for the police, a rear facing one, even better evidence.

He wasn't flashing you with blue lights, was he?

Honestly in that situation I'd accelerate fairly swiftly to get past the car inside so I could move over and get out his way - yeah you might break the speed limit for 15 seconds but rather that than have a nutter driver a few feet from your bumper. 85mph for a few seconds on the M1 isn't going kill any kittens.

There's always going to be someone in more of a rush than you, let them get on with it.

Tootling up the outside lane doesn’t inspire correct motorway driving tbh.

If you were indeed tootling with nothing on the inside until somebody decided to undertake the tootling slow coach in the outside lane, then unfortunately you do need to read up on motorway driving.

Flip side is however, if by tootling you mean 70 and nicely overtaking slower cars, then fair enough.

Either way, Mr Flashy in a rush man needs to chill. No point you getting wound up tbh, happens every few seconds no doubt, somewhere on the motorway network.

Cock driver had clearly seen you but taken it upon themselves to act in an intimidating manner. In all likelihood far less dangerous than the actions of those on the motorway who weren’t paying attention. Still ****ish behaviour but probably not massively dangerous other than the plausible scenario of the offended (you plus all the others on the receiving end) responding with a brake-check or similar idiotic actions.

Unfortunately part and parcel of everyday driving. Personally I just slow down and drop back so you have some additional braking distance from the car in front then indicate and pull back into the left lane.

Makes it clear what your trying to do, plus pissed off the tailgater more. Bonus points.

Let them f off in front at the first opportunity, safer in front where you can see them!

Although I had a truck leaning on me the other day, having already clocked it trying to bully it's way through a couple of other cars behind me. Wife wanted me to let it in front but having already lit the brake lights without slowing, decided he was probably pretty stressed and didn't fancy having him stop and block me in a risky position on a busy A road. Strangely there was another truck ahead so it's not as if he could have gone any faster without me sandwiched between them...

^^^^jeffl has it

I wouldn’t have thought the old bill would drive that close up your arse, so it’s 99.9% going to be a bell end behind you. Just lay off the go pedal then pull over and let them pass , or for more shits and giggles match the speed of the vehicle on the left for a few miles

With my medical background it sounds like you have other worries and stresses going on and this incident was the icing on the cake.

Either that or give up your license if you can’t handle the pace on the fast lane with the big boys…

Perhaps you shouldn’t have been on the outside lane…

*all said in jest.

Never a bad thing to try and learn from those scenarios. I concur that whilst it's shit to be bullied out of the way, the safest thing is to let them bugger off and be dangerous further up the road. My choice is normally to speed up my overtake, but I think I prefer the jeffl method.

Just think how shit his life must be if he behaves like that.

Slow down and leave extra room is the official correct way and best if there's not any room in front, but given the amount of idiots and road rage incidents on the road, if there's room free in front can I'll do what I can to NOT antagonise the driver behind by giving the vinegar hand symbol, or slowing down - get out the way as soon as you can.

Also, maybe check your mirrors a bit more often, it's not too hard to see a car approaching at speed, it might be an unmarked police car with no blue and twos - and your pootling along at the indicated speed limit would actually be more like 65mph - which might make the 80mph indicated (75 actual) seem rather brisk if they've just 'appeared' in your mirrors.

You’ll be fine here…you’re amongst GODS.

It sounds like a once a day meeting with your quotient of pillocks for the day on our roads.

It does sound like you're over thinking things too - only you know how to take your mind off things and move on.

The best way to avoid this is not to tootle in the outside lane.

That or deployable stingers from the rear bumper, like Season 2 Episode 5 of the A Team.

Had a very similar experience on a dual carriageway section of the A9 a few years back, except once we'd completed our overtake and pulled back in he decided that as he was in such a hurry he would try and side swipe us off the road then brake check us a couple of times rather than disappear up the now empty road at his previous 90mph plus. Called the police there and then, gave statements the following day. Following a couple of COVID related postponements he finally got his day in court, several hundred pounds of fines and some points on his licence, and probably a fairly hefty hike on his insurance renewal.
So if it helps, the pricks don't always get away with it

I would suggest not driving on the continent. Much more likely to happen over there. Especially anywhere near Belgium IME.
(Other stereotypes are available, this is based purely on recent and older personal experience)

If you were indeed tootling with nothing on the inside until somebody decided to undertake

I knew someone would pipe up with this. It's clear from the OP that he's overtaking someone who then speeds up as they are alongside. Perfectly legit. Angry man behind however is NOT legit. You haven't got any moral or legal right to speed, so you can't get angry about people driving legally.

The best way to avoid this is not to tootle in the outside lane.

No, do the speed limit in whatever lane you need to use. Don't let aggressive ****ers bully you out of the way. If you really need to speed, do it when the road is clear for ****'s sake.

I'm in the give it a quick bit of right foot and get out the way, camp. Refusing to budge is just going to enrage an already pumped up twerp to boiling point and make an uncomfortable situation worse.
It's not a case of letting the bully win, it's about making the correct decision for your own and your passengers safety.

It's easier said than done, but just let it go, don't contribute to angry driving.

Drive progresssivley and just...

I would suggest not driving on the continent. 

Very much this. Spent two months in Spain earlier this year and it's completely standard driving. Just carry on with your overtaking ( if your not why be in the overtaking lane ? ) and move over at the first opportunity.

On holiday in Sicily a few years ago…about 10 minutes after I picked hire car up, I’m in the slow (lane 1) lane on a dual carriageway doing the speed limit, no one overtaking. Then some nutter tailgates me like never before. He eventually overtakes. Happens again and again…..

Anyhoo, it transpires I broke 2 rules:

I was doing the speed limit which is a no-no…
I didn’t pull over into the hard shoulder to let them by, as was the expectation…

I settled in after a couple of days, but boy, a very different style over there!

I've found driving in Spain (mainland) rather nice and pleasent...?

Faster drivers just get on with it, just don't get involved?
The speed limits are super slow too, just chill,

"you wont' get there any faster".

Those saying that 70 indicated is more like 65 need to check their speedo. Modern cars are more accurate. My Passat is a 2018 model so definitely not brand new and the same model been built since 2015 or something. 70 on the cruise control is 69-70 on GPS.

Those saying that 70 indicated

need to take a drivin course, or hang thier keys yo.

Those saying that 70 indicated is more like 65 need to check their speedo.

No, it's quite normal to under read 5% or so. The tyres on my van are 6.5% larger than standard and the Speedo is now bang on the GPS speed. All the vehicles I've had are like this, although I had Mondeo that over-read up to about 30mph, then started to under read as it got faster.

Have to say I don’t recall being in the outside lane of a motorway for a very long time and my stress levels on journeys are all the better for it, even if my journey times are a few minutes longer.

Sympathise with the OP though as it’s easy to replay situations like this in your mind and think about worse case what ifs.

I just let go of the accelerator pedal and slow down. If I'm in the right hand lane I'll move over when I can.

They're I d**k with a very small pen*s in a BMW, Audi, or Range Rover. They're probably stressing somewhere about speeding fines now.

70mph isn’t tootling.
A few posters have suggested letting the dhead past, this is the best advice.
Once he’s in front, then you can control the gap to maintain a safe distance.
Don’t let it get to you, it’s not personal, drivers like that are dheads all of the time.
Don’t slow down, or speed up massively, continue driving normally, that’s the safest thing to do.

Flip side is however, if by tootling you mean 70 and nicely overtaking slower cars, then fair enough.

Yeah, bad phrasing, I was probably doing about 75 indicated. Just one of those bad timings when a slight bend means the car on left is going slower but annoyingly just as fast as they're on inside of a curve in the road.

Spent two months in Spain earlier this year and it’s completely standard driving.

No it's not. This past month I've done Madrid-Granada, Madrid-Alicante, and Madrid-Plasencia, and I can count the number of ****s that have come up fast behind and started tailgating on one hand.

Which will be seen as an aggressive move by the twerp behind and make an unfavourable situation worse. Just give it a quick blip on the throttle get out their “way” and let them carry on being an aggressive arse, while you carry on being less stressed (a little sanctimonious) and not at risk of a crash!

No, it’s quite normal to under read 5% or so.

I'm not saying all cars. My car is by no means out of the ordinary. MrsG82's Seat (also 2018) reads very similar to mine. Just trying to raise awareness not to rely on under reading and to know the offset of the vehicle you are driving.

Those saying that 70 indicated is more like 65 need to check their speedo.

I can speak with some authority on this, as I spent two years and somewhere north of 100,000 miles driving several hundred wildly different vehicles, using a TomTom satnav app on my phone, and it was remarkably consistent that driving at an indicated 82mph equalled 75mph on the satnav.
And to get in before the pearl-clutching comments, I was doing those sort of speeds behind police cars that were actually pulling away from me, on a few occasions. The police don’t give a shit, it helps spread traffic out and prevent bunching.

My EcoSport is actually fairly close to the satnav, maybe a couple of MPH  in it, which might be down to the CrossClimate2’s fitted, because I’m certain that there was a wider difference with the standard Goodyear tyres, but I rarely do motorway driving with a satnav to be entirely certain.

it helps spread traffic out and prevent bunching.

Sorry - you're saying that everyone travelling at different speeds prevents bunching?

I understood that to be that slow moving police cars cause bunching.

I understood that to be that slow moving police cars cause bunching.

Ahh, the old police car in the inside lane doing 65 but everyone is scared of doing more than 70.1mph past them...

They're doing below the limit so you CAN pass them! 🤣

My Passat is a 2018 model so definitely not brand new and the same model been built since 2015 or something. 70 on the cruise control is 69-70 on GPS.

My Skoda Superb, also a 2018 build by the same VW group and on the same platform as the Passat needs to be an indicated 74/75 for 70mph on the SatNav.

So much so that if I am driving the A9 I will stick the SAtNav on the screen for accurate speeds on the average speed sections.

It Varies. I drove different cars at work and speedo accuracy varied from almost accurate to near 10% over.

Tyres hadn't occurred to me. We have cross climates on both cars. Would that make up the difference and I'm in fact miss informed (even by personal experience) about the speed differential?

I need to do some tyre research I think. Was thinking of going back to summer/winter sets from all seasons at some point. Be interested to see if there's a change.

tootling up the M1 in outside lane

Rather than waiting until I'm on top of someone I'll flash my lights from a distance if they look like they're "tootling", usually wakes them up.

But as someone who's spent their life 'making progress' plus too many years commuting on a motorbike, folk not really paying attention are very easy to spot.

yesterday i got a chap ($%$£) on the M9 going through the 50mph speed camera at Newbridge flashing and widely gesticulating at me as i slowed to 50mph for the camera. I was in the outside lane, but then the inside was also full of traffic and doing 50mph. He then proceeded to undertake me at the earliest opportunity with a variety of hand gestures, then spun off onto the M8 eastbound cutting someone else up and i expect straight into the back of the que towards Edinburgh. Some people are just c0ck$.

There's not a lot you can do OP other than just pull over when you can, and get out of his/her way.

Sounds to me like OP isnt a very confident driver.

Tootling up the 3rd lane, getting undertaken, getting stressed.

Arses will be arses so you should have either speeded up and over taken the lane 2 driver or indicated to pull back in and pulled in behind the car that had speeded up.

IMO no one should be tootling on a motorway, to me that implies with little awareness or care

Maybe consider an advanced driving course / motorway driving course?

Channel your inner Ogmios. Gentle acceleration to get past the car to the left then move out of the way, to allow your new friend to attend to their urgent business. Safe travels.

Since getting caught out in a crash for cash incident I've fitted my cars with front and rear dashcams. Easy DIY job. I'm much more relaxed about the range rovers that own the outside lane doing 100 knowing I've got evidence and their number plate on camera.
The barrister on my case said they didn't necessarily sway or help court decisions, but they're better than nothing and you can upload dangerous driving footage to a police portal

Yep on the dashcam. Wife got tailgated & bullied in a similar way near Bristol. When she pulled out of the way the other car overtook and then feinted into her lane as it went past, pulled in front and brake-checked a couple of times before then blocking her attempts to then overtake and brake checking again.
The moron then pulled off the motorway at the very next junction so he'd gained precisely nothing for being a bellend, as this was on the M5 coming North away from the Cribbs Causeway junction so the next junction was probably about a mile or a mile and a half.
Fortunately we have full front rear and side dashcams so I downloaded the footage and sent it all to the Bristol police who responded pretty quickly with a "yeah, we'll be having a word with this one, would you be willing to give evidence in court?"
Nothing has happened yet but it does make you feel a bit better just being able to do something in response.

yup, front and rear dashcam are a winner, has the undocumented benefit of keeping me honest so its easier not to react in a negative way.

Pricks that tear about the place, overtaking dangerously, undertaking, tailgating etc only draw attention to themselves to the police or run out of luck and end up in a smash. As previously stated, hang back, let fannyballs do whatever he's going to do and keep yourself safe.

If you've got a dashcam, send the footage into the police, they love it when someone does much of their work for them, or will use the info- number plate etc to go looking for them.

I've sent dashcam footage and an associated witness statement to Cheshire Police a couple of times. Not had to go to court, but one of my clips subsequently turned up in a Facebook compilation video of piss poor driving. I'm pretty sure both were actioned from the replies I got from police, but it would be nice to know the final outcome. Little resource for that I assume.

I just need someone to tell me to calm down and ignore it.

Actually not helpful. You've been in a frightening situation where your body has reacted, as it's designed to, by going into a full-on adrenaline rush, just as it would if you were physically assaulted or threatened. It's not 'nothing', it was an unpleasant, frightening experience for you and your family and it's quite natural that you're shaken up.

Acknowledging that rather than thinking it should be 'nothing' is a good start. Most of us thankfully don't get in those situations regularly adn unfortunately there's not much you can do about it in the bigger sense that there is a small number of aggressive idiots on the road.

Sure you can consider what you might do if something similar happens in the future and there's nothing wrong analysing your own driving, but you shouldn't be blaming yourself. There's no excuse for what this driver did.

It will pass with time - someone drove straight into me at a relatively low speed a few years ago and it really shook me up for weeks - but for now, I'd acknowledge that you've been in a frightening situation that's caused a huge adrenaline rush without any release and it's something that most of us aren't used to dealing with, fortunately our world mostly protects us from that sort of thing.

That's my take. I get wanting to 'ignore it', but actually I think maybe appreciating that it was a frightening experience and going from there, is a better start.

You should see the tossers flashing me when I'm in the fast lane with the caravan on the back😁

Those saying that 70 indicated is more like 65 need to check their speedo. Modern cars are more accurate.

Not really, the accuracy has been fairly stable since ABS/traction and stability control systems became standard on new cars. As that's generally the module that is used to calculate the speed. The whole calculation process, including accuracy, is a legal requirement in most markets. It's not changed hugely in the last 15ish years.

Just trying to raise awareness not to rely on under reading and to know the offset of the vehicle you are driving.

There isn't an offset, there are two or three, as the calculation model (and accuracy requirement) changes based on speed. Also, each calibration will cover a range of tyre rolling diameters (at a range of pressures).

I can speak with some authority on this, as I spent

the last few years reading the bloody standards and implementing the functionality.

Some judgmental pricks on here today, condemning the OP's driving from a few ambiguous lines.

Take it easy OP, sounds like a mini-PTSD episode.

I was brake tested by some utter space cadet in a Caravelle on one of the non-motorway bits of A1(M) in Lincolnshire or thereabouts a few years ago. He came charging up behind as I was in lane 2 doing no less than GPS 70 passing traffic in lane 1. After I'd pulled into lane 1 (only a couple of seconds later) he pulled across in front of me and braked for no obvious reason. Luckily I'd already started slowing as soon as he pulled over, but I'm now even more careful about preserving my braking distance around those kind of fools.

You should see the tossers flashing me when I’m in the fast lane with the caravan on the back😁

The fact you use the term "fast lane" shows you're an ignorant fool, and towing in (the 3rd lane) it proves it.

Just one of those bad timings when a slight bend means the car on left is going slower but annoyingly just as fast as they’re on inside of a curve in the road.

I doubt that the slight bend in the road on a motorway accounts for him going any faster than you one lane apart - more the weird behaviour of drivers when someone goes past them and being unable to maintain a set constant speed. Happens all the time.

However, if you don't feel confident enough to give it a little extra when you need to get past someone, then maybe the motorway isn't the best place for you to be - you should be reading the road, looking 2-3 cars ahead and also checking your rear view mirrors, as well as anticipating what the vehicles in lane 1 and 2 are going to be doing. At all times

I always laugh at the term "fast lane". They all have the same speed limit. Sometimes the left lane goes faster that the right. Quite often when people pull on a 3 lane motorway and automatically go to the right hand lane causing congestion, leaving the left and middle lane empty. Maybe it's an ego thing to be in the right hand lane for as long as possible. Or maybe certain brands have a little red light on the dashboard that flashes when smaller cheaper cars pass them saying "must get in front"

You should see the tossers flashing me when I’m in the fast lane with the caravan on the back

Hmm - perhaps a refresher on the Highway Code is neccessary.

"Rule 265

The right-hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes MUST NOT be used (except in prescribed circumstances) if you are driving

any vehicle drawing a trailer
a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 7.5 tonnes, which is required to be fitted with a speed limiter
a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes
a passenger vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes constructed or adapted to carry more than eight seated passengers in addition to the driver
a passenger vehicle with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 7.5 tonnes which is constructed or adapted to carry more than eight seated passengers in addition to the driver, which is required to be fitted with a speed limiter."
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/motorways-253-to-273

Surely the caravan comment was a joke?

You should see the tossers flashing me when I’m in the fast lane with the caravan on the back😁

Surely the caravan comment was a joke?

Yep, big load of whoosh going on here I think!

However, if you don’t feel confident enough to give it a little extra when you need to get past someone, then maybe the motorway isn’t the best place for you to be

Not just this one but **** me there are some condescending comments on this thread.

I am entirely confident in giving it some to get by someone (and am confident in all other respects when it comes to driving) however the speed limit is 70 so that is as fast as I go on the motorway.

If the car in front of me in the middle lane is doing say 65 I will check the outside lane and if it is clear, pull out and continue to do 70. If some dick comes barrelling up behind me I will continue to do 70 until I am clear of the car I am overtaking and then I will pull back in and the dick can get on their way. They can flash their lines, stick fingers up at me - whatever - their problem and not mine.

Nothing to do with my ability, confidence or anything else as a driver. Thems the rules. I am perfectly entitled to overtake said car and am under no obligation to speed up just because someone wants to do 80+, particularly if to do so would mean exceeding the speed limit.

If the car in front of me in the middle lane is doing say 65 I will check the outside lane and if it is clear, pull out and continue to do 70. If some dick comes barrelling up behind me I will continue to do 70 until I am clear of the car I am overtaking and then I will pull back in and the dick can get on their way. They can flash their lines, stick fingers up at me – whatever – their problem and not mine.

Nothing to do with my ability, confidence or anything else as a driver. Thems the rules. I am perfectly entitled to overtake said car and am under no obligation to speed up just because someone wants to do 80+, particularly if to do so would mean exceeding the speed limit.

Amen to that. I do exactly the same thing.

I am entirely confident in giving it some to get by someone (and am confident in all other respects when it comes to driving) however the speed limit is 70 so that is as fast as I go on the motorway.

If the car in front of me in the middle lane is doing say 65 I will check the outside lane and if it is clear, pull out and continue to do 70.

So the car in lane 2 is doing 69.9mph and you want to stick to 70, you'll crawl past it forever?

Haha yes, you'd think the smiley face would give the joke away. I thought I'd lob the " fast lane" in just in case the caravan bit didn't give them enough to fret about 😁

So the car in lane 2 is doing 69.9mph and you want to stick to 70, you’ll crawl past it forever?

Why not? So long as I am edging by then I am using the lanes correctly and driving fully within the law.

That said the chances of them doing 69.9 consistently and for a prolonged period of time are remote and it is more likely that either a) they are drifting between 69.9 and 70+ and I will remain behind them or that they will slow down somewhat and I will overtake them.

But yes, let's say they are doing constant 69 and I have my cruise control set at 70 then assuming the outside lane is clear when I commence the manoeuvre then I will overtake them at a difference of 1mph. As I said at the start of this reply - why not? It is entirely legitimate whereas giving it a bit of right foot and going past at 75 is not.

You should see the tossers flashing me when I’m in the fast lane with the caravan on the back😁

Surely the caravan comment was a joke?

Yep, big load of whoosh going on here I think!

Loads of whoosh, unlike when the OP was overtaking. 😀

Why not? So long as I am edging by then I am using the lanes correctly and driving fully within the law.

The OP wasnt edging past though, the car in lane 2 was travelling quicker, so he should have pulled back in or accelerated (naughty boy) to resolve the issue.

Yep, big load of whoosh going on here I think!

Yep, caravans displace a lot of air at 80mph.

70 is the legal limit, yes - however it's quite safe to do more than that* and unless you're doing waaay in excess you're unlikely to be done for speeding.

*As above, 70 indicated is actually less, so if you want to do exactly 70, stick the cruise control at 73mph, give or take 1/2mph

*Also, lets remember the 70mph speed limit was set in 1965 when the UK's best selling car was a Morris 1100 with 48bhp and a top speed of 78mph. Cars have moved on a bit in safety in the last 57 years. France seems to do just fine with an 80mph speed limit in the dry. Anyway, let's not derail this any further.

*As above, 70 indicated is actually less, so if you want to do exactly 70, stick the cruise control at 73mph, give or take 1/2mph

GPS and speedo are pretty much the same in my car so 70 is 70. And even 73 won't stop a cock doing 80-90+ from coming hooning up behind so makes little or no difference. And it may be safe but it is not legal. And yes, when the cameras are on in the 70 bits as they sometimes are then you will get a ticket for breaking the speed limit and not always with the 10% tolerance.

The OP wasnt edging past though, the car in lane 2 was travelling quicker, so he should have pulled back in or accelerated (naughty boy) to resolve the issue.

Except at the point the dick was behind them they couldn't

Actually thought he wasn’t even going to stop, I can’t get into the inside lane(s) as the guy there has decided he now wants to speed up.

And yes, when the cameras are on in the 70 bits as they sometimes are then you will get a ticket for breaking the speed limit and not always with the 10% tolerance.

They aren't going to catch you at 75mph

Except at the point the dick was behind them they couldn’t

Actually thought he wasn’t even going to stop, I can’t get into the inside lane(s) as the guy there has decided he now wants to speed up.

Ah so you just sit there for the next hour blocking 2 lanes ?

1. Either indicate to move over and reduce your speed a little allowing you to pull back over.
2. Be really naughty and go to 75 mph and pull in in front. Yes the world might end, but I doubt it.
3. Be a complete arse and stay along side the car for the next hour further winding up the idiot behind you.

Ah so you just sit there for the next hour blocking 2 lanes ?

The whole point of the OPs thread is that they had not been idly sitting there - they were overtaking quite legitimately and then they had someone up their arse and at that point they could not move over as at the same time the car next to them decided to speed up. Further, by the sounds of things it was not safe to slow down either as the car behind was very close.

And why should they speed up and break the limit? The fault is entirely 100% that of the driver getting right up their arse and being aggressive.

There is nothing in the post about this being a two hour stand-off with the OP trying to wind people up.

It seems that a number of people think that a driver abiding to the law has less rights to be on the road than dicks who like to speed.

But yes, let’s say they are doing constant 69 and I have my cruise control set at 70 then assuming the outside lane is clear when I commence the manoeuvre then I will overtake them at a difference of 1mph

Yep, putting yourself in danger for no reason - you need to really get some training.