the 'square' approach is my preferred method

but you need a fast car to be able to make the most of it

too many cars can't afford to lose momentum, hence the banzai 'triangle'

 

I'd always go for the square approach.

You're not committed to anything that way.

I also find it gives the car in front warning, which allows them to plan for my overtake. Although on the odd occasion 'planning' means weaving about or speeding up to stop me overtaking, though at least I get some warning that the car in front is driven by an insecure tosser before I'm committed and doing 60.

 

I take your well made points.

You may be interested to know that one of the major factors in bike only accidents is emerging as a simple inability to go round corners.

You may think this is a self evident truth, and indicative of excess speed.

However, most bikes will go round corners at a speed far greater than that of which the rider is capable.

What often happens is that the rider goes in at a speed which he considers is too fast, brakes and stands the bike up thereby compounding the perceived error - on a LH bend they then hit traffic coming the other way and on a RH bend they run off the road. Whereas if only they looked through the corner and focussed on where they want to go, they would get round.

Luckily my Beemer with its quirky Hossack designed front suspension doesn't stand up if you apply the brakes mid bend.

 

I used to think that the majority of bikers were sensibile riders, who's image was tarnished by a few idiots. In more recent years I think it's the other way around.

What annoys me the most is when they take a right hand bend in the middle of the road, leaning over the line onto my side of the road. I position my car towards the line to get the best sight through the bend and, so far, have been lucky enough to avoid the idiots.

As for overtaking, it's the pricks that sit on my tail and can't wait to get past me when I'm doing 30 in a 30 that really pi$$ me off

 

I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. I think bikers are the worst at keeping to these limits. Despite cars travelling at the posted limit almost all bikers will be sitting on the cars tail trying to force the driver to pull over so the biker can get past. What really pisses me off is that every biker seems to think that because their vehicle is smaller every car driver should move over slightly so they can get past, even if the traffic is sticking to the speed limit, it happens all the time. Imagine if Smart car owners had the same inclination because their car is small, would you pull over for them? What is even worse is when they encroach on on-coming traffic because they are riding down the centre of the road because they simply must get past all those cars as quick as possible.

The biggest problem with most bikers is their riding relies on a lot of car drivers moving out of their way.

What I normally do is only pull over if I think it is safe for the rider to pass me otherwise I will position my car on the road in such a way as to tell the rider not to try and pass me. I don't care if they undertake me on motorways, what I don't like is when they are trying to pass between you and the car in the inside/middle lane. It's fine to do this in slow moving traffic but they shouldn't be doing this when the traffic is moving at 70+. Rather than allowing me to focus on my driving, I now have to continually look in my mirrors to see where the bike is.

Another thing that irritates me about bikers is when they overtake and then pull in front of you because of on-coming cars which means if the gap isn't wide enough between me and the car in front, I then have to brake because of the impatient biker.

 

Me too.

Surely if they're only safe to do 40 in a 60, they should slow to 20 in a 30?

Funnily enough, they do 40 whilst picking up their sprogs outside the school too!

 

Especially if Mr Thirty/Fortysomething panics or fails to concentrate.

Or has taken the racing line and has thus left himself no room for manoeuvre; the 'long way round' is considered safer for a reason.

But the foregoing requires too much consideration. Easier to replace the concept of 'motion' with the concept of 'too fast'.

F = MV^2 /2

Fine = Massively TooFast^2 /2

I can do this politicobollocks too!

 

Or a small brunette woman as I found out a month or so ago

I don't do rash overtaking - I don't want to die!

However, on roads I commute on regularly I am happy that I know the best spots to overtake and will do when the opportunity arises.

I was on a single lane NSL carriageway and had the audacity to overtake a Focus who was doing 35mph. I had followed him for best part of 2 miles and waited until I got to my well known, straight piece of road, overtaking point.

The said man then proceeded to shed all vestiges of his previously steady driving and speed up, tailgating me down the rest of the road, flashing and giving me Nescafe hand gestures. He then drew level with me at the roundabout at the end of the road, shouting abuse (I had the roof down so got every word). I was going right round the roundabout ignoring him which seemed to annoy him further as he followed me onto the slip road and continued to tailgate me down the local dual carriageway.

It was only the fact that i'd got so scared that I phoned one of the blokes I worked with from the car - who gathered a little welcoming committee outside my workplace that (IMO) convinced the man to give up as he saw me turn into my work car park.

It did shake me up though. I'd done nothing wrong and at no point had put myself or this chap in danger. I also worried that if he was nuts enough to come after me like that, he might damage the car.

Not a nice position to be in as a woman on your own driving.

 

As someone who rides and drives, this is something that really p!sses me off. I'd rather the car drivers just concentrate on where they are going instead of trying to send me messages about where and when I should be overtaking.

When someone does move over and I make use of the extra space I give a thumbs up to thank them, but this is usually only in slow moving traffic where I am filtering. I don't do this where traffic is moving freely. I don't trust them not to close the gap back up again, so I wait until I have a good opportunity to get past.

As a bike rider, there is little more irritating (other than people who cannot judge speed/distance correctly) than someone who insists of driving with two wheels in the gutter showering me with stones/water/crap when I can't get past anyway because of oncoming traffic; or someone who thinks I don't have enough room to overtake because they don't have enough room to overtake in their car!

 

Sorry to hear that.

Love the idea of the 'welcoming committee' though!

It's amazing how many totally inadequate men there are out there, who feel the urge to do such a thing. Wonder if they feel the urge to abduct children too?