Slow Motorhomes

Bigpeetee

Guest
Last night, I got stuck behind a 25+ yr old Hymer travelling at between 30-40mph

I couldn't overtake as it was narrow roads and I was pulling a trailer. There was a string of approx 25 vehicles behind. We passed several laybys but the Hymer just carried on.

Please if you are either travelling slowly and enjoying the scenery or the van won't go any faster, pull over regularly to let other traffic past.

Some of us aren't on holiday and need to get somewhere.

It's only being considerate to others and reduces any alienation towards MH's.

Probably people in other holiday areas have exactly the same issues, caravans being towed with underpowered cars, townies scared of country roads, 4x4's on country lanes that won't pull over onto the grass (cause it'll put mud on it and they don't know how to engage 4 wheel drive) etc
 
Our nightmare up here...I often feel I need a large illuminated sign on my van saying, "I work here and i need to report in time"
 
If I can not make a reasonable speed I will always stop and let traffic past when possible

Rob
 
I have a 4 ton, 2.8 TDI van which never ceases to amaze me just how nippy it can be.
Quite often cars come alongside me thinking they will get away from the lights much faster than me to jump in front into the lane I am in :mad2:.
It must upset them after the lights have gone green, but I do not know, because I cannot see their faces, as I am at least 7.5m in front!!!!:dance:
 
hi. on the other side of this discusion . i,m a hgv driver . anything over 7.5 ton is only allowed to go 40mph maximum . so as there been a minimum speed limit for campers ? i dont think so . if you are running late you should have left earlier . it could be a hgv in front of you . unfortunately the white van man and boyracers of all ages need to slow down.
we have maximum speed limits not minimum. should be compulsory for all drivers to go on a large vehicle driving course . or advanced motorists course. either would give you a different outlook to driving . specially on narrow roads . you should have enough time allowed to make a safe journey , calm down and enjoy the drive .
cheers alan.
 
As I understand it, driving slowly is an offence just the same as speeding. It never seems to be enforced.

I have seen drivers who only ever seem to drive at 40 mph, even in a 30 mph area.
 
hi, maingate . can you tell us where this may be found .
we were told it was a narrow road . the op was towing a trailer and wanted to over take . not ideal.
there used to be a 30mph minimum on motorways . there used to be signs stating this . havent seen any for years .
bit like learner drivers werent allowed on motorways . not sure if they are now . something to investigate i supose.
the world is definately in too much of a rush these days . i play how slow can you go. good game .
cheers alan.
 
vwalan said:
hi, maingate . can you tell us where this may be found .
we were told it was a narrow road . the op was towing a trailer and wanted to over take . not ideal.
there used to be a 30mph minimum on motorways . there used to be signs stating this . havent seen any for years .
bit like learner drivers werent allowed on motorways . not sure if they are now . something to investigate i supose.
the world is definately in too much of a rush these days . i play how slow can you go. good game .
cheers alan.
Click to expand...

I hope you pull in now and again Alan, to let the others past. I always took you to be a gentleman (not like that other Yorkshire twit from Donny) and I am sure you do.

BTW, if you hold me up too much, you will have 4 Whippets hanging off the seat of your pants when I see you. :danger:
 
I'd take a bet the Hymer had the old Mercedes 2.4 straight diesel engine which is a brilliant engine, goes on for ever, fantastically reliable and fitted to the 207, 307 up to around 1987/88. Our 1985 has the same engine. It's good on the flat, but the slightest incline and you are absolutely stuffed and down to 15 mph. The problem with pulling over on a long hill is getting going again without causing even more chaos.

On the flat we always pull over when there is sufficient traffic behind, but everyone will have a different definition of sufficient. Some dirvers think if they're the only driver behind you should pull over, others think about a mile or two of traffic. We normally reckon once it's obvious we're holding up around 7-10 cars we pull over, but never on a hill much to people's annoyance.

I agree with Alan though that people are generally in too much of a rush, and speed remains the greatest killer on the roads. I would hate everyone to drive around at 30mph, but the fact that sticks in my mind is if you're hit by a car at 30mph you have an 80% of survival. If you're hit by a car at 40mph you have an 80% chance of being killed.

On a lighter note on a serious issue, I think the people who volunteered for that particular survey should be applauded:)
 
I won't be pushed into to driving any faster than I consider safe, my motorhome is reasonably well powered & I can go fast if I want to. At the same time I appreciate that some people want to maybe go faster so I will occasionally pull over if I see a few cars stuck behind me. What does annoy me is drivers who try to fore me to go faster by tailgating especially if there is a speed limit & I am driving around that speed (the closer they get the more inclined I am to go slower) What some people fail to understand is the speed limits are the MAXIMUM speed (if it says 30 mph this is the fastest you should be travelling not 31....32..etc.) The argument as to if roads don't have a speed limit correct for the road is another argument altogether. I would like to see some speed limits around where we live reduced & others increased but I can't complain if I got a ticket for exceeding them.
 
hi, if i can drive at just below the legal speed limit then no i will not pull over . if i,m very slow then i will when it is conveniant to stop that might mean not blocking entrances gateways driveways etc . its all part of the test for hgv . they say when it is conveniant . it doesnt mean at the first wide bit or whatever . it may be conveniant for you behind but not for several others .
if you keep trying to overtake in dangerous or daft places or hassle me i will pull across and block your view even more and slow down even more . white van drivers are possibly the worst . mind taxis drivers tke some beating .
overhanging trees bushes roadside signs all create problems . catch a mirror and it then becomes illegal to carry on . an hgv fridge could be 2.6mtr just over 8ft6ins. plus mirrors could be almost 10ft wide .yes the mirrors can fold back but nine out of ten times they break.
i just tried a google kind find the answer properly but there is memtuion of learner drivers needing motor way training . but as for minimum limits i cant find any . but if drivers allowed more time life could be safer for all. cheers alan.
i,m also psv . on some trucks and coaches it could be 4-5--hundred quid if you catch a mirror . doesnt go down well with your boss or your pocket if its yours .
 
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I don't think there is any law as such for minimum speed limits, but there is a law for dangerous driving. People who drive at 30mph on a clear motorway are, in my opinion, driving dangerously. I also get frustrated by people who think motorways have a slow, medium and fast lane and by middle lane hoggers.

However, far more important than any of the discussion so far is that your driving should ALWAYS be safe. Sometimes, where legal -eg- Germany, it may be perfectly safe to drive at 140 mph. At other times it may be incredibly dangerous to drive at 10mph. Everyone needs to adapt their driving habits to suit the conditions.

Stay safe and drive safely folks!
 
there used to be a 30mph minimum on motorways . there used to be signs stating this . havent seen any for years .
bit like learner drivers werent allowed on motorways . not sure if they are now
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Try the highway code.

It is usually the caravan towers that get castigated for this sort of trouble. I bet the OP was getting the blame from the drivers behind.

I remember once, in the 1960's driving on a main road in Devon I was towing a small caravan and I got stuck behind a Hillman Imp. He was driving too slowly, holding up me and eventually a line of traffic behind me. He would travel just too fast down the hills to make it safe for me to pass and just too far away from the kerb up hill to allow me space. I would have had the power if he had let me have room. I could see it amused him greatly to have his fun.

After it had become clear that the guy in the Imp was playing with me, eventually I pulled in to let the tail drive past me. A few miles further on I pulled into a cafe, and I was approached by another driver. "I thought is was you who was holding us up." He told me "until I came up behind that *^%*" in the Imp." He also told me that he had sat there calling me names. Unfortunately the main A road was little more than a country lane and there were few places to pull in.
 
vwalan said:
hi, if i can drive at just below the legal speed limit then no i will not pull over . if i,m very slow then i will when it is conveniant to stop that might mean not blocking entrances gateways driveways etc . its all part of the test for hgv . they say when it is conveniant . it doesnt mean at the first wide bit or whatever . it may be conveniant for you behind but not for several others .
if you keep trying to overtake in dangerous or daft places or hassle me i will pull across and block your view even more and slow down even more . white van drivers are possibly the worst . mind taxis drivers tke some beating .
overhanging trees bushes roadside signs all create problems . catch a mirror and it then becomes illegal to carry on . an hgv fridge could be 2.6mtr just over 8ft6ins. plus mirrors could be almost 10ft wide .yes the mirrors can fold back but nine out of ten times they break.
i just tried a google kind find the answer properly but there is memtuion of learner drivers needing motor way training . but as for minimum limits i cant find any . but if drivers allowed more time life could be safer for all. cheers alan.
i,m also psv . on some trucks and coaches it could be 4-5--hundred quid if you catch a mirror . doesnt go down well with your boss or your pocket if its yours .
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Well I'm a self employed white van man and you sound like the bane of my life!...Why would you want to impose 'YOUR' speed limit and misery upon me ?? Unlike you I'm not limited to 40 MPH on A roads and I make my living transporting goods faster than almost any other mode of transport, so why do you feel your job is more important than mine? ...I don't stop you from carrying out your daily tasks so why do you feel the need to make mine more difficult? ...

Have I got this right then... Pulling across the road, driving right behind other HGV's (meaning anyone wishing to make better progress than you have to overtake two maybe three lorry's at a time) and slowing down on purpose just because somebody has got frustrated traveling at 35-40 when legally they are entitled to travel at 50 and 60.. are all actions of 'SUPERIOR' 'RESPONSIBLE' and 'SAFE' drivers ? :rolleyes2:

Martyn
 
Well if everyone drove at an appropriate speed for the road conditions we wouldn't be having this thread. Suffice to say that there are plenty that go way too fast and a few that are the complete opposite.

For the rest of us hopefully that are somewhere in the middle we can continue to set a reasonable example.

But I do wish that very slow vehicles (of whatever description) would pull over occasionally when safe to do so. Always seems to be on long 2 way stretches with double whites lines (or is it just my bad luck?)

PS L drivers are not allowed on mways. No min speed limit unless signed with blue sign/white stripe (almost never seen) but unreasonably slow driver could be fined for driving w/o reasonable consideration for other road users.
 
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vwalan said:
hi, if i can drive at just below the legal speed limit then no i will not pull over . if i,m very slow then i will when it is conveniant to stop that might mean not blocking entrances gateways driveways etc . its all part of the test for hgv . they say when it is conveniant . it doesnt mean at the first wide bit or whatever . it may be conveniant for you behind but not for several others .
if you keep trying to overtake in dangerous or daft places or hassle me i will pull across and block your view even more and slow down even more . white van drivers are possibly the worst . mind taxis drivers tke some beating .
overhanging trees bushes roadside signs all create problems . catch a mirror and it then becomes illegal to carry on . an hgv fridge could be 2.6mtr just over 8ft6ins. plus mirrors could be almost 10ft wide .yes the mirrors can fold back but nine out of ten times they break.
i just tried a google kind find the answer properly but there is memtuion of learner drivers needing motor way training . but as for minimum limits i cant find any . but if drivers allowed more time life could be safer for all. cheers alan.
i,m also psv . on some trucks and coaches it could be 4-5--hundred quid if you catch a mirror . doesnt go down well with your boss or your pocket if its yours .
Click to expand...

Hi Alan

The wing mirrors on my 1992 Hymer 700 are £700 each.
 
I agree, drive within the limits suitable at the time.

It's not just geriatric motorhomes that are the issue. Those that drive slow vehicles regularly such as tractors, plant machinery etc usually are considerate and will pull over every so often.

HGV's on a long incline can slow down, though there's others that outperform a sports car!!

The road I was on was a 60 limit of reasonable width but where the volume of on coming traffic was sufficient to make overtaking impossible.

I don't condone rushing for the sake of it, but anyone should be considerate to other road users.

I mentioned that it was a MH, primarily because of our forum and the fact that because our vehicles are different to most on the road, it's easy for people to moan about us.

There are plenty of other drivers who are scared of rural roads, especially lanes and in the tourist season, we get out fair share of idiots, some too slow, others who treat country lanes as a place to practice their rally skills??

My MH plus trailer can maintain a reasonable speed, where appropriate, maybe slowing down earlier for sharp corners than a car, but still not impeding the general flow of traffic. When comming back from the gig at midnight, although the roads were quiet, if I got a car behind on a twisty road, I'll pull over where appropriate.

PS. how many people can't reverse? I've gone on narrow lanes towing and the car comming the opposie way doesn't want to reverse
 
how many people can't reverse? I've gone on narrow lanes towing and the car coming the opposite way doesn't want to reverse[/QUOTE]


My O/H was giving blood yesterday and listening to some caravan owners talking about reversing. One lady said they NEVER reverse with their caravan, whilst the other person said nor do they and wouldn't have a clue which way to turn the steering anyway! The lady replied that they rely on a motor mover once on a site and the other chap had never even heard of them either.

We used to own a 6+m caravan which I prided myself I would always reverse accurately when needed. Needless to say there were a few narrow lanes in France that tested me out. Fortunately I was given professional training with large trailers in my then job, the skills thankfully never left me. The Caravan Club run one day courses for caravans and motorhomes.

I don't think people like these two should be allowed out on the road without being able to reverse.:scared:
 
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When i had a JCB Digger (18 mph) i would pull over whenever possible,

A few drivers waved thank you, some shook there fists at me or stuck two fingers up,

Most did nothing,

You can please none of the people all of the time !!!
 
Totally agree, but with my MH, there's no rear window and we use a box trailer that is a lot narrower than the vehicle, so I can't see it.

Given that there's a large overhang at the back, a small movement on the steering is amplified massively on the tow hitch, add to that a relatively short link to the trailer wheels and it can be real fun. Much more challenging than a caravan, farm trailer etc. But hey Ho, life's full of challenges.

A lot of caravaner's also forget how much weight the total set up is and how quickly gravity can have an effect on a long down hill. Most don't drop down a gear to get engine braking, but rely on the brakes alone, probably don't understand brake fade.

There's a long hill on the A55 (Rhuallt), every month or so a caravan looses control and ends up over the carriage way, or at best snaking down, with what looks like a load of brown stuff coming out of an orifice!
 
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