Can The Car You Drive Potentially Mislead Other Road Users of How Fast You Are Going?

tomleonhart on 15/04/2015 - 09:04
Last edited 15/04/2015 - 10:01

Hi All,

I have an observation that I would like to share.

I moved far away from my work place and had been driving on the motorway quite a bit. Due to the nature of work, I leave home early and come home late when there isn't much traffic around.

I drive a tiny 1.4l Nissan Micra and admittedly I always drive 105-110km/h on a 100 road (please don't judge me).
I check my speedometer against my GPS and my partner's iPhone to ensure my speedometer was calibrated correctly. I always drive in the middle lane (3 lanes motorway) since i'm not exactly slow doing 10kms over the limit.

What I noticed is that almost every single car coming up behind will overtake me despite the speed that I'm driving at. A lot of them after overtaking would merge back in the middle lane and slow down to the speed limit.

Recently I bought a new G-TR, WRX, Mazda3 Sp25. Now although I drive at exactly the same time in the morning, same speed (check against speedometer, same GPS and same iPhone). Other drivers don't overtake anymore, they stay behind and follow at a safe distance. My partner whom drives the same car noticed it too.

So what do you guys think? Can the car you drive somehow mislead other road users how of fast you are going?

Automotive

Comments

        • tohara on 22/04/2015 - 12:36

          @goraygo: mate i know more about cars and the real world than you do. You clearly live in a fantasy land if you think a 200sx is doing 240km/ph with significant rear downforce. Follow me on instagram if you like tomj00 and you can follow my real world adventures with real world cars

        • tomleonhart on 22/04/2015 - 15:00
          +1

          @tohara: following you now. nice photos !

  • iSamurai on 17/04/2015 - 19:56

    On a fine day on the motorway I would drive at the speed limit and use cruise control. I still find plenty of drivers wanting to overtake me. I think maybe the car is doing slightly under compared to other cars perhaps… But quite often I can set the speed limit and find some cars also doing exactly at the same speed.

  • Aust on 17/04/2015 - 20:53

    Great post, Always thought very similar myself.
    From my viewpoint I have narrowed it down to its the car you drive, people dont want to be behind a small car. I know it sounds silly but its true,
    Its the same with Learner driver, Young girls in small cars, and people in 4x4's. I have your same issue in my 4x4, everyone overtakes you then slows down.
    Another example, would you park your sedan next to a 4x4 in a shopping centre car park?
    Subconsiously no as you know if its there when you come out, you will have the potential for an accident when reversing.
    Same Australia wide everywhere I travel.
    Edit, add to that people doing 70 in 60 zones and then 95 in a 100 zone.

  • neosin on 17/04/2015 - 22:13
    +1

    Simple explanation:

    Driving behind a camery (I have nothing against toyota) is like walking behind a fat woman!

    Driving behind a merc/bmw/porche is like walking behind a super model!

    Now, how many of you will keep walking behind a fat woman and how many would keep walking behind that super model?

    :D

  • tonyjzx on 17/04/2015 - 22:18

    a mazda 3 although a nice car, isnt really a fast car

    i think its just your impression

    i did have a few funny interactions on private property ie. large industrial estates manned by private security

    i got pulled up for exceeding speed and i know i wasnt but i was in 1st gear up around 3-4,000 rpm so the car was quite loud

    while i was getting lectured to, a white 1995 camry sped out of the lot full speed doing well over what i was doing and the guards didnt care

    i was driving a GTR at the time, one of the loudest cars i've ever driven

    i do admit people in very small cars get a hard time though

  • edy4eva on 18/04/2015 - 00:55

    I think the car make/model/appearance may have an effect on how other drivers (including the Police) perceive you and your actions on the road. It may be that your car looks good so it's an entertaining sight for the drivers behind. It may because it looks so bad that they don't to see it ahead.

    My take below is not a valid example of that, it's just an observation that I felt rhymes with this theory.

    Got an old Peugeot 406 v6 that's still going well and looks like new -not that it's anything special but it does look neat/well kept. I usually set cruise control at the speed limit (110) between Canberra and Sydney.

    Once I was overtaking a bunch of cars that were going ~105, an undercover highway patrol started to tailgate me (noticed his lights/extra equipment through the rear view mirror), I felt like he was trying to get me to hammer it to snipe me. I left it in cruise despite him being less than half a car length behind (were on a stretch with dips/hills so couldn't see far ahead), when it became safe and the road opened up, I moved to the left lane.

    He sped away but I was still able to see him for several kilometres and got surprised that he didn't do what he did to me to other cars that were overtaking ahead, most of them were old Toyota's/Mazda's and judging from my speed they were likely going over the limit. He simply let them overtake without tailgating.

  • peterpaoliello on 18/04/2015 - 09:50

    It's the same reason people will overtake a P, or especially L plater more, there's an impression or judgement the car is slow even though that's actually not the case.

  • steambao on 18/04/2015 - 09:50

    I use to have cat-back exhaust system (no muffler… Loud) not too long ago. Most people wouldn't overtake me — and always let me merge first in a merging. Put in my mufflers again and since then I find myself being overtaken much more, and me having to give way on merges now :) same car, same driving style. Definitely a perception thing.

  • ankor on 18/04/2015 - 10:07

    I ride a 100 cc scooter. I usual do 65 -70 in a 60zone and I will always get overtaken by impatient/important drivers.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/04/2015 - 10:38
    +1

    Whenever I take the Bugatti Veyron out for a spin no one comes near me and I sit on or 5km below the speed limit

  • altomic on 18/04/2015 - 11:04
    -1

    if the car is red…

    • jlogic on 18/04/2015 - 12:20
      -1

      Or has stripes.

      • RockyRaccoon on 18/04/2015 - 14:33
        -1

        Or has ECILOP on the bonnet when looking thru your rear mirror.

        • jlogic on 18/04/2015 - 17:54
          -1

          Oh dang another rare Pokemon.

  • The Gent on 18/04/2015 - 14:12

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvLaTupw-hk

    Watch this plz.

  • Brick Tamland on 18/04/2015 - 16:35

    I used to ride a motorcycle and riding a bike you tend to observe peoples behaviour a lot more. So depending on the type of car I encounter I may approach a situation differently. For example, at traffic lights with stationary traffic I would not filter to the front if there was a sports car at the head of the queue in case they decided they wanted to race me. If it was a Starlet, than sure, they won't race me.

    Same in the car, if I see a small car in the middle lane I may assume its driving at the speed limit or more slowly so I would probably automatically try to overtake without getting a good sense of their speed. And there's probably a more likely chance it will slow down if there is a hill.

  • pitoui on 18/04/2015 - 17:01

    I haven't ever really noticed this to be honest. I'll be keeping an eye out when driving my 200SX and my VX Commodore.

  • johnno07 on 18/04/2015 - 19:47
    +6

    All I can say that I've noticed is that people tend to slow right down if you drive your current model Commodore up behind them, worried you might be an unmarked cop car. Quickly becomes annoying.

  • jaxon on 18/04/2015 - 21:00

    yeah. but its a good thing when you're driving a small car and its friday night. friends driving a mazda6 or any larger car = instant pull over random RBT, whereas small cars hardly ever do

    • [Deactivated] on 19/04/2015 - 14:36

      Mazda6,, err don't think so that's a family sedan, maybe a WRX or something like that.

  • Cluster on 19/04/2015 - 13:15

    My rules for estimating the speed of another car:

    Assume the driver is driving over the speed limit if the car is:

    • A 15 to 25 year old Falcon or Commodore

    • Has illegal HID headlights (easy to spot)

    • Has only one headlight that works, especially if the working light is one of those massively overdriven 'white' halogens with ridiculously short life span

    • The above rules are a sure fire bet on Saturday night

    Assume the driver is driving below the speed limit if:

    • The driver is wearing a wide brimmed hat

    • The car is a late model Camry

    • RockyRaccoon on 19/04/2015 - 14:40

      The car is a late model Camry

      I'll mention your name next time I get pulled over for speeding. LOL

  • FirstNameLastName on 19/04/2015 - 16:40
    +3

    Dr Karl would probably advise the OP to be aware of confirmation bias.
    ie If you look out for something, it will seem to occur more often.
    He would then ask you to drive both cars over a period of three months each at the exact same time/place and record your findings..
    For your troubles he'd then award a Triple J fun pack or the crap off Zan's desk.

  • swilso on 20/04/2015 - 06:51

    Might have to call this 'head of the pack' syndrome. There are always people wanting to be in front. I've owned a few different vehicles from a pulsar-commodore-Wrx to a diesel ute and it's all the same.

  • tohara on 20/04/2015 - 07:55

    the most frustrating thing i encounter every time i drive of a highway is the following - when conditions are appropriate i use cruise control, on occasions i will overtake a person (Car A) while using cruise control and will tuck back into the left lane, the next time i over take a car (car B) and tuck back into the left lane Car A behind me overtakes Car B and will suddenly speed up to overtake me even though my speed has been the exact same the entire time following that they will pull into the left lane and go back to their original speed making the whole process begin again. This happens on multiple occasions every time i drive and for the most it is women, i'm not trying to be sexist its just a trend i've noticed.

    I think overtaking rules are completely pushed under the rug through the entire learner driver program, it is not enforced enough and not taught enough and when parents have bad habits like the above there problem is passed down and continued. The government needs to promote the laws, put up more signs, enforce the laws and sort the issue out. On the road from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast of Queensland (110km) there are two 'keep left unless overtaking' signs.

    Beside the point however another shocking habit that is developing is drivers using their fog lights any time their headlights are on, it's even common for people to use their fogs/parkers at night! In QLD it is illegal to use fog lights unless conditions permit and no one enforces it. On some cars fog lights are blinding!

    • konazz on 20/04/2015 - 08:36
      +1

      I get that a lot as I drive 2-3 times a week to another office 92kms away on the Federal/Hume Hwy. I switch on cruise control as soon as I hit the 110km/h sign on the ACT/NSW border, and switch it off when I get to Goulburn. The amount of people in new cars that don't use cruise is frustrating. There's usually a few types I meet on the road:
      - talking on the phone, you overtake, then they realise they're doing 95km/h and speed up and won't let you pass.
      - those that slowly speed up as you're overtaking them, until you both hit 130km/h. As soon as you're finally cleared of them, then they'll re-adjust their speed back to 109km/h
      - those that overtake at 1km/h faster than you… and sit there for 10 minutes. When you reach a car to overtake, they sit there and you've got to slow down. Usually, you end up overtaking them 1 minute later
      - those that just want a race, and attempt to block, fake-overtake, and just have a bit of fun (usually ACT P-platers, who don't have speed limit restrictions)
      - you're going to overtake 2 or 3 cars, and one of them decides they're done with being behind, so pull out (99% usually no blinker because they haven't checked their blindspot) into the right lane at 1km/h faster than the others… cutting me off, and banking up 5 cars that want to overtake.

      I definitely have head of pack syndrome on the highway… i sit at 119km/h (GPS Speed) on the hume. My mum told me when i was learning, that all other cars are danger, and its my job to get away from danger as quick as possible. I'm definitely an assertive, but polite driver (e.g. if I'm distracted, and my speed has dropped when not on cruise, i'll let everyone overtake by not adjusting my speed… then later on I'll get back up to speed without being a d!ck to everyone who just overtook).

    • RockyRaccoon on 20/04/2015 - 09:39
      +1

      On the road from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast of Queensland (110km) there are two 'keep left unless overtaking' signs.

      Back on subject, which is effectively assumptions on how people drive according to visual clues.

      Even in NSW when travelling on a freeway, I see a car in the right lane, and none in the left. And yes it's confirmed as I catch up, it's got a QLD plate on it.

      So maybe your issue with the signs on the sunshine coast highway is just the QLD govt not wasting money. LOL

      • tohara on 20/04/2015 - 15:49

        what?

  • ShatGPT on 20/04/2015 - 08:59
    -2

    Love how OP has (unsuccessfully) tried to lump his SP25 in with the likes of a WRX or GTR. Eh no, its a painfully slow Mazda. Other than that, yes it is true your speed will be judged on what you drive.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2015 - 19:29

      Sp25 not even a MPs lol

  • h0mbre on 20/04/2015 - 12:16

    I drive a moderately tuned Forester XT with a cat-back exhaust and over 700nm of torque but I am overtaken everyday by yuppies in Tiguans and all sorts of econoboxes.
    People in Sydney don't care what you're driving, they are going to be dicks on the road and weave/overtake/cut you off regardless.

    There is some truth in your observation though, I will subconsciously act to overtake smaller hatchbacks etc on highways because they cannot maintain speed limit on varying terrain.

    But I think this has more to do with being able to tell from a distance they are struggling. Nothing irks me more than having to brake while in cruise control because some selfish simpleton with a 1.3L NA engine thinks they can maintain highway speed limit in the right lane while driving up a hill.

    • ezarc on 24/10/2016 - 03:45

      A bit off topic but how many kw are you making?
      The dyno read out for my WRX shows over 700nm of torque but only 149kw, it was tuned at a reputable company (S&J) but I assumed there must be some error with the equipment due to having that much torque.

      • h0mbre on 24/10/2016 - 12:32

        220kw at all 4
        Tuned by Michael South (MSR)

  • MrLeE on 20/04/2015 - 14:32
    +1

    Unrelated to the question, but related to driving :)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5UBRXOHTuM

  • echelon6 on 20/04/2015 - 14:37

    If you drive a holden commodore behind me, i will DELIBERATELY slow down because you might be an undercover cop.

    that's what you get for owning a commodore!

  • strikerzebra on 20/04/2015 - 15:05

    Yes if it's red, red is faster.

  • AlanHB on 20/04/2015 - 18:56
    +1

    I use my speedometer to gauge the speed myself and the other driver is going.

    Usually I'll stay on the speed limit, or go slower if I'm really tired or if it's raining. Sometimes people overtake me, I don't really mind.

  • centrelink on 21/04/2015 - 11:19
    -1

    People are always going to be evil and corrupt anyways… this is just one way going about it, otherwise we all still be watching Playschool.

  • Malarkey on 21/04/2015 - 12:02

    I drive an older model dual cab Hilux, people seem to give way and let me in when I indicate to change lanes. I doubt the same would happen if I was driving a Yaris.

  • MementoMori on 22/04/2015 - 12:46

    Absolutely. Stick an L plate on ANY vehicle and watch how many idiots dangerously overtake (regardless of what speed you are doing).

  • rmamila on 22/04/2015 - 15:30

    Have you noticed the cars that drive well below 100 on 110 road from Melbourne to Adelaide leading long line of vehicles, suddenly accelerate well above 110 in the stretch of the overtaking lane leaving non one else to overtake them. I remember last time I had to go above 125 to be able to overtake some cars at the overtaking lane who were going at 80 all the way for very long stretch on 110 road.
    How can you explain this behavior.

  • twister292 on 03/05/2015 - 17:12

    I found this behaviour as well…I recently got an Aurion (2011 Touring SE model)…when I drive my friend's VZ Commodore, I find less people tend to have the urge to pass me at the same speed (100kph according to my GPS). The Commodore shows 107 on the speedo for the same, the Aurion shows 105 roughly (it doesn't have a digital speedo, but the pointer sits almost squarely between the 100 and 110 markers.

    Just anecdotal observation, but Commodores and Falcons seem to be the primary ones overaking me lol…And of course Utes.

    I don't pay much attention and never block them if they want to pass me, but I suppose staying "behind" what they think is a FWD grandma car is not something they'd be too keen on (never mind in a straight line it's faster than either the Falcon or commodore V6 non-turbo variants :P )

  • [Deactivated] on 26/05/2015 - 17:29

    Getz driver here and: YES they then pull in too close and sit in front of me at 95-100km… and I then overtake them. I always think; why?

  • Mumbles on 17/03/2016 - 02:50

    What I noticed is that almost every single car coming up behind will overtake me despite the speed that I'm driving at. A lot of them after overtaking would merge back in the middle lane and slow down to the speed limit.

    This is probably the overtaking car finding a better car to follow.

    On a crowded motorway you'll find that lots of cars are travelling together at similar speeds. Most drivers just want to drive at the most efficient speed and with the fewest holdups.

    If I am following in a convoy line up, eg. #1=WRX, #2=GT-R, #3=Micra, #4=My car, I prefer to follow the cars with the most constant speed because when the convoy catches on slower traffic its the Micra that takes the longest to complete its overtaking maneuver. When this happens the lead convoy cars get away which destroys the convoy I was reliably following.

    I've a different perspective to the OP regarding being overtaken. I prefer cars to overtake so I that I can slip stream and save petrol, have more protection from kangaroos, less speeding tickets, drive more relaxed with a lower concentration level.

    Three lanes is a luxury. What's wrong with traffic moving around you? Its easy to pass them again safely. The worst that happens is they decide to then follow you otherwise reassess+change their own speed. When I was on my P-plates I used to drive a base model Hyundai Excel. I could "encourage" Commodores/FPV's/HSV's to travel 30km/h above the speed limit because I was in a Hyundai Excel. Its a blessing that other driver's are consistently predictable.

  • ezarc on 24/10/2016 - 03:33

    One thing I noticed driving my old Daihatsu Charade, cars would always pull out in front of me from side roads. They would see my car and just pull out in front of me anyway and I'd have to hit the brakes or hit them. One time it was in a 100km zone, the guy saw me and pulled out and I had to brake that hard my wheels locked up and skidded about 15 meters and my bumper was about a foot away from his as he started rolling away slowly. I followed them to ask if they will pay for flat spotting my tires but they went in a shopping center, drover around in circles, floored it and tried to lose me but I gave up after about 20 mins knowing they wouldn't pull over and I was going to be late for work. That never used to happen in my Commodores or my current car but it always happened in my Charade and 90% of the time it was a 4WD or crossover.

    Now I have a WRX, no problem with people pulling out in front of me but nearly every time I'm in the city I always get some guy in a Commodore or Falcon next to me flooring it off the lights. I just ignore them and drive normally, the last thing I want is attention from the police.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join