The strange phenomenon of the 40mph driver

There is a strange phenomenon that has bothered me since I passed my driving test.  Surprisingly, that wasn't too long ago - only 3 years ago. It's amazed many people - and me, in hindsight - that I didn't learn before, seeing as I grew up in the arse end of nowhere, a place where buses ran only once a week, and only taking people out...no return bus....

Anyway, despite being rebellious in some ways, in others I am disconcertingly law-abiding.  I have never driven under the influence of alcohol (I won't even have one drink if driving), I've never had a parking ticket, I've never been arrested, I don't take drugs....blah blah blah...and suffice it to say, I don't speed.

Part of this is growing up in a village and having various pets MURDERED by speeding maniacs mowing them down recklessly, but I also respect that those speed limits are there for a reason. I don't dawdle at 20mph, but I drive to the speed limit and that's that (give or take).

So I have realised that there is a curious breed of driver that I call the 40mph driver.  They drive only on A roads and B roads, and are incapable of driving faster or slower than 40mph. They are often old people or lorry drivers. Yes, always lorry drivers! And it does like this:

Betty driving along an A road at a respectable 55-60mph.  Gets stuck behind a car trundling along at 40mph. Betty gets a bit annoyed.  Then more annoyed. Especially as they BRAKE every damned time they go round a slight BEND in the road. What's that about?!?  So finally a village appears, speed limit drops to 30, Betty drops to 30...and the car ahead speeds off into the distance. At this point I'm thinking...WTF??? Village ends. I speed up. Within 1 minute have caught the car again. And so it goes and on and on and on.

I have no particular reason for writing this post apart from the fact that it annoys the living crap out of me and has done for years. Am I hallucinating this? Has anyone else experienced this? Also, how does one deal with these drivers?? I also hate middle lane 60mph drivers on motorways but they are easily dealt with in a way that makes me morally superior, but how to deal with this breed of cretin?? The 40mph driver??  You can't drive too close (not safe), you can't just keep with them because this means you speed through villages...you can't flash your lights at them...what can I do???

Report all the buggers that do this so that they get banned?? Never going to happen.

Please, please help!! We must rid the roads of these 40mph menaces!!