In the last twenty-four hours, I have been twice been involved in discussions regarding drivers that drive too slowly. My wife who, on a good day, will drive at normal speeds, slows right down in bad weather. She regularly tells of those who overtake her in foggy, icy or excessively rainy conditions.
My question to the wise and well informed sages of this forum is;
With the obvious exception of motorways, is it dangerous to drive too slowly?
My view, to kick things off....
I think that drivers should drive according to their own perception of road conditions and perceived hazards. They should not be brow-beaten or forced to drive outside their capability. If a driver, for example, wishes to drive at 20mph in a 30mph zone because they fear a child may run out, that, to me, is being socially responsible and not dangerous. The driver behind that gets agitated and tries to overtake in that zone is the danger.
Comments
It depends what the road is, on an unfamiliar country lane there is no way I'm going to do 60 with the family in the car, If you get some prat stuck to your bumper trying to make a point that's their problem
60mph zone long country road? they do 35-40
built up residential 30mph narrow road - they do 35-40
People who drive slowly like this cause other people to overtake them, so yes it is more dangerous, since every overtaking manoeuvre carries a risk. Generally I just chill and sit behind them, which is ironic since I now have the fastest car I've ever owned. Mind you, having a really fast car makes you realise how quickly you can put yourself and others in danger when you overtake
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
When you are driving you are in charge of a 1 ton+ killing machine with lots of other killing machines on the road. You need to be confident you know the rules (even the unwritten ones) to be able to drive safe.
It depends entirely on the situation.
20 in a 30, past a school, safe.
20 in a 60 on a dry, clear day, unsafe as most other drivers will (reasonably) expect to be driving at 60.
I worked with a guy who was prosecuted for driving too slowly, 40 on a motorway, in clear conditions.
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
I used to do a lot of hill climbs/racing where you truely learnt the limits of your driving and your car. It stopped me being an idiot on the road.
A) Because I got a lot out of my system
Because I realised how dangerous I was driving.
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.