To think driving at 30 mph in a 60 mph zone is unacceptable?

[DoIDareDisturbTheUniverse]

Stuck behind a driver this afternoon who was going 30, yes, 30 in a 60. Straight roads, clear weather, etc etc. No one could over take for about 10-15 mins as there were too many cars coming the other way and there ended up being a massive tailback of traffic. AIBU to think it's completely out of order to drive 30 miles below the speed limit in good conditions?

I don't care if they had a precious crystal chandelier in their car - it's dangerous to drive that slowly.

Could it be that the car had a fault and had kicked into 'limp home' mode?

Not dangerous (the impatient buggers behind are the dangerous ones) but inconsiderate and against the highway code. Unless an abnormal load of course.

Meantime dick of the day award to the guy who overtook me dangerously going at 49 in a 50, squeezed into the gap I left in front and then had to wait with everyone else at the roundabout just ahead. How I laughed - but never a policeman around when you need one. Or a tree...

Impatient drivers kill. Sadly not always themselves.

Driving 30 in a 60 would be a test failure.

Not necessarily. There are some windy country roads that are nominally 60 limits, but for most of the time you would be insane to drive at that speed. Also of course you should slow if visibility is poor or the road is icy.

If they have good reason to drive slowly, e.g. transporting a fragile person or object, or a fault in the car, then they should pull in when possible to let the queue overtake them.

I was going to say about the car having a fault thing. Or he had brand new brakes and was bedding them in for the first few miles. Mind you i think you can go up to 40/50 under those circs.

There are actually lots of reasons someone might do this - illness, carrying a heavy load, a car fault, woman in labour... It is not necessarily hesitancy.

I drove at 30mph on the motorway. Well, I had just lost my exhaust pipe.

There might have been a good reason for this driver to be driving so slowly on this one occasion.

Driving slowly is one thing.

It's quite another to be driving slowly, oblivious to what is going on behind you, letting a queue build up, and not pulling in to let the traffic past. That is most definitely poor driving.

My instructor told me that driving so slowly is indeed dangerous by default as it agitates other drivers and can lead to risks being taken
. She told me to drive slightly faster than the limit us less dangerous that slightly slower and that was a measurable fact .

If your car is broken you should probably put your hazards on......

YANBU. I see this often on the A road that I commute along and whilst they might have allergies/be transporting a rare butterfly/lack confidence/etc it's no excuse - if you're causing a tailback then show consideration for others, pull in and let other cars go past.

It could have been that the car had a fault and they weren't happy going at a faster speed, or that they'd had a puncture and had one of those "get you home tyres" that can only be used at low speed. However if that was the case, then I think it's reasonable to expect them to pull in where appropriate to let vehicles pass.

OP, could have they pulled over safely anywhere? Because sometimes you just can't.

I've often been behind a slow vehicle, such as a tractor. Tough. Just be patient.

Sometimes you can't - although many times it's perfectly possible but just doesn't occur to them or they are just stubborn buggers. My dad (note the omission of the prefixed d) is this latter kind of driver - he absolutely refuses to pull over and seems to enjoy both the control he exerts and the annoyance of the drivers behind him.

If you have something wrong with your car then it's best to warn others by putting your hazards on.

Driving that slowly is often an indication of other offences. I.e no licence or insurance or drunkenness. I've regularly pulled people over from driving too slowly and have always uncovered other offences.

Depends on the road in question. There are many mountain roads where I live that have a 60 mph limit but due to unfenced sheep and horses and blind bends you would have to be stupid to drive anywhere near that speed but on a safe A road it's ridiculously slow.

You are not supposed to use hazards when your car is broken but moving.

It's par for the course where I live and it really gets on my wick

Yes it is. I was stuck behind someone doing 35mph in a 60 limit road this morning. Fortunately it's not very long.

It wasn't an old dear, either, the woman driving was quite young.

This road seems to attract quite a few dawdlers, I don't know if they think it's a 40 limit, but it's pretty straight, good road surface and no need at all to crawl.

Yes you get the opposite too - last week I was on a 50mph road, doing 45mph behind another car doing the same speed - felt comfortable with the speed for the conditions and Mr Fast Impatient Very Important Driving An Expensive German Car came whizzing past, and then past the car in front of me too. But we were close to the speed limit. Doing half the limit is ludicrous unless it's snowing or foggy etc.

If there is a really good reason for going slowly then the hazards are a good idea. I've never been told that you can only use them when you are stationary. If someone has a problem, they need to be able to tell people.

If it's not an old dear I always assume someone driving too slowly is on their mobile phone. I bet I'm right in most cases too. Or over the limit. There seemed to be an awful lot of people driving rigidly at 30mph on Christmas Day Hmmm. Worried about being pulled over and breathalyzed?

Its not completely out of order police worthy for fucks sake. This has happened to me 3 times in the last 5 years or so- all faults with the car (gearbox, clutch, overheating, flat tyre) don't jump to conclusions, sometimes life just happens

Oh yeah and a forth and fifth time driving back from hospital with a passenger who'd had abdominal surgery

hellhasnofury limp mode was going to be my suggestion! In that situation it often best to pull over (obviously where safe) turn off and restart engine. Often sorts the problem.

Bottom line is, as a competent driver, you should be able to drive to a speed appropriate for the road and conditions without unduly hindering or obstructing other road users. If the road was clear, there was good visibility and the weather wasn't anything unusual, then a driver should be able to drive to the national speed limit for that road; even if they are slightly cautious for whatever reason (not familiar with the road for example) - driving at 50 would be reasonable - but 30 would, in my eyes, be considered far too hesitant and therefore no safer on the road than someone driving too fast for the conditions.

It is possible there was a problem with the car - I have had to limp my car home at a slow speed - however I kept pulling over and displaying my hazards whenever I did so, so that a) people could see there was a problem and b) I didn't hold people up or cause an obstruction. I remained aware and conscious of other drivers around me.

Drivers that pootle along at a speed FAR too slow for the road/conditions, completely oblivious to other drivers around them, ARE dangerous because they are not driving with due care and attention and are unlikely to be able to react properly to anything unexpected.

When I took my test, I was told that you were expected to drive at an appropriate speed taking into account the national speed limit for that road, the road conditions, weather, other traffic, visibility etc, and that you should not be holding up other drivers. If someone was simply driving at 30 in a 60 because they can't handle the road, then yes - that IS dangerous.

Slow drivers are just as dangerous as speeders. I have had this argument today already, it's incredibly selfish to drive way under the speed limit. If you aren't comfortable to drive at the speed limit you should drive on the slow roads. Yanbu btw.