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 myself pulled over and had a big sob in a motorway service station on the first occasion I drove my husband's terrifyingly fast car as it was so unfamiliar and I was scared rigid about causing a pile up

Anyone else want to know what the car was?

In this situation. . Frustrating, yes... dangerous, no.

Happens in our area with caravans / tractors all the time. Danger comes from you being angry and not adapting to the situation.

Well said Eat re driving phobia. Get professional help if you feel you have it - counselling, lessons and so on - don't keep trundling along at 30. I presume you've got an actual diagnosis of driving phobia as opposed to 'I'm a nervous driver'?

And FFS - pull in whenever possible and let other drivers past.

The road out of our village is a long, straight 60. Almost daily I get stuck behind some doing 30-40. It's not safer!

At some point someone will drive right through them. And if they can't read and understand the road signs they shouldn't be driving.

Quite agree Wrath

This is about driving round blind bends at a slower speed, or in wet conditions etc - this thread is about straight clear roads in good conditions. If you are unable to drive at 60 (or near 60) in a uch conditions you are an utter and you should get some lessons asap to develop your confidence and skills.

Its frustrating but its not dangerous, other drivers impatience is dangerous.
Theres got to be a reason they are doing 30, it could just be they missed the sign or they could be nervous but at the end of the day its only a slower journey. Its all very well to say they shouldn't be on the road but they've got to get home to get off the road in the end.
A lot of the incidences of "terrible,slow driving" seem pretty reasonable to me, more indications of the posters crap driving than the slow vehicles. Your definitely supposed to stop at the end of the slip lane if you cant get on and if you nearly crash into someone because of that then you need to be paying more attention the road, or if you crash into the back of a vehicle because you were going 60 round a blind corner, again that's you
If daily you get stuck behind someone doing 30-40 then that to me suggests the road is quite windy, as people don't drive 30 for no reason.

There are obviously times when it is dangerous, when slow driving is not common sense, better driving skills etc. There must be times when a slow driver causes hold ups and possible danger as there is a specific driving offence for it!

The reality is that some slow drivers are not being uber safe, they are simply incapable of driving with due care. Those drivers should be shown the error of their ways or even have their license removed.

All the "well I drive below the posted limit because I know better / had a temporary issue" posting won't make the slow, incapable drivers not exist. They do. They can cause havoc. There is a legal consequence... as posted upthread, a few times!

Some roads in this country are national speed limit (60 for single carriageway roads without lights) because it's the default and they've never been evaluated for suitable speed limits. There's a road near us which is narrow and twisting and surrounded by trees and hedges; until very recently it was a 60. It's now a 40 but you'd have had to be out of your mind to do it at 60 and some of the bends are definitely 30 mph bends.

That said, I agree that driving way under the limit on a clear straight road in good conditions is dangerous (unless you're a tractor) and I've known people fail their test for it.

"Theres got to be a reason they are doing 30, it could just be they missed the sign or they could be nervous"

A good driver will recognise that they are not in a 30 mph zone because there will not be a series of street lights. If they are not in a 30 mph zone but a, for example, 40mph zone they will know that because there will be repeater signs telling them. They will know if they are in a national speed limit zone because there will be no regularly spaced street lights and no repeating speed limit signs. If a driver continues at 30mph for 15 minutes on a straight road, in good conditions with the national speed in force because they 'missed the sign' it is an illustration of their lack of basic knowledge about the Highway Code; or, if they know the Highway Code, it is an illustration that they are oblivious to the road signs and markings around them. A driver who has a poor grasp of the Highway Code or who is oblivious to what is around them when they are driving is not a safe driver.

A driver who is so nervous that they are only able to drive at half the speed limit in good conditions is really not a safe driver. I don't believe that such a driver would only be nervous about driving at a reasonable speed in a straight line, they are likely to be the driver who is overly hesitant at roundabout and junctions, who panics when there are different lanes to choose on converging or diverging roads, I could go on.

Lastly, I disagree that exposure is the way to overcome phobias. I have certain phobias, repeated exposure to one of the scenarios I am phobic about has only made me worse. If a driver is genuinely phobic about perfectly normal driving conditions they should not be trying to resolve it by driving inappropriately they should be having lessons with a qualified instructor.

Exposure therapy for phobias which are serious enough to need it should really be done with the support of a professional who knows how to deliver it appropriately and correctly.

Could not agree with you more Lost

This part of your post especially:

A driver who is so nervous that they are only able to drive at half the speed limit in good conditions is really not a safe driver. I don't believe that such a driver would only be nervous about driving at a reasonable speed in a straight line, they are likely to be the driver who is overly hesitant at roundabout and junctions, who panics when there are different lanes to choose on converging or diverging roads, I could go on.

YANBU. The driver is responsible for driving at a safe and appropriate speed for the conditions, whilst staying within the speed limit. Driving at half the limit when it is not appropriate is unsafe. There are signs on single-track roads in Scotland that read "Frustration causes accidents, allow overtaking". A driver who drives too slow is just as much a danger as the driver who drives too fast - sometimes more so. A fast driver is confident in their ability - sometimes overconfident, admittedly - but a slow driver suggests they lack confidence.

Next time, make a note of the registration and report them to the police. Someone who is not able to drive at 60mph on road with a 60mph limit when conditions are suitable should not be on the road at all.

The other idiots I detest are the people who rigidly stick to 40mph. 40mph on roads with a 60mph limit, 40mph through towns and villages with a 30mph limit. It's like they're on some sort of regularity trial or something.

I once nearly had a bad accident getting on the motorway as I came down the slip road as someone had actually stopped at the end and was waiting for a gap to get on

I'm interested in what you thought they should do if there was no room to get on.

my favourite you match your speed on the slip road to the speed on the motorway, so you hit the main carriageway at as close to road speed as possible. So if you observe the traffic is static, you shouldn't go blasting down the slip road at 70.

So in the above scenario and without seeing the conditions on the motorway it is impossible to tell who is at fault.

Not really. As you come down the slipway you need to be aware of the traffic ahead of you that's waiting to join. If you are going so fast and weren't keeping enough of a stopping distance that you almost caused a "bad accident" then you're in the wrong. It is irrelevant if they haven't matched their speed correctly, or if they don't feel there is enough of a gap - you always, always need to keep your distance from the car in front of you.

I suspect that 'matching your speed' is probably why there are accidents at this point - too many drivers have poor spatial awareness and misjudge their speed and the size of the gap, which in turn cause the drivers on the motorway/dual carriageway to have to brake sharply. You have to give priority to traffic already on the motorway, a fact that too many drivers often seem to forget.

I read it as the driver who came to a stop acted in an unusual way ie not.joining the moving traffic and instead waited for a gap