If you can't drive faster than 35mph....

[DeRigueurMortis]

So indulge me with a rant....

My drive to work involves a 10 mile section on what you might describe as country roads.

The national speed limit applies.

There are a couple of sections that are winding but the corners are not severe - for example you could safely drive the whole section at 55mph (inc cornering) and 60mph in the straights (in good conditions - in the dark/rain/snow you would obviously not be unreasonable to adjust your speed as required to be safe).

I appreciate that someone who doesn't know the road might want to adopt a slower pace and wouldn't think that going 45-50mph corners/straights was unreasonably slow.

However there is a man who regularly seems to be on the same schedule as me that that insists on driving the whole section at no more than 40mph slowing to 35mph for long stretches. He obviously knows the road having done the journey many times and his speed (or lack of) is not impacted by driving conditions.

Cars regularly bunch up behind him (I'm talking queues of 10/15 other road users) as opportunities for safely overtaking are limited
(and I've seen quite a few dodgy overtaking manoeuvres done in sheer frustration I would assume - which I don't condone).

I can't help feeling that if you're incapable of driving at an appropriate speed you shouldn't be on the road at all.

This man works in a building near to my office (I've seen the car parked there) and I'm getting to the point of wanting to walk over and speak to him if I see him getting in/out of his car to have a strong but polite word.

Realistically I won't because I'm not sure there's anything I can say to make him a better driver.

However I don't think I'm U for thinking of you can't drive at a reasonable speed you shouldn't be in charge of a vehicle at all.

I agree with you OP, drivers like that used to drive me mad. I don't understand how some people pass their test as they have zero road sense.

I had a friend who, when in traffic never looked ahead, instead she would wait until the car in front braked and then slam on the brakes. One time I asked her if she realised that she had driven through red lights. Her response 'well I can't look at everything at once.' We went up to Yorkshire and she did 60 mph in the middle lane all the way up the M1. Then when we had to cross the Buttertubs, very hilly and can't see cars coming from other direction, she went like a bat out of hell and we were almost flying off the tops of each hill. Utter madness. I always used to suggest I did the driving but she always said she wanted to do her share, it was good practice

Minimum97 sorry but if you have health conditions or extreme tiredness affecting the speed of your reactions you shouldn't be driving at all.

Also ime and it seems that of others of these very slow drivers is that they DO also drive erratically/very hesitantly, eg braking hard when it's not necessary and therefore not predictable when they will, being indecisive at junctions & roundabouts (we've a particular roundabout near me that's known for this type of driver, causing huge unnecessary traffic jams on the feeder roads (small town one way system causes problems throughout the town when this happens) even stopping WHILE ON the roundabout.

So it's rarely JUST that they're being slow.

Certainly if I encounter them that's how I assume they'll be and I give them a LOT of space to account for such driving and get away from them ASAP

I also think the driving training and test is a bit of an issue. Neither driving on open roads or motorways is included. Many people - me included - who learned in a city and sat their test in a city, practise things like reversing around a corner and roundabouts, but never go on other types of roads.

Thinking about the route my driving test took, I never went on a road where the limit was over 40mph. You can easily pass your driving test without ever driving in the dark, or in the snow, or when it's raining.

My dad had common sense though and on the day I passed my test took me out and made me drive on all sorts of roads in the surrounding countryside. At night.

You only need to be on MN for a short while to see how many totally unconfident drivers there are around - the people who won't drive at night, or on a motorway, or to somewhere they haven't been before, ot in town, or in a multi-storey car park.

The reason why slow drivers are dangerous is because their slowness indicates that they are a hesitant, unaware driver. One who is likely to do other stupid things like slamming on the brakes for no reason when a car comes towards them. Or having full beams on because they don't know how to switch them off. Or cutting up other drivers.

I'm sure you're all amazing drivers you busy lot. Busy people with busy lives with important places to be - no time to drive for pleasure and take in the sights. Only idiots do that.

can we have some evidence that backs up that slow drivers are dangerous - seeing as there is so much talk about dangerous slow driving there must be plenty of evidence to back it up

Let’s keep the evidence to legal slow driving, not when the drivers are breaking the rules of the road

Police have actually stopped people going to slow as it's a hazard on busy roads so YANBU. Hate people who go to slow myself also

I think national speed limit on a winding country road is madness. Legal madness.

I slow down a bit when driving at night and a car comes in the other direction because it's harder to see, that's just physics and the biology of the eye! That's sensible, in my book. I don't slam my brakes on. If that causes you a problem, then you are driving too fast or too close.

Not being funny OP, but if this annoys you then I think it should be you that's off the road. Road rage (even mild) results in poor decisions.

I was driving home on Christmas night along an A road which is variously 30, 40, 50 and 60. I was driving about 50 in the few NSL bits because it was dark, damp and misty - some nutter drove right up my backside for miles, flashing me repeatedly before finally roaring past me, over a double white line when I was doing 50 in the 50 limit. These are the people you need to worry about - when people talk about getting angry and frustrated behind the wheel because someone isn't driving at the speed limit, this is what I'm imagining

Drive to the conditions, the speed limit isn't a target.

Driving too slow can be dangerous - joining on a slip road for example and it has the potential to annoy other drivers but that's up to them to control.

Slow driving isn't dangerous per se, just as fast driving isn't dangerous per se. But it is inconsiderate and it does inconvenience others.

And as others have said, slow drivers are often erratic, like slamming their brakes on because they've gone the wrong way. All you need to do is drive to the next opportunity to turn around. Yes that may be a few miles off, but better than having an accident.

I’d rather a driver drove into me at 20mph rather than 60mph as the former I have a much better survival rate the later I’m likely to die, obviously I’d rather avoid any crash but to hate slow drivers seems perverse

Lots of interesting posts since yesterday.

Graphista your posts in particular I found informative - thank you.

Just a small point of clarification for some people.

Of course I find this man's driving somewhat frustrating (hence posting) but I do not respond by cussing in my car (though I will admit to the occasional small sigh) or by driving inappropriately (unsafe overtaking/tail gating).

Again to be clear that whilst you only have my word for it, going 35/40 is slow for this road and for a significant proportion of the road he's travelling at the lower speed.

The impression I have based on his driving style, braking etc is that he is simply not a very confident driver who compensates by driving very slowly.

Whilst I'm all in favour of people not driving beyond their capabilities the concern is that it raises questions on how he'd be able to respond to an unexpected event.

What I don't understand is why slower drivers don't pull in when possible to let others past. To clarify I am talking about people driving a lot slower than the speed limit in normal conditions, where it would be safe to drive quite a bit faster.
I just don't get it - if there is a reason why they are unable to drive faster or choose not to do so, then ok.... but why not pull in when you realize that there is a very long queue of traffic behind you.
My driving instructor went on about this a lot - he said I needed to drive at the speed of the traffic and if I was nervous etc during the first few months after the test or stressed because of aggressive people behind, I should pull in and let them by so that I was not hindering them.

My experience of slower drivers on the roads around here is not that they are driving slowly and safely. They are often weaving around, possibly drunk, braking frequently and suddenly, unsure of where they are going, drive slowly where the NSL applies and continue to drive at this speed through built up areas where the limit is lower than the speed they are going at.

Agree carrot. When I was learning, I would feel stressed by a line of cars behind me and would pull over first chance I got. I understood I wasn't a confident driver at that point, so I got out of the way as much for my benefit as theirs. Can't understand how these people are so content to potter along with a massive tailback behind them.

So basically it's fine for the "slow" driver to make their journey time much longer to make yours quicker? Their time is less important than yours. Nice bit of entitlement there.

carrot/sakura - if you are so ignorant that you drive even though you shouldnt be....due to bad health ...why worry about being inconsiderate and pulling over? some people just have no consideration for anyone else and are selfishXXXXXXs

And that is why there need to be new laws to keep unsafe drivers off the roads

Oh Bluelady can you not see the irony in your post?

So it's ok for the slow drivers to make everyone else's journey time unnecessarily longer, but it's not ok to ask them to give up 20 seconds let other cars pass. That's some interesting logic.

This weekend, somebody in the middle lane of the M25 was doing about 50... and then slowed down to 40 to look at a vehicle stopped in the hard shoulder ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD! (It was a big flashy-light recovery vehicle, but still - very very silly.)

So basically it's fine for the "slow" driver to make their journey time much longer to make yours quicker? Their time is less important than yours. Nice bit of entitlement there.

It's not about entitlement or otherwise.
Why are people told when learning to drive to "keep up with the flow of traffic" and "not hinder others by driving too slowly"?
Why aren't we told to drive as slowly as we like because it's safer to drive at 30 mph than at 60 mph?

And why is driving too slowly an offense under the scope of "inconsiderate driving"? ie. driving without reasonable consideration for others.

People who drive tailgate, flash lights and honk the horn before dangerously overtaking are also inconsiderate but so are those who happily pootle along at whatever speed they like without considering whether it might be a good idea to let others past.
Also where I live we have three places where the road has two lanes and slower drivers are supposed to drive into the right hand lane (in Europe) so that others can overtake safely. 9 times out of 10 someone who has been driving along well below the speed limit does not do this. Either the person is completely unaware that they should do so, in which case, should they be on the road at all OR they don't give a flying fuck about anyone else apart from themselves.

carrotflinger - so its perfectly fine for the person i followed the other week to drive at 15 miles per hour on a B road - in perfect road conditions with no obstructions? And because i was frustrated it was me thats in the wrong?

@dreamingofsun I think you’ve misread @carrotflinger. They are saying that slow drivers should allow other drivers to pass them rather than hold up traffic

I live rurally but not on a road where you can do 40 around the bends so lots of variable speed bits.
My bug bear is tailgating,I know the road and know where the giant pot holes are and the bits of the road that collect water and are dangerous to hit at speed but cars more powerful than mine always want to overtake.There is no where to pull over to let them and if they overtake then slam their brakes on coming to a bend it is really dangerous.
I do brake sometimes at night because of oncoming cars,those that have the very bright halogen lamps on full beam.Of coarse I brake as I can't see the road or where you are in relation to the road then I am blind for a moment after as my eyes readjust.
And people that beep you when you are stuck behind wide farm vehicles,overtake you on the straight then have to pull in between you and the tractor because they have realised that it there is not enough road width to pass.This offer happens when the roads are exceptionally muddy so braking is a bit like braking on ice.
Rant over.