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.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/farmers-urged-speak-out-mental-12037744

If you want to drive at 70moh pick a dual carriage way or motorway. If that doesn’t suit your journey then you’ll have to suck it up, driving is a privilege not a right, share the road and don’t be so entitled

This drives me batty. The village I live in is a 20, and for good reason. Narrow bendy roads, parked cars, primary school, concealed entrances etc.

We are surrounded by NSL county lanes.

I am sick to the back teeth of following idiotic drivers who will do 35mph the entire time, in the 60 and the 20. Last week I witnessed a child nearly hit as they stepped out between two parked cars to cross the road. Her mum just managed to yank her back in time but it would have been seriously nasty. And this was after I’d followed the car in question for well over a mile as they dawdled in the 60.

I wish there was some way to report numberplates that meant the drivers were called to be retested

“It says farming is an industry with the poorest safety record in the UK and stress is often down to accidents, injuries and illnesses.

The charity also says that stress from financial pressures on the fluctuating market,”

The economic element is true of many industries.

Failure to progress means a fail on the driving test for good reason. YANBU but doubt there is much you can do.

I wasn't attempt to rebut your OP. I was asking a question based on the numerous posters who stated that driving at 35-40mph was extremely dangerous.

It isn’t dangerous, even on motorways the speed can be reduced to 40mph for safety

What is dangerous is entitled drivers making stupid risks as they don’t want to drive at that speed. People truly believe they have a right to drive faster and must not be slowed down as it’s inconveniencing to them, total disregard for life of other humans and results in 5 deaths every day on uk roads. Speeding is also endemic and even with £2.2bn fines people still don’t see the dangers

Perhaps when there guts are hanging out after a crash they may reconsider that life in itself is more important than speed of travel

• there is a way of reporting - operation snap

Many dash cam and video are submitted and third party prosecutions are made, many of people using hand held phones or other driving that isn’t normal

@ivykaty44 I think what’s dangerous is anyone driving without due care and attention and with a lack of awareness. That goes for people bullying other drivers to try and make them speed up, and for drivers who are going much slower than other road users.

If you are going so slowly that there is a long queue of cars behind you, then you should be pulling over where possible to let them past.

That’s what the HC stipulates, but it’s a should not a must

And thank you for the Operation Snap information. I don’t have a dash cam but perhaps it’s time I get one

@Streetwise, it also says suicides in farmers are higher than in any other occupational group. Which is precisely what I said to begin with.

I agree it's annoying when you are trying to get somewhere but I don't see how driving slowly is dangerous? There may be reasons why the driver thinks his reaction times may be slower than others and therefore it is safer for him to drive more slowly. Perhaps he has a chronic health condition or chronic pain? Perhaps he is not getting a lot of sleep because of a small baby? Perhaps he just feels more confident driving more slowly. I wouldn't want someone driving faster than they feel confident to.

I have a chronic health condition which causes fatigue and when I feel like this I tend to drive more slowly to ensure I am safe and can react to hazards. Not generally as slowly as this man tbf but I do it for reasons of safety, this may be the case here too.

The only thing you can control here anyway is how you feel about it. Confronting the man will just be unpleasant for both of you and unlikely to illicit any change of behaviour. You getting angry is just ruining your day, try to be more zen about it all and just accept that's the way it is. .

I'm wondering if the driver I was stuck behind for miles on the morning of NYD was drunk. Country road, NSL but too winding hilly and narrow for 60mph. Generally 35-45mph depending on the particular stretch. Down to around 25mph for a few of the tightest bends. Too tight to safely overtake.

He ended up creating a long queue behind on a quiet road on a quiet day. He did not get above 30mph, mostly well under, and slowing down to 10-15mph for some of the bends. Completely erratic. Braking for oncoming cars. Inconsistent speeds that were difficult to anticipate, particularly when low speeds mean you are at a reduced stopping distance compared to usual on a road of that nature. It was difficult to get the correct momentum and gears for hills and bends making driving technically harder (I have a low powered car and need to be concious of gear changes otherwise my acceleration is sluggish).
Naturally through the villages, they carried on at the top end of their pace regardless of parked cars etc.

NSL means that exceeding 60mph (single carriageway) is illegal. What the safe speed is depends very much on the nature of the road and its conditions, but driving significantly under that speed is a hazard to other road users because it makes it difficult for them to anticipate what the driver is doing and affects their perception of their surroundings.

Someone doing 40mph on a motorway for no obvious reason is as hazardous as someone continuing to do 70mph through a 40mph speed restriction because both are driving in a way that is difficult to anticipate the drivers actions. Vehicles such as tractors can be reasonably anctipated to be going slower than usual.

www.click4reg.co.uk/blog/drivers-under-age-of-25-cause/

The above article has some interesting stats on demographics, as expected it is younger drivers, particularly aged 20 to 29 who cause the most accidents.

Ageism on this issue is widespread but the facts speak for themselves.

I used to be a speeder (not proud, just a fact). I am a very confident driver and recognise some of the frustrations expressed by the many posters who agree with the OP. As I have felt them in the past.

However in the last 2 years I have really changed how I drive. I have a substantial commute and bought a hybrid car to cut down on fuel costs. The manufacturer recommends driving at around 55 to 60 mph on motorways to maximise fuel consumption. This felt really slow at first but I have got used to it. When I compare the 60 mph commute with the 85mph commute I know the slower one is safer, I have much more time to react to potential hazards.
I am saving approx £80 a month and increased the duration of my commute slightly.

I live outside a city where the speed limit has been reduced to 20mph. I live in a small village where the speed limit is 20mph, then increases to 30 just outside then goes to NSL. Nowhere on that bendy road is it safe to drive at 60mph. Even when I was generally driving much faster I would not have driven at 60.
Go round a bend in the summer and you are likely to meet joggers and walkers coming towards you! I often wonder how they have the courage to walk on the road as many cars are driving at unsafe speeds.

I am covering different topics here I know but having changed my driving style from generally being a faster than average driver to being a slower than average driver, fairly recently. I have the following reflections.

I think the climate (quite literally) is changing. There is a move towards eco friendly cars and speeds. This is changing how some people drive. 2 years ago when I started driving slower on motorways, I felt quite conspicuous. It literally felt like me and the Honda Jazz drivers! Sorry, no offence. I was overtaken quite a bit. Now I find that even if driving at 60mph I have to overtake quite regularly, which when you think about is is quite remarkable. Conclusion, there are a lot more slower drivers out there and it has nothing to do with being old or uncertain of abilities. I am mid forties.

The background of increasing concerns regarding climate change is focusing car manufacturers minds on hybrid and electric cars. Like it or not this is the future. Fossil fuels are not the future. Look what has happened to sales of diesel cars since the message they are not great for the environment has reached the masses aligned of course with changes in govt taxation to change people’s buying behaviour.

Actually on this subject there has been a lot of debate in my city on how the new 20mph speed limit is not good for the environment and this isn’t the best speed to limit pollution. This weighed against stats that show 20mph increases your chance of survival if being hit by a car.

I don’t claim to be an expert on any of this, far from it. I do know I used to be a much more irritable driver, all that adrenaline released from driving very fast. I now feel much calmer.

I think the time of the petrol head speeder, let’s laugh at the slower driver is coming to an end, albeit slowly! Pun intended.

Changing times. And all change has the potential for losses and gains.

Is he the kind of driver who carries on at 35-40 through all the villages too?

40mph on a 60 rural route is not failing to make progress. Most of the rural routes where I live are now 50 mph as people were incapable of driving at a safe speed for the roads around here. I drive on the A18 ( credited with being one of England’s most dangerous routes) everyday and the number of near misses I’ve had with idiots is signifiacant. I really do expect my luck to run out one day. It’s not just weather related risks around here, massive lorries and slow tractors make up a high percentage of the traffic on these roads.
I think YABU.

Completely agree with this - and people hogging the middle lane on a motorway pacing at 60mph arghhhhhhhhh

“40mph on a 60 rural route is not failing to make progress.”

Depends on the rural route, doesn’t it? People who drive at 35-40 on long straight sections of single carriageway are a menace. Time is the one thing you can’t buy, and these people steal it from others because they are shit at driving.

And people who speed steal lives from others because they're shit at driving.

“And people who speed steal lives from others because they're shit at driving.”

And? Who would disagree with that?

Some of the slowcoach defenders here are making out like those of us who agree with OP are aggressive dangerous drivers who are going to kill someone in an accident. The whole reason we're frustrated is because we're stuck behind the incompetent driver, i.e. we are staying behind and not attempting dangerous overtakes. We are safe, competent drivers, we're just pissed off that we're being held up for no good reason, and we have to concentrate more to anticipate the bad driver's actions.

So why do you have to concentrate more if someone is driving more slowly than you'd like? Erratic driving yes, and none of us are arguing that's OK, but why just because they're driving more slowly?

If a road is narrower than two cars and has no white line in centre and is rural then whilst it is a NSL I feel that YABU, if it has a white line, limited potholes then yes under 45 seems unreasonable. Part of sensible driving is judging the conditions to drive safely at that moment including not too slow.
People should allow enough time to reach a destination allowing contingency, Not only the time if they are able to drive at max speed all the journey.

Actually on this subject there has been a lot of debate in my city on how the new 20mph speed limit is not good for the environment and this isn’t the best speed to limit pollution. This weighed against stats that show 20mph increases your chance of survival if being hit by a car.

You’re confusing driving a fuel car and an electric car - people have a choice, but it seems when you reduce the speed to 20mph from 30moh these people suddenly remember the 40000 that die each year from pollution in the uk - but they never seem to worry at other times, curiously

we're being held up for no good reason,

your journey is slower than you expected but you are not being held up.