I think more should be done to stop motorists from driving too slowly, this is more dangerous than speeding?

Answer 1

Absolutely right.
Slow drivers cause others to overtake which can cause accidents. Too often people drive slow because they have poor reactions and should not be driving at all. This is OK except in town if a child runs in front of them they will not even have hit the brakes when they hit him/her where an alert driver will have stopped. Anyone who thinks Speed limits are too fast should not be driving as their eye sight is too poor and/or reactions are too slow and they are a menace to other road users.

Answer 2

Slow driving is not more dangerous than speeding. No way. But it is dangerous. If you drive on a motorway at 70mph, you expect everyone else to be doing at least 55mph. On the occasion when someone is only doing 45mph or so I find myself almost hitting them before I realise it.

I agree with what someone else said that the most dangerous thing about slow drivers is that it stresses other drivers out. I know for a fact that when I've been stuck behind a slow driver (e.g. 40 in a 60 limit) I will end up speeding and driving more dangerously once I get past them. I try to keep it under control, and (touch wood) I've never had an accident because of it. It does scare me when I realise quite how bad my driving has become because of the stress.

And to the person who was saying 'Lorry drivers don't get arrested for turning right from the left lane at roundabouts': read your Highway Code! It specifically says in there that lorry drivers and cyclists cannot always follow the normal rules practically (for example due to a lorry's turning circle), and so you should expect unusual behaviour from them and give them space.

Answer 3

Anybody who has driven on the A82 Fort William to Inverness road will agree with you! I have to use it a lot and the slow drivers drive me mad. I don't want to go hurtling along at breakneck speed, but I do want to be able to get into 5th gear.

This is a long 60 mph road with not many overtaking opportunities apart from the fact that there are numerous pull-ins for slower drivers but they just ignore them and THAT is the most annoying part. They crawl along at 35 mph. A few years ago there was an experiment with a cop on a motorbike who pulled slow drivers over. I don't know what happened, but I suppose there were not sufficient funds to keep him on the road.

A few years ago somebody overtook a slow driver and went smack into the front of a coach full of disabled children going to Inverness for a swimming lesson. The coach caught fire and they were all killed.

It's the overtakers who keep the undertakers in business but it is the slow drivers who are most dangerous as they cause the frustration which pushes people to take risks.

Answer 4

I take your point, people crawling along at 40 mph on a Motorway or people who delight in doing 15-20 mph in built up areas are annoying. It is agaisnt the law if they are going slow because they are doing other things, talking on the mobile, looking for directions etc. It's called driving without due care and attention. However I really don't believe it is more dangerous than speeding, dangerous it can be but speeding is dangerous precisley because it is likely to cause more fatalities. However annoying ditherers are they rarely kill people!

Answer 5

Sorry Wendylou - but this is not MORE Dangerous than speeding.
Speeding is proven to be a contributory factor in many accidents and is not to be condoned in any shape or form.
I agree though that driving too slowly is also dangerous - but only because it forces others to overtake. If they overtake properly in a safe and legal place then the dangers are reduced or even eliminated.

by the way - failure to drive upto the correct speed limit if it is safe to do so will fail a UK Driving Test (failure to make progress).

Answer 6

Sorry but I consider myself an older driver,but I'm afraid i have to agree with most folk on here,If i drove to slowly on the road i would consider myself a hazard and voluntarily take myself off the road.
Please don't consider all older drivers as idiots after all I can hit a wall just as well as many younger drivers,No accidents in 35 yrs and keeping my fingers ,legs and eyes shut as driving and hoping for the best.Just as a closing fact if you travel at 70mph you are traveling at 88 feet per second thats hell of along distance to stop a one ton piece of metal.

Answer 7

I agree this can be exceedingly dangerous however speed kills ! At 25mph you can stop a modern car completely in around 7ft. that gives Children and other idiotic pedestrians a much greater chance. Try stopping from 45 mph and we are talking well over 100yds a vast difference. that is why the authorities are much more concerned about speeding particularly in built up areas. By the way idiotic pedestrians refers to those who step in front of your moving vehicle without looking - possibly in a moment of forgetfullness....

Answer 8

Road conditions should dictate how fast you drive, and your own capabilities, but I do agree with you in that if there is a 60 mph limit and someone is pottering along at 35-40.

Driving too slow is also a driving test failure for failing to make proper progress

Answer 9

I'm wondering where you live. Here in New England if you go less than 80mph people are on your tail. Everyone drives very fast. Frankly I think tailgating & driving while on a cell phone are the biggest dangers.

Answer 10

I second your motion...pun not intended.. also, I have had to slow down for people doing 25 when the speed limit is 45 or 50 !! What is up with this? Are they trying to force other people to be like them, isn't this a contol issue???