Do slower drivers make the road safer?

Question

I'm talking about people who drive 5-10 under the speed limit.

Answer 1

There is one aspect of this question that no one seems to want to address. Its called tunnel vision. As your speed increases. your ability to see what is around you diminishes to the point that you can only see a very small area in front of your vehicle. Also your ability to react is reduced. At 70 MPH it can take more than 1/2 a mile just for your brain to catch up with the little old man with the RV that pulled into the lane ahead of you. It will take another 1/4 to 1/2 a mile for your response to this. (Slowing down, changing lanes, or both.) Remember this is in perfect driving conditions. Fog, rain, snow, or evening glare can add a lot to this. In an emergency stopping situation this is still over a mile before you come to a complete stop in perfect conditions. There are a lot of variables in this. Mostly to do with the weight of the vehicle and how good the brakes work and road conditions, etc... I am not going to tell you not to speed. Just point out that your ability to survive any given situation is tied up with how fast you can respond to what is around you at any given moment. Speed limits are there because someone didnot survive the experience of going faster. As my personal driving rule I try to stay within 5MPH of the posted speed limit. Lots of reasons for this here are a few. 5 MPH over will rarely if ever get you a ticket. (Just keep in mind that 1 MPH over is still speeding.) 5 MPH under does not cause a problem for 90% of the drivers on the road. (The ones who do have a problem are probobly doing something illegal, immoral, ignorant, or the ever popular "Stupid".) 5 MPH under is usualy a safe speed for someone to pass you if they are the aforementioned type of driver. (At road speeds this still allows them time to react to your driving if it is required for them to do something, provided they are not completly tunneled out and totaly incapable of responding to traffic.) Just remember: Being late is not a crime in itself. Arriving on time is not worth your life. If gaining time is that valuable to you than become a Drag Racer and get off the road I am on.

Answer 2

Surely the answer is: "It all depends".

Slow drivers tend to cause other people to have accidents.

There is nothing worse than to be on a winding country road with a camper blocking the way. Usually being driven by some old codger(like me - with slow reflexes - poor eyesight and a tiny bladder) out on a summer holiday.

The frustration and annoyance is emmense and thus people take un-warranted risks in attempting to pass.

That said however, logic would suggest that "IF" everybody slowed down the roads would be much safer. The problem is that nobody would get to their destination in a reasonable time!!

Slow drivers thus DO NOT make the roads safer as a rule.
Of course if there is ice even the speed limit can be dangerous.

Answer 3

Could be the price of petrol, I have an automatic gear change so my engine revs fall back when I take my foot off the accelerator. Approaching somewhere where I have to stop or slow down I find that my engine revs fall back to 1400 rpm if I do this whereas if I drive up to that point and brake at the last minute the engine runs at 2200 rpm. There's one place downhill for over half a mile up to a roundabout where I can take my foot off at the top of the hill at 50 mph and I'm still doing 40 mph near the stop point. If anyone gets too close behind me I make them go even slower by not touching the accelerator at all. On motorways I cruise at 70 mph so I'm not a slow driver.

Answer 4

they cause more accidents than the fast drivers! think about it, if your driving the 5 over or even the limit and you come around a curve or over a hill and suddenly there's a car driving 10 under the limit and u have to suddenly slow down or the fast drivers get feed up with driving slow and pass (sometimes when they shouldn't).

Answer 5

no, the cause more accidents because they usually drive in the left lane and block everybody from driving the speed limit, and they usually are on the phone, i cant wait till the gov installs radio wave scramblers on the road so dipsticks will not be able to talk to anyone untill they drive off the road and out the car in park, it should be illegal to talk on the phone while driving period with or without a headset, car stereo killers should also be used, if a vehicle is blaring noise it should be rendered inoperative so everybody else does not have to hear the noise, it would be great to have something like a radar gun that would just make those loud noise makers radios just melt in the dash

Answer 6

This is a hazard, as well. If someone is not driving the posted speed limit, whether faster or slower, they can cause a number of unexpected accidents.

Answer 7

YOU may not like it, but it's the way I avoid stress and accidents.
Have neither for like 20 or 25 years.

Slower drivers do not "cause" accidents. Idiots making unsafe lane changes to get around them do.

Answer 8

nope i got i got into a axident wit 1 of them i wuz going 5 mph over the limit i tried to switch lanes jus as i went he hit the brakes and i PIT mouvered him on axident we both went spinning and his story wuz that "he wuz trying to make the road safer by driving slow" so i sued him and my car is better than ever

Answer 9

i wouldnt think so. i thnk it would cause road rage. both my parents dont like it whn people go under the speed limit. id say to at least go the speed limit.

Answer 10

No, but they sure are conserving resources.