by James Dreamer

Created on: March 28, 2008

Slow Drivers can be Dangerous Drivers

The title of this article seems contrary as driving slowly gives the vehicle operator more time to respond to the road ahead and reduces the damage if a collision were to occur. If all traffic moved at five miles per hour the chances of a serious accident would be almost zero. This however, would be impractical.

Therein lies the problem of the slow driver. Like it or not, driving requires teamwork. Every driver on the road makes up this team and, as in all team sports, it is important to play by the rules. One of these rules is the speed limit. Straying from it either way decreases safety.

When all traffic is moving at the same speed, the chances of a serious crash are reduced. When one driver deviates from this, the closure rate becomes much faster and accidents are more likely to occur. In other words, driving too slowly actually raises the chances of a collision.

My experience on American highways is that, when road conditions are favorable, people drive five to ten miles per hour over the speed limit. If you obey the limit, unfortunately, you will be moving too slowly and traffic will tend to bunch up behind you, especially in areas where passing is difficult or impossible. This encourages another bad behavior, road rage. Road rage is typically caused by slow moving traffic ahead trapping the angry driver behind. Put road rage and slow driving together and you have a recipe for disaster.

Remember, driving is teamwork and it is important to consider the team members behind you. These people may be on a schedule. They may have business to conduct or be on their way to an important appointment. You are between them and getting to where they need to be. They will tend to become irritated and when people are angry, they lose their self control and take risks they would not take under normal circumstances. Thus, driving under the speed limit may give you more reaction time but the chances for an accident are much greater around you.

There is however, one exception to the posted speed limit. This is the basic-speed-law. The basic-speed-law states that "you must not operate your vehicle at a speed above that which is safe and proper for conditions." In other words, when the road surface or visibility is poor (ice, fog, blizzard, etc.), it is important to slow down to maintain safe control of your vehicle. You should still try to keep up with traffic though, if it is moving at a reasonable speed.

Driving fast enough to keep up with traffic is only half the battle toward safety. It is just as important to drive through intersections without undue hesitation. It is your responsibility to know when you have the right-of-way and proceed promptly when you do. Other people who know it's your turn are waiting for you. Don't sit there wondering whether you should move or not. This will anger the people waiting for you.

It is up to all of us drivers to know the rules of the road and become competent team members in traffic. Just as speeding or tailgating is unsafe, so is driving too slowly and hesitating when other vehicles are waiting for you. Slow driving is indeed dangerous driving.

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