SLOW driving is DANGEROUS

[Cyclone]

Because in some drivers' makeup/psychology, they can't bear to be behind someone else; they have agendas and, on occasions, poor attitude.

 

Someone doing the limit, in their mind maybe, is a loser, overtaking them means they win.

 

I will bow out of this circular argument soon enough. But I will always argue that to say slow driving CREATES danger in itself rather than say that the response to slow driving can be dangerous gives succour to those drivers with poor attitude who, mindlessly, can't bear to be behind a caravan, van, truck, learner driver and overtake stupidly whatever the prevailing speed or posted limit in an almost Pavlovian and involuntary response.

 

And this is more widespread and more of an issue from my standpoint (in my experience of driving 25000 miles per year) than dealing with occasional pootling Micras, Clios or whatever.

 

CONTRIBUTES to the danger. You're just playing semantics so that you can have argued that driving slowly isn't dangerous.

I've not disagreed that the response to slow driving can be dangerous, running into that boulder I mentioned would be dangerous. Were it (or the slow driver) not there, then the danger couldn't be either.

Nor have I argued that slow drivers are the largest danger, or more dangerous than bad drivers. To simply claim that they aren't a problem is disingenuous though.

As to why people feel the need to overtake them, is it that difficult to believe that we have places to be? I dislike intensely someone adding 30 minutes to my 1hr journey because they aren't competent enough to do >30 mph on a NSL road. I plan my journey with some spare time, but not enough to cater for that sort of incompetence.

[SnailyBoy]

CONTRIBUTES to the danger. You're just playing semantics so that you can have argued that driving slowly isn't dangerous.

I've not disagreed that the response to slow driving can be dangerous, running into that boulder I mentioned would be dangerous. Were it (or the slow driver) not there, then the danger couldn't be either.

Nor have I argued that slow drivers are the largest danger, or more dangerous than bad drivers. To simply claim that they aren't a problem is disingenuous though.

As to why people feel the need to overtake them, is it that difficult to believe that we have places to be? I dislike intensely someone adding 30 minutes to my 1hr journey because they aren't competent enough to do >30 mph on a NSL road. I plan my journey with some spare time, but not enough to cater for that sort of incompetence.

 

It's a real epidermic out there.

[Deltic]

Changing direction and speed do occur, but there's little chance of oncoming traffic in your lane when you aren't overtaking, you don't have to cross the potentially slippery centre marking, there basically less chance of getting it wrong by making a misjudgement. Non of which would make it the fault of the slow driver, but they will still have contributed to the situation by creating a hazard.

 

Assuming we are still talking about safe overtaking I would think the chances of oncoming traffic in the same lane are about the same as on your own side (i.e. almost nil).

 

In the same vein if you think your vehicle isn't capable of gripping the center markings under the prevailing conditions perhaps you should wait until those conditions improve before carrying out the maneuver.