Slow (car) drivers

[krus_aragon]

So how many points do you get for "failure to make good progress"?

It's not explicitly listed, but it could be covered under miscellaneous code MS60, for 3 points. (Endorsement Codes and Penalty Points)

 

[ralphchadkirk]

In my experience those drivers who regularly get annoyed and angry at other, slower, drivers are more likely to start driving dangerously due to the inability to control their attitude.

 

[anme]

Slow drivers are probably the most dangerous road users out there. It is their poor judgement on appropriate speeds which causes delays and accidents.

If slow drivers make you dangerously annoyed, you should not be driving at all and you should seek psychological help. Please, for the sake of our lives and our ability to walk, stop now!

 

[carriageline]

If slow drivers make you dangerously annoyed, you should not be driving at all and you should seek psychological help. Please, for the sake of our lives and our ability to walk, stop now!

When have you got that from?

But surely, a similar post can be said for people with awful driving, and can't make good progress? If you can't read the conditions of the road, then maybe it's time to "hang up the keys"? This applies to young and old. Some people, although legally have a license, really shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a car.

 

[backontrack]

I'll add my two pence to the discussion. Firstly, I don't drive (well, I'm 14), but my parent's don't drive either. Our closest town is Canterbury and, while it is a pleasant enough place, to put it bluntly, it's a traffic hellhole. But, apparently, we're the 8th-worst place in the UK for road rage. And, as a pedestrian, you do see a few bits of slightly risky driving every now and again; sometimes lights-jumpers, sometimes swerving and drivers 'quickly changing their minds' - it looks like that, anyway, as they suddenly turn into a lane at speed and at short notice. It's a bit baffling that people can't just calm down a bit; everyone seems quite on edge.

 

[Bevan Price]

I'll add my two pence to the discussion. Firstly, I don't drive (well, I'm 14), but my parent's don't drive either. Our closest town is Canterbury and, while it is a pleasant enough place, to put it bluntly, it's a traffic hellhole. But, apparently, we're the 8th-worst place in the UK for road rage. And, as a pedestrian, you do see a few bits of slightly risky driving every now and again; sometimes lights-jumpers, sometimes swerving and drivers 'quickly changing their minds' - it looks like that, anyway, as they suddenly turn into a lane at speed and at short notice. It's a bit baffling that people can't just calm down a bit; everyone seems quite on edge.

Problems arise in many places if the driver is unfamiliar with an area. This can often be caused, for example, by:

Confusing traffic mismanagement (or one way) schemes,
Confusing road markings at junctions or rounabouts.
Poor / inadequate direction signs,

I try to avoid driving long distances, but in the past, I have been in towns or cities where some of the road signs listed only local suburbs, and not the next major town. I had no idea whether suburb "A" or "B" was on the way to my destination. And I once drove almost twice round one city centre trying to find the required exit.

 

[Domh245]

Problems arise in many places if the driver is unfamiliar with an area. This can often be caused, for example, by:

Confusing traffic mismanagement (or one way) schemes,
Confusing road markings at junctions or rounabouts.
Poor / inadequate direction signs,

I try to avoid driving long distances, but in the past, I have been in towns or cities where some of the road signs listed only local suburbs, and not the next major town. I had no idea whether suburb "A" or "B" was on the way to my destination. And I once drove almost twice round one city centre trying to find the required exit.

Very true. I had to drive through central London once without directions and I feel like my driving was absolutely appalling at the time - a few last minute lane changes and so on. On the plus side, the traffic wasn't moving fast enough for me to worry about not hitting the speed limit ;P

 

[Western Lord]

Many comments about good quality A roads being speed limited but small country lanes on ether side of them being NSL. This is simply a question of cost. If you impose a speed limit on a country lane you have to provide signage all along that road, not just at the junction with the main road, but repeaters every couple of hundred yards (or whatever the regulation is). The costs for tens of thousands of miles of country lanes would be enormous. This is also the reason that we are probably the only country in the world that does not post the speed limit. The NSL sign must be a mystery to foreign visitors, especially as it varies according to road type, but when the NSL was introduced it was cheaper to "rebrand" the former "end of speed limit" sign as the NSL sign.

 

[BlythPower]

I try to avoid driving long distances, but in the past, I have been in towns or cities where some of the road signs listed only local suburbs, and not the next major town. I had no idea whether suburb "A" or "B" was on the way to my destination. And I once drove almost twice round one city centre trying to find the required exit.

Milton Bl**dy Keynes.

And the '40 everywhere' brigade.

 

[al78]

When I was driving, I occasionally found it frustrating to be stuck behind a trundle-bunny but if I'm doing a local journey then I am not travelling very far so the delay will end up being insignificant.

The worst example I have encountered was when driving on the A272 along a nice open straight section with good sightlines, so could safely get up to 50-60 mph. There was a driver waiting at a side road ahead of me who then decided to pull out into the main road in front of me, forcing me down to 15 mph, then proceeded to drive at around 30 mph. I did wonder if someone wishes to drive that slow, they can't be in a tearing hurry so would it have been such a burden to wait another 10 seconds for me to pass and then pull out behind me (there was no traffic behind me), then we can both go at our own paces :roll:.

 

[Lankyline]

Having spent most of my professional life driving up and down the UK (my career has been in SALES, yes the jacket hanging up in the back, lunch on the go etc etc, let me offer a few observations,

Slow drivers on motorways are a potential menace both to themselves and everyone else ! they can cause big problems for other road users especially HGV's and especially when they think they have a god given right to hog the middle lane !!

Having driven in all kinds of weather I have always driven according to the conditions if that means a dry sunny day on a m/way with little traffic I break the speed limit then I would, but equally in heavy rain etc I would be well under the limit. in fact Lancs traffic police used to have an unwritten rule, if its dry & sunny with no more than average traffic you could get away with 80/85mph, but you do 75 in bad weather and heavy traffic, say hello to points.

Don't get me started on caravans !! they should only be allowed to travel when there is a z in the month and only between 0300 and 0330, partially joking aside, the awareness that some drivers exhibit is virtually non existent, seemingly trapped inside their own little can apply to slow drivers.

So does speed kill, yes it does, but so does slow driving, stupidity, carelessness, lack of confidence etc etc, imo slow driving is just as dangerous as excessive speed and its been long overdue for this to prosecuted by the police.

One final point, i forgot who said about having a NSL of 25mph for rural roads, i'm sure the Kernow contingent on here will back me up when i say that 25mph on Cornish rurals in virtually impossible in fact its a dream to do that especially on the Roseland !

Just in case anyone thinks I am a typical "rep" after passing my test, i was lucky enough to be further taught by police advanced driving instructor, which included skid pan training and have also passed the IAM test

 

[DynamicSpirit]

So does speed kill, yes it does, but so does slow driving, stupidity, carelessness, lack of confidence etc etc, imo slow driving is just as dangerous as excessive speed and its been long overdue for this to prosecuted by the police.

Care to provide an example of an accident that was caused solely by someone driving slowly?

 

[GB]

Most accidents are not caused my one sole reason.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Most accidents are not caused my one sole reason.

I think it's obvious what I meant, but OK, let's rephrase. My challenge, in response to Lankyline's claim that driving too slowly is dangerous, was to identify an accident in which the only thing that any human being involved did wrong was to drive 'too slowly'. I would hazard a guess that such accidents almost never happen.

 

[fishquinn]

I've heard of cases of slow drivers going round blind corners at 10/15mph just to be followed by someone doing 45/50 and them ploughing right into the back of the other car.

 

[SWTCommuter]

I've heard of cases of slow drivers going round blind corners at 10/15mph just to be followed by someone doing 45/50 and them ploughing right into the back of the other car.

In that situation, the second driver would be at fault

Rule 126
Stopping Distances. Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear

Rule 146
Adapt your driving to the appropriate type and condition of road you are on. In particular

• Do not treat speed limits as a target. It is often not appropriate or safe to drive at the maximum speed limit
• Take the road and traffic conditions into account. Be prepared for unexpected or difficult situations, for example, the road being blocked beyond a blind bend. Be prepared to adjust your speed as a precaution

 

[Barn]

"Driving too slowly for conditions" is a recognised contributory factor in road accident statistics. Not very commonly recorded, as you would expect.

One example that I can think of might be a vehicle pulling suddenly and unexpectedly into a faster lane (containing well-spaced faster vehicles within the speed limit) and causing the vehicle behind to collide with it, in circumstances where, had the vehicle accelerated quickly enough, it would have not caused the obstruction.