driving slow : your views ?

A question about : driving slow : your views ?

hi.

i like to drive slow. in that, if its a 30 road zone, i prefer 25. if its a roundabout, i prefer 15 or 20 mph. if it's a motorway of 70, i prefer 60, maybe even 55.

i have noticed that this sometimes makes drivers behind me impatient, as if i am the one driving wrong. however, when i drive i feel calm, and much safer, than if i was driving a little faster.

just wondering, is there a legal view on how slow to drive in roads ? would i be considered to be doing the right thing, legally ?

Best answers:

• If you're in a hurry, driving behind someone like that is one of the most frustrating experiences.
• You can certainly fail a driving test by failing to make due progess.
  It depends on circumstances but you really should be aware of other road users. So on the motorway just tuck in and do the speed of the HGVs which should be limited to 56mph. If they are having to overtake you it's disrupting for all the traffic, and the police have been known to stop _very_ slow motorists on the motorway.
  25 in some urban areas may be fine as after all, speed limits are maximums and not minimums! But if you are doing 40 on a main road where the speed limit is 50, conditions are good and overtaking is difficult you will cause congestion and impatience.
  Perhaps you could do with some top-up lessons to give you a little more confidence and awareness of other users? I can understand feeling more relaxed at lower speeds: when I go long distances I allow plenty of time and then vary my speed to keep myself more alert and comfortable.
• Hate to say it, but if you took your test now you would probably fail on not keeping up with the flow of traffic. No particular qualms with the 25 in a 30. On the motorway if you want to do 55 fine so long as you stick to lane 1 (cos @ 55 the wagons are going to be overtaking you, which could lead to some frustration). Can't understand the 15-20 on a roundabout, that's far to much of a generalisation, mini-roundabout or huge motorway one that could easily be taken @ 40? and why so slow?
  You are legal although if you seem to be holding up a huge queue of traffic a police officer may want to ask you why you haven't pulled over to let people past? You also may get pulled more often (suspicion of drink driving).
  You may feel calm when driving but you will be annoying a hell of a lot of people on the roads possibly (and I'm not condoning them doing it but can understand why they do) pushing them into rash overtakes as they can't understand why you aren't driving to road conditions
• If you're on a motorway and doing 60 that's okay in the nearside lane as lorries travel at that speed. If you're a middle lane hogger at that speed you'll ruffle a few feathers. As long as you don't impede the flow of traffic you have right on your side. Be a giggle when all these cities start to introduce the 20mph limit a la Islington. Also on a roundabout, speed sufficient to be able to stop to give way if necessary. Might be good to observe others' GOOD driving habits
• There is nothing wrong with driving slowly or taking your time. However, it is completely unacceptable to hold up other road users or creating a hazard by doing so.
• Like the bell end I was following yesterday, 40mph on an open NSL road busily chatting away to his passenger and waving his arms around, braking at every slight curve in the road, could not overtake him due to oncoming traffic. He may have been calm but the half dozen drivers behind him were not.
• generally, i try not to hold up others. if i can pull over, if i see someone is quite impatient behind me , i probably wouldn't mind. the problem with asking the question i did, in a public forum, is i'll often get answers from ppl's sense of frustration and impatience, rather than good driving or from whatever is legal.
  i do believe that if everyone drove slower, there would be far fewer accidents. i often feel quite a bit of pressure to keep up with others. i don't think it's a lack of confidence because i can drive faster, i just don't find it comfortable.
• what i find , particularly in a large town or city driving, is driving slower, doesn't really hold ppl up, in reality, because you always seem to catch up with ppl who accelerate faster, at traffic lights. it seems to be more a psychological issue.
  it also saves quite a bit of petrol and emissions, so is a bit better for the environment. however, there's not much i know about it legally. except for all the 'drive slow' signs, i see around
• I can't say I agree with your stance at all. If you don't find it comfortable then it is a lack of confidence/ability.
  'Everyone' isn't going to drive slower. And if they lowered speed limits, would you then driver slower again? Doesn't make sense.
  Its not good driving (in my opinion) it is indicative of someone lacking confidence and could actually cause more issues than you believe you are avoiding.
  Speed up, please
• Indeed. A young neighbour regularly would drive too slow when learning to drive and despite his instructor telling him he would fail if he didn't keep up with traffic, he continued to drive under the 30mph limit because his relatives were adamant he would be ok in the test.
  He failed for failing to keep up with the traffic and despite an official compliant being made by him and his family; the result stuck.
• depends on the condition / size / age of car
  also its a speed limit NOT a target
• No problem with you doing it on a dual carriageway or motorway where I can overtake you. If you're doing it on single carriageway roads, pull over periodically to let the queue behind you pass.
  Scotland (land of the single carriageway road) is riddled with signs reminding people to pull over to avoid causing frustration among other road users. And people (generally) do it. I sometimes feel that all roads could benefit from the same reminders. I've followed people doing 40mph in a 60mph limit for miles and miles before and it's incredibly annoying.
• I think it is wrong to plan to drive slowly for the sake of driving slowly rather than taking into account road conditions.
  There is nothing wrong tootling along at 60mph on a motorway, or even slotting in with the lorries at their 56mph, but if you drove at 50 then you are causing problems because you will have lorries passing you, in turn holding up traffic because it takes them time to get past.
  You also risk being involved in accidents because of high closing speeds, e.g. a quiet motorway and an inattentive driver looking to exit at 75-80mph vaguely spots car, thinks nothing of it and Bang! a high speed collision.
  In a 30mph, there will be places where 30 is too much, especially residential roads, but then there are wide roads, even dual carriageways, red routes with nothing on them where if you do not drive at 30 you are just a nuisance and a potential source of accidents.
  So you should always drive to road conditions, be mindful of other drivers, feel happy to drive conservatively and economically, but also with due consideration to other road users and your safety. To be honest if you feel calm driving at 25mph in town on good roads, then my guess is that you are oblivious to what is going on around you, including the Mercedes Sprinter sitting 2" off your rear.
  I'd suggest going on an IAM course for advanced driving - it is not about high speed driving it is about attentive and careful driving and if you really are saying you are not confident at speed, then you may actually be saying your driving isn't really of a high standard.
• My driving instructor was always very clear with me that one should, in the absence of any contrary indicators (inclement weather, poor visibility, traffic hazards, etc), drive at the posted limit or very slightly below.
  I find it deeply concerning when I have to follow a driving instructor giving a lesson along some of the single carriageway roads around me, where the (perfectly safe in good conditions) posted limit is 60mph, with the pupil trundling along at 40mph.
  My wife recently attended a speed awareness course with thirty others, and of those in the room, she tells me well over half of them thought the speed limit in a derestricted area was 40mph - I wouldn't be surprised if some of these people have learned this through not being taught otherwise clearly enough by their driving instructors.