[riggins]

But what about their propensity to drive really slow?

[criley2]

>But what about their propensity to drive really slow?

You mean like a bicycle, moped, a new parent driving extra slow, an elderly driver, or any other street legal slow vehicle does?

I understand that drivers assume the speed LIMIT is a speed suggestion, and experience road rage when driving under the limit, but there is nothing -- nothing -- illegal or unsafe about staying under the speed limit.

If there is something unsafe about it, there should be a minimum posted speed (many places have this).

[CraigJPerry]

I've seen the result of a driver unexpectedly doing just over 35mph on a moderately busy 70mph motorway. Not nice. I don't even think 35mph is that much slower really - trucks are at 56mph and they get along fine but 35ish resulted in all sorts of crazy last minute swerves.

It's generally wise not to do anything other drivers will find surprising and I guess 35mph on a motorway falls in that category.

[odonnellryan]

It's definitely unsafe if you're traveling much under the speed limit on a major highway.

Most important thing when driving is to be predictable. It's predictable to be traveling plus or minus 10 mph from what is posted.

It isn't predicted to be traveling 30mph+ below the speed limit.

(no comment on being high, just saying, it's super dangerous to be doing 30-40 on a 65mph road).

[throwaway2016a]

At least in the US you can get a ticket for going under the speed limit if it is deemed to be impeding traffic even if there is no posted minimum limit. Especially if it is a multi-lane road and you are not in the rightmost lane.

[JoeAltmaier]

Slowing down is the single most effective thing to reduce traffic accidents and injury. Not good for efficiency or smooth flow, sure. But can't claim its not safer.

[randunel]

> Slowing down is the single most effective thing to reduce traffic accidents and injury. Not good for efficiency or smooth flow, sure. But can't claim its not safer.

Go to any motorcycle riding school and all their instructors will teach you that riding slower than the traffic around you is more dangerous than maintaining the average traffic speed, even when above the legal speed limit.

[bryanlarsen]

Slowing down is not safer because it significantly reduces the number of traffic accidents.

Slowing down is safer because it significantly reduces the severity of the traffic accidents that do happen.

[JoeAltmaier]

Its a matter of degree; of course stopping on the freeway is not a good idea. Here's a stat:

Samuel C. Tignor and Davey Warren. "Driver Speed Behavior on U.S. Streets and Highways." Institute of Transportation Engineers: 1990 Compendium of Technical Papers, 1990 August, p. 85. "The accident involvement rates on streets and highways in urban areas was highest for the slowest 5 percent of traffic, lowest for traffic in the 30 to 95 percentile range and increased for the fastest 5 percent of traffic."

[bluedino]

Not if you're the only one going slow.

[MOARDONGZPLZ]

Sure, I can make that claim. People driving slow, as you state, aren't good for smooth flow. Have you ever been driving at night at the speed limit and suddenly come upon someone going 15mph under? It's really dangerous.

[delecti]

Given the first paragraph of the article, that doesn't seem to make any difference.

[panzagl]

Yeah, I would argue that stoned drivers make everyone else a less safe driver.