this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
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Blaming slow drivers for your dangerous driving to pass them immediately and dangerously has the same energy as a rapist blaming what the victim was wearing: The other person made me do it. I have no agency over my own reactions.
Great Carlin quote about this. Have you ever noticed anyone going slower than you is an idiot and anyone faster a maniac?
While I wouldn't pass dangerously it has to be said that a slow driver is definitely a hazard if they are significantly below the speed limit. Especially on a highway. Ive been caught behind someone doing 15 under and it is extremely scary as you hope everyone behond you see's you in time. In general speed differential causes accidents both in the case of people speeding and going under the limit.
Case and point: In your scenario, the danger comes from the speeding, inattentive drivers behind you, yet you have displaced the blame onto to the poor sap in a U-Haul box van with all of their stuff in it. What else might the speeding drivers not see in time? If they can't see a vehicle going 55MPH in front of them in time, what about stopped traffic?
I never said anyone was speeding I said the car in front of me was going 15 miles an hour under the limit, so even people going the limit will be coming up significantly faster than they expect. There's a reason some highways have a minimum speed limit. If you cannot operate a vehicle at least 5 below the speed limit you shouldn't be driving on that road. Also sudden slow downs in traffic literally cause accidents daily which is why we shouldn't be causing them when we have the ability not to.
You seem to think im defending speeding when all i am really saying is big deviations from the limit in either direction increase the chances of an accident exponentially.
Exponentially both ways though I would argue, often, the slower driver is more of a hazard to other drivers!
If someone burns past in the left lane unless someone else does something wrong (like move lanes without looking first) or causes rapid traffic slowdown in the left lane either by merging poorly or being too aggressive on the brakes, they are more or less not a risk.
If someone is driving too slow they are dangerous without anyone else making a mistake - if you or anyone behind you doesn't have visibility (eg behind a truck, around a bend, glare from the sun etc) then there's a hard braking event, which is always dangerous. The more slowly compared to prevailing traffic they go, the more attentive other drivers need to be, the more dangerous it becomes.
No, the "speeding" part is from my own experience. The speed limit here in Wisconsin is 70MPH, but hardly anybody follows it. In any case, a driver who cannot handle a 20-25MPH speed differential should not be on the road, period. Most people can't even handle going that speed on residential streets, it's that slow. I propose the following thought experiment to make it obvious:
Two identical highways, both empty. On one, the U-Haul driver following the company's 55MPH speed limit. (Minimum speed on 70MPH highways is often 45MPH, by the way.) On the other highway, a driver following the speed limit at 70MPH, but is who cannot handle closing in on things at 15MPH. Distraction, eyesight problems, who knows? The slow, 55MPH driver will have no problems. The faster driver has a high likelihood of crashing into things, even without slow drivers in the way.
If speed differentials are that much of a problem, then it's the faster drivers that are the source of it, and the speed limit is too high.
Passing aggressively on a 2 lane road: ok, yes I agree
Driving slow on a 4 lane highway: real dangerous
If someone isn't going to go at least the speed limit on a highway, they should use back roads instead.
Wrong. Traffic laws in multiple states are "slower traffic keep right". Just obey the law, grandma, and everyone will be safe and you can drive as slow as you'd like.
What does that have to do with what I said?