Should People Be Fined For Driving Too Slow?!

[DumLum]

This. The rule of thumb tends to be that if the car is taller than it is wide then it is generally being driven by a silly old codger, who shouldn't be on the roads.

Also anyone who drives whilst wearing a hat seems to be incapable of going above 25mph.

I think the ones with the hat (straw boater) in the back window are worse. Combine this with Silver hair for the very worst.

 

[Conkers]

Middle lane motorway drivers need educating. There should be overhead signs along motorways underlining what the middle lane should be used for.

I wish! The M25 was spouting shit like this on the signs yesterday:
"Bin Your Litter. Other people do."

I'm not joking either.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I wish! The M25 was spouting shit like this on the signs yesterday:
"Bin Your Litter. Other people do."

I'm not joking either.

That said, a top of the range Audi on the A27 last week threw a handful of litter out of it's window as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

 

[oldalbiongirl]

I think the ones with the hat (straw boater) in the back window are worse. Combine this with Silver hair for the very worst.

So true. I have noticed that. Is there a club or something?!

I dont like people driving really slowly but sometimes there are good reasons like engine playing up and you are "nursing" the car to nearest garage. Perhaps some of these slow drivers (hat ones excluded) are having car problems.

 

[rouseytastic]

About a year ago on the 272 I was stuck about 7 cars behind a 2mph Jazz nightmare. Right behind the offending low tax high mpg blue rinse mobile was a police car. Doing nothing about it at all. Really really winds me up!

 

[Cian]

Incorrectly lit vehicle? How do you define that. Surely having fog lights on when they're not needed can be classes as 'incorrectly lit' and that usually occurs on very fast drivers.

As for the OP, I agree.

Choose from:

Parking lights only
Parking lights + foglights, no heads
Assorted broken bulbs
Full high beams at all times

One pootler who was in the outer lane doing 55mph yesterday had one parking light illuminated and nothing else to the front. Rears were working and its not like they were going to appear suddenly behind anyone though!

 

[Stat Brother]

Today I watched a woman in her 80's walking slowly with a stick, unable to lift her head and shoulders above 90 degrees, slowly get into her car and drive off.

An accident waiting to happen.

 

[happypig]

One of the problems is that a driver who has passed their test in their 20's or 30's is not always as able as they once were. There is no requirement to prove oneself competent, other that re-applying for your licence when you get to 70.
In my view, there should be compulsory retesting for every driver every few years, with the frequency increasing as they get older.
A few years ago my mum gave up driving because "I'm not up to it any more" - 40 years ago she was a confident and capable driver but when she stopped it was a relief to all of us; however, for every oldie who gives it up, I'm willing to be there are dozens who don't until told to by a Magistrate or Doctor.

 

[Richard Tiltmans Shin Pad]

Micras. I chuffing hate Micras. Slow arsed, dull, dreary, unimaginative, boring, and yes, always doing 20mph less than acceptable.

 

[junior]

I find the worst offenders often have one of those f***ing silver fish things stuck on their tailgate.

 

[wunt be druv]

No they shouldn't be fined,they should be shot,then hung,then burned at the stake,buried,dug up,bought back to life then killed all over again.

- - - Updated - - -

No they shouldn't be fined,they should be shot,then hung,then burned at the stake,buried,dug up,bought back to life then killed all over again.

 

[Brovion]

This. The rule of thumb tends to be that if the car is taller than it is wide then it is generally being driven by a silly old codger, who shouldn't be on the roads.

Also anyone who drives whilst wearing a hat seems to be incapable of going above 25mph.

For some reason that has always been the case ever since cars first had roofs and windows and the actual need to wear a hat whilst driving had vanished. I remember my Dad, back in the early 1960s, saying that it was a rule of life that anybody who wore a hat whilst driving was invariably an utter twat. Also if we were stuck in slow-moving line of traffic (a lot more common obviously back in the 1960s) he'd say "I bet the prat at the front of this holding us all up is wearing a hat."

 

[Super Steve Earle]

I would fine people who type 'too slow' instead of 'too slowly'. Lazy bu*!*rs - it's only two more letters to get it right!

 

[teaboy]

Its starting to drive me to drink this. Cars (normally a Honda Jazz/Nissan Micra, although there are others!) that seem to drive at a steady 10-15 miles under the speed limit constantly. In my mind if these drivers don;t have the confidence to drive at the speed limit or at least something approaching it it means they clearly aren't comfortable enough to be driving on the roads.

It poses all sorts of risks such as someone driving at 50 in a 50 limit to come round a corner to be met with a car driving at 20mph, only 1 outcome really.

Most of these drivers get in to their car look straight forward, right foot down and when the speed suits them they just carry on at that speed regardless of the limit on the roads they are travelling on. In summary they don't actually realise the speed they are travelling at!

Its all well and good the Police dishing out fines for people driving too fast but what about those that clearly shouldn't be on the road because just being in a car scares the life out of them.

No, you probably won't kill a child travelling at 15 mph but the risks to other road users who are travelling at the designated speed for that road are potentially catastrophic.

Something needs to be done!

It's a speed LIMIT, not a target. There could be many reasons why people are driving slower than the limit at certain times.

At least most of the time they're in a Micra so are fairly easy to spot before they cause any problems.

 

[disgruntled h blocker]

What gets me are what I classify "constant drivers" on the country lanes - they will stick to a rigid 40mph in a 60 zone and then speed up in a village where the limit is 30, so you effectively have no way of overtaking them... And they normally come out driving on a Sunday and wear a hat and gloves when driving

 

[rouseytastic]

It's a speed LIMIT, not a target. There could be many reasons why people are driving slower than the limit at certain times.

At least most of the time they're in a Micra so are fairly easy to spot before they cause any problems.

I'm amazed its taken this long for someone to trot out the 'its a limit not a target' line. There is a reason why the 'limit' is there. It is not safe to drive some 30/40 miles an hour under that 'limit'. If you aren't confident to drive at least somewhere close to the 'limit' you should NOT be driving at all.

I have driven down the 272 almost everyday for the last 8/9 years. At the limit. Last year I was behind an old woman in a Clio who managed to roll her car off the road while driving at under 30 mph. Driving SLOWLY does not make it any safer if you shouldn't be driving in the first place

This was the result of driving at 30mph in a 50 limit. Never happened to me at 50 (sometimes more)

 

[teaboy]

I'm amazed its taken this long for someone to trot out the 'its a limit not a target' line. There is a reason why the 'limit' is there. It is not safe to drive some 30/40 miles an hour under that 'limit'. If you aren't confident to drive at least somewhere close to the 'limit' you should NOT be driving at all.

I have driven down the 272 almost everyday for the last 8/9 years. At the limit. Last year I was behind an old woman in a Clio who managed to roll her car off the road while driving at under 30 mph. Driving SLOWLY does not make it any safer if you shouldn't be driving in the first place

Of course, but the roads are an ever-changing environment. It is not ALWAYS safe to drive some 30/40 miles an hour under that 'limit'. It isn't safe to always drive at the speed limit regardless of the road conditions, weather and traffic. Motorway pile-ups often occur when there's reduced visibility but drivers don't adapt their speed to compensate. There are plenty of country roads that have a 60mph limit, but are single-track with blind bends.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

I think all the drivers that are stationery,or driving at under 1mph at the bottom of the A23 when queuing in rush hour traffic,should be fined,i mean what if i am doing 70mph and i wish to take the turning to Hove and join the A27?

It's a blind sweeping left hand bend,i can do 70mph,what if i meet these vehicles?

What then? only 1 outcome really.

 

[rouseytastic]

Of course, but the roads are an ever-changing environment. It is not ALWAYS safe to drive some 30/40 miles an hour under that 'limit'. It isn't safe to always drive at the speed limit regardless of the road conditions, weather and traffic. Motorway pile-ups often occur when there's reduced visibility but drivers don't adapt their speed to compensate. There are plenty of country roads that have a 60mph limit, but are single-track with blind bends.

All very true, but the thread is intended for people that drive at stupidly slow speed in perfect visibility

 

[Everest]

I think all the drivers that are stationery,or driving at under 1mph at the bottom of the A23 when queuing in rush hour traffic,should be fined,i mean what if i am doing 70mph and i wish to take the turning to Hove and join the A27?

It's a blind sweeping left hand bend,i can do 70mph,what if i meet these vehicles?

What then? only 1 outcome really.

I don't doubt you could do 70 there, BUT it's a 50 limit before you reach the bend.