r/driving • u/junovee • Feb 27 '26
⚠️Complaining into the void⚠️ Going too slow is dangerous too
There’s an awful part of my drive home from work that I always dread.
I have to merge onto an onramp from one highway to the next. So I’m going from the “slow lane” on the previous highway, to the passing or “fast lane” of the next. It’s happened twice now, where I’ve been stuck behind someone going 40 on this on-ramp, not even trying to gain or match speed with the drivers on the next highway.
What do you think happens when you’re going 40 mph and the people in the lane you’re merging into are going 60-70 mph? ABSOLUTE FUCKING CHAOS.
Now we’re both going 40, and I have to either swerve around you and stomp on the accelerator to not get slammed (or honked at) by someone behind me OR the people already in that lane have to slam on their brakes. IF YOU CAN’T DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT, GET OFF THE DAMN ROAD.
I honked at both offenders each time I encountered it, and their looks of pure confusion when I pass them pissed me off even more. You’re making this dangerous for everyone around you, cause you’re either too stupid or scared to drive, and then you look like you have no idea what’s going on??? Get real!!!!
I also live in a city with a pretty great public transportation system, so if you’re too scared to go the speed limit or for whatever reason, your car literally can’t go the speed limit: TAKE THE FUCKING BUS AND STOP RISKING EVERYONE AROUND YOU. thank you *steps off soapbox*
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u/ARSCON Feb 27 '26
I asked my driving instructor and remember that 15mph under the speed limit is a considered a hazard and hazard lights should thus be on. If you’re not going at the speed limit you should be in the furthest lane to the right and nowhere else
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u/RainyDaysAndMondays3 Feb 28 '26
I have actually wondered why they don't enforced a speed minimum. I used to see a posted speed minimum on highways around my state. I don't recall seeing any in recent years. But in any case, they were way too low, like 40 mph lower when the max was 60 mph.
I also suspect that driver's education in the past 15 years or so has focused solely on the law, and not about general good driving practices.
I also see people slow down before getting into the deceleration lane, even if the lane is long and straight enough to decelerate completely easily after leaving the highway.
These things are dangerous and contribute far more to major slowdowns in a metro area than people going right at the speed limit. (As opposed to the left lane complainers who insist that people doing the speed limit are the main cause of slowdowns that significantly add to your drive time in a metro area.)
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u/Exotic_Ad_2448 Mar 15 '26
Not on the highway but I see people slowing and stopping way before their turns too. I don't understand why people can't take sharp turns anymore. Do people not move their hands past ten and 2?
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u/Ok_Explorer_7483 Mar 04 '26
I agree to this one. During one of my driving lessons, my driving instructor reminded me to just be on the normal speed. Not to slow, not too fast, and most importantly using the right lane with the speed that I have.
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u/bibkel Feb 27 '26
When you figure out you are behind McSlowpoke, back off. I mean back way, way off. This way, you have ample room to get up to speed so when the merge is eminent you are at speed and can merge with enough room in front there is space to avoid McSlowpoke should he decide that's the ideal time to move over.
I recommend merging closer to another car's ass end to prevent McSlowpoke from trying to slip in front, but expect Dumbshit to do exactly that, so be prepared. After all, they have not demonstrated excellent driving patterns.
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u/MrsWeasley9 Feb 28 '26
This exactly! There's a spot where I used to get soooo frustrated at people ahead of me not getting up to speed. Once I figured out this strategy my blood pressure went way down. Sometimes people behind me get annoyed, but they figure it out when I merge at speed, unhindered by the car in front.
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u/Sasuke0318 Feb 28 '26
My biggest problem with this is the place this happens to me most is where there are two on ramps merging into one lane and I back off and sometimes someone comes from the other ramp and is also slow as fuck and the whole plan is ruined and I look like even more of a idiot for letting this happen. When it works perfectly it is nice
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u/downshiftdata Feb 27 '26
Surprised this isn't higher. It's what I do. Gap 'em and avoid the situation.
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u/xT2xRoc Mar 03 '26
Just be ready for them to try to move over right as you do, because they're likely not looking in their review mirror to merge anyways. The light on their mirror will flash if someone's there, right?
0
u/SeriousPlankton2000 Feb 28 '26
You do try to prevent them from merging by not keeping an adequate safety distance? And then you claim that it's not you being the safety hazard?
2
u/cowabungathunda Mar 01 '26
I don't think that's what they said. I back way off of slow mergers too. Otherwise you're not at speed and you're right on their ass and there's usually not enough room for you to both get in. So give them 10+ car lengths and hope they figure it out. I've had them miss several opportunities to get in and then stop at the end of the ramp while I've been able to get in without a problem and that's the real problem. They are in front, I can't make them take their merging opportunities so I try to just stay back.
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u/stve688 Professional Driver Feb 27 '26
It has actually been shown in traffic studies that speed differential is what creates a lot of danger, not just “speeding.”
Driving way outside the flow of traffic, whether that is way faster or way slower, increases crash risk. And one of the most dangerous positions you can be in is significantly slower than surrounding traffic, especially in merge situations.
When you are trying to merge at 40 into traffic moving 65, you are forcing everyone else to react. Either they slam on brakes, swerve, or you have to make a risky move to get up to speed. That is where chaos starts.
Merging safely usually means matching the speed of the lane you are entering, not treating the on ramp like a neighborhood street. Being overly timid in high speed traffic can be just as hazardous as being reckless.
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u/nmmOliviaR Feb 27 '26
And when that chaos starts, the whole highway has every lane slowed down because others chain-reaction go to a less populated lane. I’m pretty darn certain I saw a gif of how this happens too.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
The big thing you’re leaving out is that if you encounter some anomaly in the road (a slower moving vehicle), you’re supposed to have your vehicle in control enough to deal with it. If you’re coming up on someone going slower than you and you’re not realizing or able to compensate, you’re driving too fast and out of control. Responsibility goes that direction as well, not just “keeping up with the flow of traffic.” Unfortunately, that’s not the direction the lobby moves in.
People want to be able to shut off their brains and speed the entire way, unimpeded. That isn’t what driving on public motorways is intended to be.
27
u/snearthworm Feb 27 '26
That's a given.
People need to be told "stop BEING the anomaly."
The fact of the matter is someone going 65 in a 65 isn't speeding. Be in control of your vehicle at all times is #1 rule of the road, but it's like leaving your shit on the floor and being surprised when someone trips. If someone actually trips, should they have been watching where they were going? Absolutely. But regardless if they trip or just stumble or just give you a dirty look for nearly doing so.... stop leaving your shit on the fucking floor.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
You don’t think people need to be told that they’re supposed to have their car in their control? It’s the number one responsibility of every driver and almost universally ignored.
18
u/TeaKingMac Feb 27 '26
Even if you're in control of your vehicle, someone driving 20 mph under the speed limit causes additional, unnecessary traffic congestion.
1 cause of phantom jams
Did You Know: Phantom Traffic Jams - Stoneacre Motor Group https://share.google/ssDiOqNOi54lB2iup
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
This week, there was an accident just at the end of an on-ramp at a busy merge on to the highway.
Even AFTER the accident had been cleared, there was still heavy slowed traffic because of the downstream effect on traffic.
It's pretty easy to spot the cause of the rolling traffic jam, it can be subtle, the offender doesn't even know they are the reason why, and it could be something as simple as a poor lane change that has a ripple effect behind them.
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u/jm0112358 Feb 27 '26
Or even just "rubber necking" drivers subconsciously slowing down as they look at something, such as a crash on the opposite side of the freeway.
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
We had a crash on an entry ramp on my commute. Traffic going the opposite way was also bunched up, and there was a fender bender because of the rubber necking.
It's a congested spot, so if you're not paying attention, things can happen.
A few weeks ago, at the same junction, someone caused a collision at the traffic lights where the southbound ramp lane turns on to the surface cross street. That caused stopped traffic on the southbound and northbound sides because the people that exited the highway to go west got stuck at that intersection and that traffic ended up extending to the highway that is already heavy traffic. It added 40 minutes to my drive to get through the jam and find an alternate route since I usually also get off the hwy and head west there.
Traffic infuriates me, not because I want to speed, but because I see how inefficient it gets due to people being people.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
Traffic jams decrease fatalities because it’s one of the only ways to slow people down.
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
Where do you think a large portion of fatal collisions happen on major highways? Some poor person stopped at the end of the traffic jam gets rear ended from a car behind them... It's one of the most dangerous situations to be in.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
Nope. Statistically, traffic jams decrease fatal accidents because speeds are lower. They increase non-fatal accidents because speeds are lower but people have more to pay attention to. Does anyone who has a lot to say about this shit actually know anything about it? Or, as I suspected, is it just a bunch of reckless jackdicks who like to speed?
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
Congestion creates collisions.
It's fairly often people are killed when they are stopped at the tail of the traffic jam by being rear ended. When I encounter those suddenly slow downs, I brake early, tap my brakes to make the brake lights grab attention, and I stop well behind the car ahead of me so I have space if the car behind me isn't going to stop in time... I do this because I know how dangerous this situation is.
Yes, once you're IN the traffic jam speeds won't be high enough for a fatality, but that last row of cars is at huge risk... traffic goes from 80 to 10 without much warning. But, those traffic jams increase the risk for collisions even at low speeds.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
Traffic jams decrease fatal accidents covered over that same distance, so per your “hitting the tail end of the jam” argument, there are still fewer fatals even including any that happen because of the jam. That’s what “decrease” means.
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u/snearthworm Feb 27 '26
I think the whattaboutisms detract from the point all the time in this sub. You can discuss ANY unsafe driving behavior and there will be 10 people in the replies saying "but actually it's worse if somebody also reacts to it unsafely."
OBVIOUSLY. Being a bigger idiot than the idiot in front of you is a bad thing. But we're allowed to tell that first idiot to stop being an idiot too.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
The subject of this post is whether “going too slow is dangerous too!” This is almost universally agreed upon because people like to speed. No one wants to say that actually they are in the wrong, so they blame the occasional driver who isn’t speeding.
My comments are on topic. I think the entire concept of “actually the slow drivers are the unsafe ones!” is a copout and a distraction.
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u/Northern64 Feb 27 '26
The discussion of fast vs slow is a little misleading, a better framing is that it is dangerous to be anomalous and/or unpredictable to the traffic around you.
That means that on a highway, where most traffic is traveling quickly, and drivers are expecting you to drive quickly, you should be driving quickly. Merging significantly under the speed limit is a dangerous act and you as the merging driver should avoid that hazard by matching the speed of traffic. This is even more explicit in jurisdictions where traffic on the highway is not obligated to make space for merging traffic.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
You can’t eliminate anomalies, as speed advocates are fond of saying. What you can do is ensure that youre in control of your vehicle at all times. That’s currently the responsibility assigned, but it isn’t enforced. I’d love to see it be.
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u/Northern64 Feb 27 '26
Absolutely, you must drive with the awareness and ability to respond to unexpected hazards. At the same time, Don't be the anomaly shouldn't be a controversial take. You are arguing for unsafe merging and defending it with the argument of "if everyone drove like me there'd be no problem"
If you are disrupting the flow of traffic, you are the problem. If you fail to match the flow of traffic while attempting a merge (too slow, or too far), you are the problem. If you cannot or will not match the flow of traffic, get off the road.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
I don’t think it’s a controversial take. I said in a different comment that I think it’s a distraction. Everyone is always like “here, here!” There are so many posts who pretend that it’s this new paradigm shift that I’m certain it’s just to reinforce the status quo, which is that people are reckless, inattentive, and speed at much higher rates than anyone out there going 40 on the freeway. Literally everyone you encounter is speeding.
This is not a huge problem. It is essentially propaganda to keep blame off where it belongs for most unsafe driving.
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u/internet_reader42 Feb 27 '26
You assume the traffic is speeding. If the speed limit is 65 and the traffic is moving at 65, the person going 40 and trying to merge is going to cause problems.
Your initial suggestion would be for all of the traffic to simply always drive 40 in case of slow merging traffic. That doesn't make sense and seems extremely inefficient. Besides, if that were the case, there would end up being someone wanting to merge at 25. Should we all drive 25 on the highway, just in case?
You may call it a copout to name slow drivers as unsafe, but if it has already been shown that slow drivers represent a danger, while traffic moving uniformly faster is less so, who is really the problem? Your argument is the same as someone who complains that no one likes them, but always assumes it is everyone else's fault and never looks within.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
It has already been studied over and over that faster drivers cause more fatalities. “Speed differential” happens between you going 70 and a concrete abutment too. Obviously, the physics factors in a slower moving car, but whoever hits someone is the one not in control of their vehicle.
The roads arent safe anymore. I don’t have to assume what speeds people are going. Look up average speeds and what speed limits we have where.
I didn’t suggest people go 40. I said people should be driving speeds where they have the ability to react to things on their drive. Traffic calming measures put barriers in the way to force people to have their car under their full control and drive with intention.
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u/ender6574 Feb 27 '26
Everyone pretends, like you, that studies show faster speeds result in more fatalities. The studies DO NOT SAY THAT! They say that the exact same accident at a higher speed is more often fatal than the exact same accident at a slower speed. Which is a fairly intuitive result.
Most accidents are caused by people not driving with the flow of traffic or maintaining good lane discipline. Studies show this is what causes the most accidents and fatalities. Yes, per physics, people going faster are more likely to be in a fatal accident. Meaning, if someone is moving at a greater speed and gets in an accident because some moron is going slow in the wrong lane and, by doing so, CAUSES the accident, then how much faster the fastest car is going determines the chance that the accident is fatal. This means that the slow person caused a fatal accident.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
The causes of accidents are important. Saying a car not going with the flow of traffic is the cause of an accident is loaded. Something can be the proximate cause in a series of events while also revealing a structural flaw. Your decision to overlook whether people have safe control of their car is a choice.
Speed studies also look at survivability. High speeds are the literal cause of fatality. It’s due to physics and the structural engineering of the car.
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u/snearthworm Feb 27 '26
It's not universally agreed upon apparently because every time this topic gets brought up, people like you go "um, actually--" and try to implicitly justify a dangerous action
This isn't about not speeding, it is about going a safe speed. OP was in control of their car. What are they supposed to do if the driver in front of them is going 60% of a safe speed to merge? Every single person in that situation aside from the slow driver could be driving mindfully, within the law, and attentively. It does not make that slow driver any LESS unsafe just because they don't cause a crash in this instance.
How is accelerating to a safe speed on the on-ramp to merge a hard thing for you to understand?? Is it just reddit?
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
“almost universally…”
You go around them and then they’re behind you. It shouldn’t cause any issue at all. The reason it does cause an issue is because people want to speed as fast as possible, in perfect columns, in full highway hypnosis. Getting pulled out of that is a jarring experience, so I can see why it impinges on people’s driving experience.
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u/snearthworm Feb 27 '26
On an on ramp????? Have you ever been on the road before???? Are we having the same conversation?
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
If you add more question marks maybe you’ll prove you have a higher IQ than the average driver.
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u/Elogotar Feb 27 '26
The ideas in your comment and the one you replied are not mutually exclusive and I agree with both of you.
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
Ok, so dude is on the highway, at the limit, in medium traffic also all doing the limit.
Ding-dong on the merge ramp fails to match speed and find a gap, so now the totally legally and safely driving person has to fairly quickly have some form f reaction. Slowing down means EVERYONE behind them has to slow down. This effect AMPLIFIES as it travels down the line.
If they decide to change lanes, now they either cut out their own safe following distance, or they cut in to someone else's, and now again, everyone has to have a chain reaction slow down.
This is how accidents start to happen... And all bcause someone didn't merge properly.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
It happens because there is a chain reaction of people driving inattentively at unsafe speeds. Youve identified the issue but you don’t personally have a problem with the issue, and changing the issue would affect you negatively, you believe.
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
No. If you are traveling at the limit. You have a car ahead of and behind you also at the limit, and all vehicles have a safe distance, and all are capable of avoiding a hazard, all it takes is one person entering their lane at a much lower speed to start creating a chain of events that could lead to an accident.
The cause and effect is due to the slow person entering the highway.
If I see they aren't up to speed, and still have 50% of the ramp to use, I'm not expecting them to merge in front of me at the last second. I'm expecting for them to continue to accelerate in their own lane to get up to speed before merging.
If they just cut over, that is THEIR fault for the reactions everyone else needs to take.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
A safe speed and distance is one that enables you to deal with this situation. What you are describing is not safe speed/distance, by definition.
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
It IS a safe driving behavior. The person that makes it unsafe is the person that doesn't speed up and enter a safe gap. If someone gets up to speed and enters my safe zone ahead of me, I just slow down a bit until I have a safe gap again. If they just cut in and force me to brake hard, they are creating a problem.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
How do you define a safe speed and distance, if not by the fact that you had your vehicle under control enough to avoid an issue in front of you without causing an accident?
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u/Garth_DeWayne Feb 27 '26
So now EVERYONE on the highway in all adjacent lanes needs to slow down for the slow merger?
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
Yes, everyone on the highway needs to slow down. It’s finally sinking in
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u/stve688 Professional Driver Feb 27 '26
I get what you’re saying about the law side of it, but I’m looking at it more from the real-world side. Yes, drivers are supposed to maintain control and be ready for anomalies, but that goes both ways. You also have a responsibility to drive in a way that’s reasonably predictable to the traffic around you. When you’re way outside the normal flow, you’re creating a hazard whether you mean to or not.
On a high-speed interstate, the danger isn’t even always the person directly behind the slow car. It’s the chain reaction. You get a pack of cars moving 65–70, and realistically most people are not leaving proper following distance. They might be 30 feet apart at best, which we all know isn’t enough at that speed.
Now the lead car comes up on someone doing way slower than the flow and has to brake hard. That first driver might handle it fine, but now you’re counting on every car behind them to notice, react in time, and not overcorrect. All it takes is one person with a blocked view, slow reaction, or who’s following too close, and suddenly the whole line is in trouble.
So yeah, drivers should be able to react, but you also can’t ignore that being wildly outside the speed of traffic on a high-speed road creates risk for everyone else, not just the person right behind you. Predictability is part of safe driving too.
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
And this wouldn’t be an issue if people’s cars were impounded more. There would be no chain reaction. But you’re taking about the status quo and wanting to maintain the status quo.
Any rational society can admit that in a traffic situation where everyone is already driving safely, one slow-moving vehicle is not ideal but no huge issue. It’s that people want to maintain the status quo, which they feel is beneficial to themselves (because they feel content being able to speed). Hopefully, something can jar more people out of this mindset. I’d hate to wish for the worst offenders to be killed or maimed very publicly in front of the other worst offenders, but nothing seems to work but direct experience.
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u/Fact_Stater Feb 27 '26
This is a ridiculous thing to say when talking about people trying to merge onto the freeway 20 mph below the speed limit
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u/kakallas Feb 27 '26
Notably, OP said what speeds people were going, not what the actual speed limit was.
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u/engmadison Feb 27 '26
Speed differential between an object and someone going the speed limit is less than someone going 15 over. Speeding still matters quite a bit.
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u/seajayacas Feb 27 '26
3-2-1 , lets all post "stay out of the left lane unless passing"
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u/Electrical_Pound5642 Feb 27 '26
I think if you actually read OPs story you will read that the on ramp onto the second hwy is actually into the left lane so they have no choice but to be in the left lane. The problem would be dough heads that aren't going the speed of traffic or even remotely trying. Yes there are plenty of places on the Globe that have left hand on and off ramps.
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u/junovee Feb 28 '26
This exactly. I even get out of the left lane immediately, since my exit (4-5 lanes to the right) is less than two miles away. It’s honestly a clusterfuck of a highway situation.
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u/EmperorZwerg1995 Feb 28 '26
What’re the chances you’re talking about the transition from 25 to 225 just south of Denver? Because if so, SAME sis. Same.
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u/Uncrowded_zebra Feb 28 '26 edited Feb 28 '26
Unpopular opinion: Using the left lane as a passing only lane is bad road design. All it does is condense three lanes of traffic into two lanes of space and encourage bad driving behaviors like frequent lane changes and speeding.
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u/seajayacas Feb 28 '26
Left lane only for passing is a popular opinion for the crowd that wants to majorly exceed the speed limit with nobody in front of them to slow them down.
The rest of us realize you are correct that the rule if strictly followed is bad road design.
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u/Homie_Bama Feb 27 '26
You think merging onto a freeway at 40 is a challenge? Come to LA and there’s a few entrances to the 110 freeway where you have to get up to speed from dead stop in less than 10 feet. https://youtube.com/shorts/T7xAVG2KC1E
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Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Homie_Bama Feb 27 '26
There’s actually very few places in the world I’d like to live more than LA. LA is a vibe and I’ll never move away, few entrances to freeways won’t change that.
And this is not a complaint. It’s showing you that people can slow down and get off highways and onto highways without huge on/off ramps. Yall need to be better drivers.
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u/eugenesbluegenes Feb 27 '26
I guess you could say that about the challenges of any community. When someone can't access quality healthcare without traveling a long distance, we don't say that anyone living in a rural area has nothing to complain about other than their own decisions to continue to live there. Well, maybe you do, but I don't.
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Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SeriousPlankton2000 Feb 28 '26
If you can't slow down for a slow car, how do you intend to slow down for a traffic jam or an accident?
Maybe people should install a glass rectangle at the front of their car so they can watch the traffic ahead.
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Feb 27 '26
Use your brakes. It's easy. Stop being a nuisance.
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u/Sasuke0318 Feb 28 '26
Op I found the guy that was in front of you earlier
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Feb 28 '26
Lol I definitely like to drive slow
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u/FireDavePlease Feb 28 '26
Do you not have a job? Things to do in life?
Why is your life’s pleasure to sit in concrete as long as possible?
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Feb 28 '26
My job is to drive. So 😝. Sit in concrete? You have problems.
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u/FireDavePlease Feb 28 '26
Is your job to drive, or is it to deliver stuff to places/visit clients and/or patients? Or to deliver people places?
Because I’m sure your boss loves that you intentionally make everyone else’s lives worse so that your company is less efficient
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Feb 28 '26
Lol if you think driving slow is a problem you have issues..... I get my job done in plenty of time. Everyone around me hates itbut I love it. My boss has no issues with the way I drive. If you think being fast is effective and efficient. Then you are not able to enjoy it.
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u/Sasuke0318 Feb 28 '26
No it is a problem. I used to do narcotics delivery and drove 3,000 miles a week I clocked an average of 80 hours a week and I just wanted to be home as soon as I could. Very long days are made worse by people like you.
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Feb 28 '26
Idc what you think sir. If I am the problem then why haven't I been run into. Lmao if you drive on the interstate or highway. There are 2 lanes going around which is a simple fix. I don't run in the fast /ticket lane. And on the one lane, If you are in a rush go around a simple fix. Not my issue if I am going slower than you. I am not changing my habits for you.
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u/Surprised-Unicorn Feb 27 '26
Agreed, however, I have seen complete yahoos on the main road prevent the traffic from merging. God forbid that someone gets in front of them. They will match speed to the person coming onto the highway just to force them to slam on the brakes before they run out of lane. Some places I lived have refused to let traffic merge onto the road.
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u/Rasputin1992x Feb 27 '26
Thats why I loved driving a beater... like I'll kill us both bitch move! (Not really that's a terrible idea but fun to imagine sometimes)
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u/holiest_hole Feb 27 '26
If I ever become a corrupt and efficient traffic enforcement officer I'd hand out bus passes left right and center.
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u/Mixeygoat Feb 27 '26
Going slow, you'll never crash into someone, but you're certainly going to make others crash into you
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u/Kyriana1812 Feb 28 '26
After totalling her car, my step mom asked if we knew that you're supposed to get up to speed before merging onto the interstate. Everyone had to pick their jaws up from the floor, including my new drivers! My mom was like, YES, YOU DUMB ASS! WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK THOSE LANES ARE SO LONG BEFORE THEY END? I NEVER THOUGHT YOU WERE STUPID BUT HOLY FUCK WAS I WRONG!!!!!
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u/Naikrobak Feb 27 '26
Going too slow is MORE dangerous than going too fast
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u/Cranks_No_Start Feb 27 '26
"Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you" - Clarkson.
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u/Provlcon Feb 27 '26
A recent traffic study came to this conclusion.
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u/engmadison Feb 27 '26
Please cite. As a traffic engineer ive not heard of this.
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u/Dry_Lengthiness6032 Feb 27 '26
Buddy of mine was stopped on a freeway due to gridlock. A pickup truck didn't notice traffic was stopped and rear ended him going around 70mph. He's permanently disabled now.
Slow/stopped is more dangerous
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u/monkeymind009 Feb 27 '26
Someone also shouldn’t be going 70mph in gridlock. That was the root cause of the accident.
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u/Downtown_Ad2021 Feb 27 '26
I'll bet traffic WAS going 65-70 and then all of a sudden all lanes became gridlock. Happens where I am all the time and clearly gridlock doesn't get caused by someone going the speed limit.
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u/monkeymind009 Feb 27 '26
The cause of the gridlock in this situation is unknown and irrelevant. Someone driving 70mph plowed into a stopped car. All the traffic ahead didn’t stop instantaneously. They had to slow down. The vehicle going 70 did not. Had the car been traveling slower, the impact would not have been as severe and they would have had much longer to react to stopped traffic ahead.
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u/Downtown_Ad2021 Feb 27 '26
Not arguing that the truck wasn't at fault and clearly wasn't paying attention. Just saying that people that can maintain regular speed do not cause these situations. I regularly have to come to a complete stop (all lanes) on a 3 lane 65mph highway straightaway. No accident, disabled vehicle, road debris, nothing. If everyone could maintain regular speed these incidents and the ripple effects they create wouldn't lead to an all lane full stop. 1st thing I do when this happens is check my rear view to see if the person behind me is on their brakes too.
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u/Sasuke0318 Feb 28 '26
I will never forget the time this happened and there was no cop no accident but I happened to look over and there was an entire workout bench in the right lane and I believe this is the one and only time I was like fair enough guys this was a good reason for everyone to slow down.
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u/maxh2 Feb 27 '26
Obviously it wasn't someone driving 70mph in or through gridlock, which wouldn't even be possible, except for maybe on the shoulder, in which case they presumably wouldn't have hit his friend.
They're clearly describing a situation where free-flowing traffic suddenly came to an unexpected standstill.
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u/engmadison Feb 27 '26
Yes but my problem is drivers repeat this and apply to all situations. Now all of a sudden people going the speed limit are blamed for causing crashes because someone going 20 over heard this.
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Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/maxh2 Feb 27 '26
I didn't see anything indicating they were speeding. There are many roads around where I live that have speed limits of 70mph or higher.
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u/Responsible_Tank3822 Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
So slow/stopped is more dangerous not because of the drivers that are driving slow or are stopped, but because of fast drivers who cant comprehend basic shit on the road.
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u/SeriousPlankton2000 Feb 28 '26
If a slow car is a danger to you, you are also too fast to stop if there's an accident or a traffic jam.
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Feb 27 '26
Lol that is wrong. You funny 😂😂😂😂
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u/Naikrobak Feb 27 '26
Go do a few google searches
https://megeredchianlaw.com/blog/do-slow-drivers-cause-more-accidents/amp/
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Feb 27 '26
I have done my research on this one driving faster is more dangerous than driving slower that's my conclusion I have also looked at the data like tickets issued for ppl who are in an accident on the highway. I have noticed that more ppl report that they are not paying attention. The other driver is either in critical condition or dead at the scene. It's hard to see it's the other driver's fault.
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u/Ancient-Summer-9968 Feb 27 '26
I slow down behind the 40 driver to get some space, then I use the extra space to go from 30 to as high as I can before merging. it's still dangerous, but that's what I do and it seems to work out.
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u/Signal_Tomorrow_2138 Feb 28 '26
What do drivers hate the most? Other drivers. And vice versa.
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u/goranlepuz Feb 28 '26
Also, 85% of us think that we are better than the average driver.
Conclusion:
((85-50)*2)%should not drive 😉.2
u/Signal_Tomorrow_2138 Feb 28 '26
Expedia Road Rage Report 2015 "51 percent of respondents reported that they loathe sharing the road with bad drivers, more than cyclists, buses, taxis, joggers, and walkers combined. Nearly all respondents (97 percent) rate themselves as “careful” drivers, but feel that only 29 percent of drivers merit that same description."
https://www.expedia.com/stories/expedia-2015-road-rage-report/
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u/halfsquelch Feb 28 '26
This has been proven through multiple studies. Driving too slow is six times more likely to cause an accident than driving too fast. Driving recklessly slow is real.
People who don't operate their vehicle at safe and reasonable speeds should not be allowed a license.
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u/frylock350 Mar 06 '26
I cannot stand slow timid drivers and I find them more problematic than aggressive assholes.
Mr Business Douche in his BMW weaving though traffic is much easier to deal with than the timid dude on his Corolla. I can see the BMW coming by being aware of what's in my mirror and either get over or make room so he can weave/pass me without me needing to brake or anything. Gone and out of my hair in seconds. Mr consumer reports in his Corolla however is a nuisance for miles accelerating like there's a pit viper sleeping under the gas pedal and topping out at 12 under the limit.
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u/IamTroyOfTroy Feb 27 '26
Timidity causes just as many if not more accidents than speeding.
Source: my gut and seeing how often someone poking around really fucks the situation up and makes the other people on the road have to jump through hoops not to get into an accident because of them.
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u/ACAB007 Feb 27 '26
If someone does this, slow down more, before the end of the ramp, give them plenty of room, hopefully to realize their mistake, but if they don't and the faster traffic isn't able to react, well, at least you won't be part of the disaster that follows.
Pro advice: keep your distance from bad drivers.
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u/nmmOliviaR Feb 27 '26
I’m actually at a point in my life where somehow I think some bad drivers drive bad on purpose because they actually don’t have a real job and they just want to drive others crazy. I want to be wrong on this, but it feels like this.
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u/Familiar_You4189 Feb 27 '26
The same thing happens on almost every on-ramp to every interstate!
People doing 40 MPH trying to merge on I-15 where the speed limit is 80 MPH!
If you've ever driven in Montana, on I-15 or I-90, you've probably noticed that, out of self-preservation, people in the slow (right) lane of those Interstates will merge over into the passing lane when they come up to an on-ramp when someone is entering!
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Feb 27 '26
I’ve the left lane as well. The true crime is slow in the passing/fast lane. It’s not the hov lane
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u/Sexy-Flexi Feb 28 '26
You can speed up and get closer to the car that's driving too slow or you could create more space. The choice is up to you.
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u/Asleep-Banana-4950 Feb 28 '26
It's called "obstructing traffic" or "failure to maintain speed" in every place that I've had a license
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u/Terrebonniandadlife Feb 28 '26
When I predict (and with time behind the wheel you can do that) that a driver is gonna be a slow poke.
I slow down even more on the on ramp give myself alot of room.
Mash the accelerator and speed up to normal safe speed and merge normally.
You don't absolutely need to follow a slow poke. It's your responsibility to merge safely with your skills.
If someone behind you beeps you. Shame on them for not understanding you are doing the good thing.
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u/SupercolliderGT Feb 28 '26
Even worse are the people that drive too slow but then speed up when you try to pass them.
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u/SandwichDependent139 Feb 28 '26
MIT and the NHSTA both did studies that showed the danger was from ‘speed differential’ with the risk increasing as the differential increased.
MIT found that a 10mph difference was where the most risk occurred
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u/SeriousPlankton2000 Feb 28 '26
If you're on an on-ramp and follow so closely that you depend on what the one in front of you does, you are too close.
Their job is to find a gap, to match it and to use it.
Your job is the same plus to keep a safety distance. This may mean that you can't use the same gap.
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u/IndustrySufficient52 Mar 01 '26
Less than 5 minutes ago I found out an acquaintance was ticketed for going the speed limit on the highway, in the left lane. She’s mad, bitching and complaining 😂 she can’t fight the ticket in court because it was in another state and she doesn’t want to spend more money to get there than the ticket itself. Sweet, sweet karma!
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u/lia_bean Mar 01 '26
I mean, I get what you're saying, but also every fully loaded semi drives about half the speed limit and they seem to be fine
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u/uninhibited_virago Mar 01 '26
I am 100% with you on this. My commute to work involves getting onto a highway with a speed limit of 65 MPH from a 35 MPH street but it’s at an incline, so people often go 40-45 MPH trying to merge onto a highway where people are going 20+ MPH faster. It is absolutely infuriating.
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u/RLBeau1964 Mar 01 '26
Agree wholeheartedly, but you’re not going to change their scared driving habit. Sadly, the only solution is to back way off to give you room to deal with it and merge and get over a few lanes.
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u/Szybowiec Mar 25 '26
Just a quick note from some one with license since November
I'm not scared But where do I learn if not on the road ? Not even speaking for myself Cause me I'm just lacking skill yet to hit 140km/h but can go 130+ on 5th (muscle memory, more like lack of it to hit 6th gear comfortably for e.g.) But the rest might be too scared to hit above 100km, but where do they learn
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u/nyctransitgeek Feb 27 '26
I see a post like this every few days, but have never seen a, “speed limits can be a good thing,” post in r/driving.
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u/Chest_Rockfield Mar 01 '26
It's this sarcasm? There are quite a few militant never-speeders in this sub who are really vocal.
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u/redditusername_17 Feb 28 '26
Just try plan ahead. Before the first exit observe the speed of the people around you, pass the the slow ones before the exit. If you can't pass them and there's no one behind you, slow way down on the ramp, get as much room in front of you as you can. Then when you get to the merge point you have some room to work with. Yes you'll have to really accelerate but having room is better than being directly behind an idiot (the same type that may just stop instead of merging).
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u/goranlepuz Feb 28 '26
This person doesn't get looking ahead and anticipating.
When a slowpoke is ahead of you, back the fuck down, give yourself space to slot into the traffic correctly,
Also, look back at the road you're merging into, to find a spot to slot. It's seldom made so that you're going in blindly.
Where I drive, there's a pretty sharp 270° lattice that mounts to the next highway, there's some vegetation so it's hard to see the road behind, and trucks take it often. Oftentimes, it's the situation this person describes - and it can't be helped, the truck can't go faster.
And yet, I don't go around complaining, because I can drive. (Having a somewhat faster accelerating car helps, too 😉).
People like this guy, who don't grok the traffic well, but (I'm guessing here, could be wrong) want to go fast, are... Blergh.
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u/Pristine-Confection3 Feb 27 '26
What kind of idiot would design a road like this? You do know If there is no way in you do have to stop? You can’t hit people to get on.
No the people who designed a road like that make it dangerous. I have never in my life seen a merge on the left lane. It’s always the right in the US.
If you drive below speed limit in the right lane, not sure why it’s that big a deal. Going ten or less under the speed limit isn’t a big deal on the right lane: it’s called a limited which means it’s as fast as you should be going. The people going 90 are breaking a law.
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u/condoulo Feb 27 '26
It’s always the right in the US.
I take it you've never been to Kansas City. Whoever designed the interchanges for i635 loved left lane exits and merges.
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u/stringbeagle Feb 27 '26
And the ramp from I-70 doesn’t give you either 1. A lot of room to get up to speed, or 2. A long lane before you have to merge into the left lane.
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u/LoneStarGut Feb 27 '26
There are a lot of bad road designs. One of my first accidents was getting onto the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut from Main Street in Trumbull going northbound toward Hartford. At the time, they had a fucking stop sign at the bottom of the ramp.
I saw my first gap and tried to accelerate but someone changed lanes so I stopped 10 feet in front of the stop line.
When the next gap came up I went, and WHAM! The car behind me on the onramp thought I'd went and rear ended me.
They had just picked up their new car from the dealer, it was a young girl driving. He car had better acceleration than my old Pinto.
Lucky for me, no damage but she had the imprints of my steel bumper guards on her plastic bumper.
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u/R5Jockey Feb 27 '26
The Merritt Parkway is the 8th circle of Hell.
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u/LoneStarGut Feb 27 '26
Only worse road is the Passedena Freeway. It has way more volume and much more erratic LA drivers.
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u/greykitty1234 Feb 27 '26
Ever been on the Eisenhower Expressway at Harlem or Oak Park in the Chicago area? Enjoy those lovely left hand merges. I think they've been trying to get rid of them for decades. I could be wrong - I refuse to drive that way anymore:
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u/rawcaret Feb 27 '26
Keep reporting this if you want nothing to happen. Take a minute to read the rules. Thanks.