Is driving too slowly just as dangerous as speeding?

Whether you’re travelling down the motorway or passing through a residential area, driving too fast is extremely dangerous.

However, a past study highlighted by the RAC has suggested that driving your car too slowly runs the same amount of risks as speeding.

How driving too slowly causes issues

Driving significantly below the speed of traffic can create real problems on the road.

In the eyes of the law, it may be considered a hazard – especially for drivers travelling at the appropriate speed for the conditions.

Risks of driving too slowly include:

• Frustration and road rage – slow driving can irritate other drivers, leading to risky or aggressive behaviour.
• Sudden braking – faster-moving vehicles may need to brake sharply, creating a ripple effect behind them
• Increased collision risk, near misses, or accidents.
• Lane disruption – larger vehicles, such as HGVs, may move into faster lanes to overtake, adding to congestion
• Motorway lane misuse – staying in the middle lane unnecessarily can result in penalties, including fines and points on your license.

In fact, hogging the middle lane on a motorway when the left-lane is free can actually cost you a nasty £100 on the spot fine and three points on your driving license. Yet despite this law, 32% of drivers admitted to confused.com that they are guilty of doing this on a regular basis.

Why do people drive too slowly?

There are a number of reasons why people might decide to drive slowly. For instance, they might:

• Lack road confidence.
• Have health-related issues like bad eyesight, poor reactions.
• Have anxiety of causing an accident.
• Be distracted due to mobile phone use, etc.

In such cases of drivers using their phones, providing you are in a safe position to do so, it’s worth reporting them to the police.

How slow is too slow to drive

There is no fixed definition of “too slow” in UK law.

• Most roads do not have a minimum speed limit.
• Minimum limits only apply in specific areas (e.g. tunnels or bridges) and are shown by blue circular signs with white numbers.

However, that doesn’t mean driving very slowly is always acceptable.

• Driving too slowly can be classed as careless or inconsiderate driving if it puts others at risk.

Ultimately, while speed limits are maximums, and not targets, they are still a useful guide regarding the expected minimum speed.

Driving far below the limit without a good reason can create danger and keeping reasonably close to the flow of traffic helps maintain safety

At the same time, always adjust your speed for:

• Weather conditions.
• Traffic.
• Road layout.

To help give you an extra nudge while you drive, a lot of modern sat navs can notify you of a road’s speed limit. To see our full range of sat navs at Halfords, take a look here.

Or for more driving tips, check out our previous blog: ‘7 obscure driving laws you might be unaware of’.