Why Do Some People Drive REALLY Slow(No stereotypes, I promise)?

Question

Me and Dad were in my mom's tiny little Geo, and got stuck behind somebody in this HUGE car who was going... Wait for it... 9 mph. 30 mph speed limit. Dad was ticked off, and when we finally got to an alley, with about 10-15 cars behind us I might add, we floored that tiny little car into an alley at about 30-40 mph. Pretty funny sight, I guess. What should be done with those idiots in the huge car?

Answer 1

If they were going 9mph they might have been having trouble with the car. It can happen. What they should have done is pull over cause they could have caused an accident.

Answer 2

No stereotypes, but you call them idiots anyway.

Ever consider that they had a reason to drive that slow?

My engine got flooded somehow one day, and I managed to limp to work, going 25mph; on a 50mph road. Everyone was yelling at me, but my vehicle simply would not go faster.

There could be a million reasons why they drive the speed they do. No reason to get annoyed with them...they might already be having a bad day.

What should be done about the idiots who are in such a rush, that they can't mellow out for a little while?

Answer 3

Im going to stereotype for you. Its all the old f**t that drive 25 mph under the speed limit. The worst is if you live in florida like me. I average getting behind one of the olds a day.

Answer 4

I agree with most people that it often comes down to the driver being unaware.  That can be because they are REALLY not smart, in an unfamiliar area, slow reaction (see:drunk/old/mentally challenged) time, or other issues.  Some people do it just to p**s off the people behind them or to get a reaction out of them.  Others do it because they don't care enough to pay attention to the flow of traffic, or they don;t care about other people's time constraints.  It is a danger to safety, and furthermore, people that are mentally "uneasy" behind the wheel are as dangerous (if not more so) than a somewhat intoxicated person would be, in my (humble) opinion. I KNOW it can be frustrating, but just like anything else there is not one simple answer. TRY and stay calm and be safe, and thank your stars that YOU are not the one driving like a moron.  Good Luck!

Answer 5

I drive slow when attempting to navigate in an unfamiliar area.

Answer 6

ok so i think that there a few reasons why some peple go so slow here they are

A: big trucks like sememd trucks tend to drive slow because there is a good chance that they will roll over i going fast

B: many times old peple drive slow just like everything else they do

C: i have this one friend and she drives super slow and that is because when she had just started driveing her first car she got in a reck and got seven stichs on her head all because she drove to fast

D: there always i a possiblity of having problems with the car itself flat tire running out of gas even the passengers in a car can be distrackting and cause slow driving

             hope i helped!

Answer 7

For those of you who drive slow to save gas, you are wrong. Any car built in the last 20 years (since the proliferation of moterways/interstates) is designed to be most efficient at 60mph or thereabouts (the most efficient speed in my car is 62mph).

If a driver is too scared to drive at- or around- the speed limit, then they shouldn't be on any road where they could cause congestion! In my driving lesson i was happily driving along at 70mph on the dual carriageway, and when I drive by myself (having recently passed my test) I have no trouble keeping up a reasonable speed. If you're scared then stay on the back roads where it won't bother people so much.

Answer 8

I doubt that a driver moving at that low a speed is doing so deliberately unless drunk, drugged or unwell.

The other more likely answer is that the vehicle concerned had a problem. That speed (and the one reported later for the Porsche) is typical of "limp home" mode.

When modern engine management systems detect an engine fault they have a certain ability to adjust the engine to suit, but when the fault is beyond this the default is to restrict the engine to a safe speed which will cause no further damage but which will enable the driver to get the car to a safe place for repairs. Sometimes, even limp home mode is unavailable and the engine will be disabled.

An even simpler possibility is that one or more of the tyres was flat. I had to drive home twenty miles on two flats once; three tyres had been slashed by a vandal and I only had the usual single spare tyre. Of course, many other drivers simply lack the knowledge or physical ability to change even a single tyre. Even strong people will give up when trying to undo overtightened (air-ratcheted) wheel nuts with the near-useless wheel-nut spanner supplied with most cars.

As someone else mentioned, it's unsafe and in my opinion unfair to make assumptions about an individual just because their car is moving slowly. Hopefully you'll realise this one day when you're driving the slow car and every other idiot is shouting at you and giving you the finger!

Answer 9

Many Reasons.

Saving Gas

Slow Reaction time (Old people)

Scared (New Drivers)

Or someone is simply driving slow to be mean because you might be in a hurry.

Answer 10

Sometimes people are trying to make a statement. There's a 2-lane highway near me that is really busy, the official speed limit is 55 but even the cops routinely go 65. I was in the left lane going around 70 when 2 vehicles came onto the highway from an onramp up ahead of me. I could tell they were together, two old-school first-generation toyota priuses. One of them was gunning for the left lane in an awful hurry. I didn't like the looks of it so I squeezed past him. He slid in right behind me on the left lane, then he and his pal both slowed down to 50. Since it was a long, straight stretch, I looked back a few minutes later and these two a hole s  had traffic stacked up behind them pretty good. My humble opinion is people who pull that stunt should be pulled out of their cars and shot in the head.

PS: Geo Metros are awesome. I used my mom's when I was in high school and let's just say I got all there was to get out of that little 3-banger.

Answer 11

This is specifically true of some old people, who in my opinion should have to retake their driving test.

Why do we need speed cameras to stop people speeding?

They need to sort out the people who drive too slowly as well as the speeders!  

I think these people are just as dangerous on the roads as those who go over the speed limit.

Answer 12

Somebody who was going that slow must have a real reason for it. I don't think they were intentionally trying to p**s anybody off.

Answer 13

most people are driving a lot slower now trying to conserve as much gas as possible,and once in a while you,ll get behind someone just barely creeping,even people with bigger vehicles are trying to save on gas,so part of the reason you see this is because of gas and the rest of it will be they simply are driving more safely,i see this all the time,you just have to learn to be patient with them,we all will slow down some  when we get older,my dad got to where he was driving at 30 miles per hour on a 55 mile an hour road way and he got ticket for it,he wasn't unsafe its just that he thought he was being safer driving at a lower speed,that's why most people do it,is safety,even though it does create some problems for other drivers,they still feel their being safer,good luck.

Answer 14

Check this, I was right behind a Porsche 911 GT3 for about 15 minutes on a long clear winding road that is national speed limit. She was going about 10 - 15mph.

If you have a 911 there is no excuse!

Answer 15

My guess is that they're just scared or drunk or texting or on the phone or just completely oblivious to their surroundings.  There are a lot of selfish drivers on the road and the best thing to do is stay out of their way even though you feel like performing some instant street justice on them.

Answer 16

They were probably multi-tasking so they were driving slow to be able to focus on everything that they were doing

Answer 17

maybe the are new to area and are looking for an address.

I've been frustrated behind someone and I've been the slow poke looking to see a house number.

We all tend to forget when we know where were going that the other guy might not.

Might help if numbers were bigger or on long streets the street sign would indicate (Main St 100-200) .

Answer 18

Simple!   The driver is a r****d and can't drive faster than their mind can process data.

Answer 19

A better question would be why are slow drivers so selfish?  There is nothing we can do about slow pokes, but slow pokes could pull over and let the rest of us by.  Slow pokes could stay in the right lane when there's two lanes of traffic.  If their car is malfunctioning, they can drive down the shoulder lane with their 4-ways on.  If they see you coming up behind them, they can change lanes out of your way.  And finally, the best solution for slow pokes is for them to LEAVE THEIR CAR AT HOME AND TAKE THE BUS!

Answer 20

I drive a LOT slower to conserve on gas so I have more $ to spend else ware. Unless I am late. Not slow like rude though!!

Answer 21

These are called inconsiderate and selfish Sunday drivers

Answer 22

The driver could be suffering from a blurring vision or perhaps texting while driving. There are a lot of reasons, you should have asked the driver what could have been the problem. In this way, you'll get straight answers.

Answer 23

See: gas prices.

Answer 24

Maybe they're still not confident about driving or are always afraid of their car getting out of control and getting into accidents, some people are like that. Also they might be afraid of going past the speed limit and usually the faster the car, the more pain you'll get when there's an accident or many bumps ahead of you when you hit your head on the ceiling as the car goes up.

Answer 25

for the same reason people drive fast............

Answer 26

scared unsure of their driving abilities