I Drive the Slow Lane – Sometimes!
Sometimes, for whatever reasons, I drive the Slow Lane. It’s very scary!
It’s not hard to understand why our slower drivers can often be the most vocal critics when it comes to highway safety. Cars go whizzing by you as if you’re standing still! They swing in front of you without warning when trying to make their exit, and cut in from the entrance ramps at speeds ranging from clueless to blistering.
It’s not hard to understand why our slower drivers can often be the most vocal critics when it comes to highway safety. Cars go whizzing by you as if you’re standing still! They swing in front of you without warning when trying to make their exit, and cut in from the entrance ramps at speeds ranging from clueless to blistering.
In the slow lane, you’re driving with a lot of other drivers who aren’t very comfy on the road. That’s why they’re there. They’re doing fifty and their knuckles are “glowing” white! It can be pretty unpredictable traffic. It’s easy to get bored in the slow lane. You’re not driving anymore. You’re just loafing the car down the road, trying not to get hit. It’s easy to lose focus.
Right lane drivers who are simply driving within their limitations should be commended. They are, after all – practicing the second rule of “Driverthink” and we’d much rather deal with them in the slow lane, than in the normal traffic lanes.
So what are “Driverthink” suggestions for staying a little safer when we’re driving slower than average traffic?
First, we need to recognize that we’re road hazards in the minds of other drivers. Speed may kill but slow, uncertain driving can definitely cause major pileups. The average driver instinctively knows this and avoids it. The slow driver can be a potential emergency that needs to be put in the rear-view as soon as practically possible. When driving slowly, I want to reduce that perceived uncertainty. I want to stay centered in my lane and drive as smoothly as possible.
Next, I should accept the fact that I’m the minority. Regardless of why I’m driving slowly, I’m not the average driver on the road. If I don’t accept that, I’m going to be blaming everybody else for what happens around me - and being constantly annoyed is not a safe “Driverthink” state of mind.
The burden of proof is greater on me when I drive slowly. I want to show those other drivers that, just because I chose to drive slowly doesn’t mean I don’t know how to drive at all. It may be politically correct to highlight the faster driver as more dangerous, but road reality suggests it the slower ones we really have to watch out for.
I definitely want to stay to the right. Slow drivers in the passing lane are dangerous. Whether intentional or otherwise, disrupting normal traffic flow is an assault on your fellow drivers. If you don’t care about assaulting them, you can’t really blame them for assaulting you back! You are virtually justifying a potential Road Rage incident and you are endangering other lives.
When driving the slow lane I also need to leave some extra space in front of me. Other drivers are going to need to access my lane to get on and off the highway and if I don’t give them the space to do that, they’re going to take it anyway – possibly along with my front bumper! Allowing them ample space will show them that I respect their right to access and exit my slower lane. It will also help keep me alive.
The rear-views are critical in the slow lane. Who’s coming up my side? Who’s bearing down on me? Do they have room in the next lane to swing around me if they need too? Do I need to slow down even more, or maybe pick it up a notch – to allow them that option? Even when I’m in the slow lane, if my rear view shows cars stacked up behind me for as far as I can see, I may want to pump a little harder. If I don’t, I may soon be experiencing their wrath.
Slogging along in the slow lane completely oblivious to the traffic around you, shows complete disregard for your fellow drivers. If you don’t show respect to them, you certainly can’t expect much respect in return. I’m not real partial to being another driver’s “speed bump”.
Yes, you can drive safely and slowly. People do it all the time. You just have to be extra vigilant, extra respectful of others – and be willing to show it! Just because you drive slow doesn’t mean you can’t be a skilled “Driverthink” driver.
For those of you who would never be caught dead in the slow lane I have a suggestion. Try it sometime. Give it about thirty minutes. It’ll be an emotional and educational experience you will not soon forget! You might even gain a little more respect for those on the road who may not be as skilled as you – but still have somewhere they’ve gotta’ eventually get to.
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