Slow-coach drivers are danger on these faster roads in Harrogate area – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Jerry Diccox, Darley.
Is a slow driving a contributory factor in accidents? Reader Jerry Diccox makes the case.Is a slow driving a contributory factor in accidents? Reader Jerry Diccox makes the case.
Is a slow driving a contributory factor in accidents? Reader Jerry Diccox makes the case.

THERE’S been a lot of coverage 
in the media recently about 
older drivers and the issue of driving slowly, but none of it 
that I have seen or heard has pointed out that, while there
 is no “minimum speed limit”, 
it is incumbent on everyone to drive at a speed that is “appropriate to the road and conditions”.

I spend a lot of my time stuck behind drivers doing 40-45mph on the A59 or A61 when conditions are such that driving at, or near, the speed limit is not only safe but, given the long queue behind them, the appropriate and considerate thing to do.

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Nonetheless, these drivers pootle along in their own little world, ignorant of other drivers and oblivious to the frustration they cause. Safe overtaking opportunities on these roads (like so many in Yorkshire) are few and far between, so the frustrated drivers often have to take their chance in less-than-ideal circumstances to avoid being stuck behind the slow-coach for miles on end. Driving too slowly and causing a queue to build behind you is inconsiderate, yet this bad driving behaviour is overlooked.

Is a slow driving a contributory factor in accidents? Reader Jerry Diccox makes the case.Is a slow driving a contributory factor in accidents? Reader Jerry Diccox makes the case.
Is a slow driving a contributory factor in accidents? Reader Jerry Diccox makes the case.

A proper and full consideration of road accidents should include the extent to which slow drivers are a causal factor.

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