Slow Drivers - Traffic Obstruction and Driving Etiquette

During last few weeks, I have found quite a large number of slow drivers who are doing 20 to 30KM in 50KM zone. You can't cross them because it's single lane road with double solid line and then you are stuck behind them sometimes for 3 to 4Km.

Some observations about slow driving:

1) Mobile use
2) Old people
3) Trying to find house where they have to go
4) Learner Driver
5) Driver new to Australia ( my understanding)

Also noted that few people just stop next to car parked in kerbside so they are still half on the main road. They are either waiting for someone to jump in the car or dropping off passenger.

Is it just me or people generally slow these days and don't care about traffic behind them?

What would you do in this situation?

Poll Options

  • 281
    Blow the horn
  • 31
    Use high beam light
  • 123
    Suck it up and keep following them
  • 10
    I don't care and will cross double line as long as it's safe to do
  • 12
    Tailgate

Comments

      • -1

        Better 9 mins late then never mate or even worse living with the fact that someone else got hurt. 9 minute is the cost of living in Sydney with its traffic. You accommodate those 9 minutes when you leave for your appointment.

    • +1

      Driving under isn't too bad in suburbia, it's getting onto and being on highways that gets my goat. Every morning I get onto a highway at 6:30-7am, if it isn't already heavily congested I'm watching people get on and trying to merge out doing 70-80 in a 100 zone. It is super common to see people at the entry ways going 60-70, with 15-20 cars behind them. Some are double laned entries but it doesn't help when a truck is taking up both lanes.

      This is absolutely terrible for traffic on this highway as traffic getting on is slow and bunched up and will be trying to merge onto either already flowing traffic. To the point where everyone backs up and everyone on the highway and it gradually slows all the way down. I'm sure the same applies to practically every other highway/motorway out there.

      I think a flashing sign with the entry speed on the entryway and another sign letting people know of the speed of current flowing traffic would help a lot. As well as some chevrolet patterning on the road to remind people of appropriate spacing on approaching a highway entrance. But it still doesn't address people who knowingly go under the limit.

      • You do know that driving under/upto the speed limit is the recommended pratice from a legal and safety point right?

        • +2

          Merging onto a highway at 70 isn't safe at all when the general flow of traffic on the highway is going at 90-100.

          • +1

            @GUYANDSON: Agreed but if there isn't enough spacing between traffic on the highway the merging cars have no other option but to slow down before the merge. That's usually the case at peak hours.

  • During last few weeks,

    “If you run into an butthole in the morning, you ran into an butthole. If you run into buttholes all day, you're the butthole.”

    ― Raylan Givens, Justified

    Edit. Profanity.

    • “If you come across one moron driver on your commute, you encountered a moron… if every driver you encounter is driving like a moron… perhaps you are the moron…”

  • As has been suggested, a double tap of the horn… How well does that work?

    I'm very hesitant to use the horn on a car that is infront of me that is driving too slow, I always feel like they'll drive slower or slam on the brakes. Are my fears justified or not?

    • I think the horn is a bit much tbh unless someone is about to reverse into you or doesn't move from a red to green traffic light due to distraction.

  • I generally just flick the highbeam twice and they move over to let me overtake or do nothing and then you just get stuck behind them

  • Is it just me or people generally slow these days and don't care about traffic behind them?

    Not slow per se (although do come across some stragglers occasionally). People not caring, now that is more common; doesn't matter if people are behind, next to or in front, most people are just oblivious or outright negligent when they are behind the wheel.

  • You left out HATs on the rear parcel shelf and Volvo drivers.
    I get the impression you are swerving, erratically all over the road, tailgating, horn blowing, and all other neurotic traits that make you a danger on the road.

    You just said they are looking for something, give people a chance to find that house, that street, that car park…. who do you think you are?

    • Probably can't see the people behind them with all the hats, tissue boxes and the Shih Tzu on the parcel shelf.

  • +1

    The wise words of a generic Pandaren NPC: "Slow down. Life is to be savoured!"

  • +1

    At Christmas, i was spending time with family in Yamba, and on several occasions had to drive between Yamba and Ballina, which is roadworks the whole way. That trip is about 100km, and is currently 80km/h and single lane with double white line, the whole way. No overtaking lanes.

    A couple of times on this trip, i got stuck behind someone doing <60km/h… the whole way… I'd look behind me and the queue of traffic went for hundreds of cars (Christmas traffic). Extremely inconsiderate! The speed limit is set to 80 because its safe to do so, for that driver doing 60 in an 80, for a trip that would usually take 90mins, ends up being an extra 23mins for the trip. Lets say 100 cars are stuck behind that one slow car, results in 38hrs of collective lost time. 80 is safe - do 80.

    I felt it was my responsibility as the first car in the queue behind the slow driver to speed them up. So i would tailgate (safely-ish) until they would pick up to 80, then back off at least 3 car lengths (usually more to give them space, reward good behaviour). Unfortunately that would never last more than about 60seconds, and you'd have to start again.

    /rant

    • +2

      Is there room for that person to pull over?
      IMO if a cop was behind they'd be justified in fining them for obstructing traffic.

      • mmm i mean kinda, not really but kinda. plenty of turnoffs to towns they could have pulled into anyway.

        Yup - just as much a traffic offence as the rest of them!

      • Good luck seeing that. Ive never even heard of a cop giving someone a fine for going too slow. 60 in an 80 zone is dumb but it's not completely unreasonable. If someone is in an older car or really doesn't have confidence around narrow roads with construction, you don't want them going fast.

        Blame the cou try for stupid laws. The only way to rectify this situation would be to illegally overtake on a straight stretch.

    • +2

      That length of roadworks is frustrating on its own. Last we went through there they had sections of 80 and 60 that didn’t seem to correlate to the work being carried out. We also go stuck behind a slow driver which was frustrating, especially when they sped up where you could safely overtake.

      Seems a dumb idea to have roadworks for such a long distance, but I guess the job will be done sooner and it’ll be boring for 2 lanes for hundreds of kms instead.

      • Sure is, been going forever too (parents moved from Ballina to Yamba about 2 years ago, still going…

        Yeah its a pain, but will be beneficial when its done!

        Ohhhh theres nothing worse than the jokers who speed up at overtaking lanes!

    • Mornington Peninsula is just as bad over that time. Cars sitting on 50-60kmph in 100 zones with utterly no clue to the 2 dozen cars behind them.

    • Tailgating is illegal. If you're going to break the law, you should've overtaken across the double white line.

  • +1

    If its a suburban street where there are people around (i.e. which is what I assume you are referring to if its a 50 zone) I don't mind people driving slowly - in fact for many residential streets 50 is too fast - the sight lines are insufficient to see a kid come out from behind a parked car - you hit a kid, both of your lives are over.

    But on a main road (road zone category 1 or 2) its pretty frustrating when people travel slowly and I assume if there are double lines then its at least a 2 lane road so I'm with you there. I'll overtake despite the double lines. Although you do have to be careful sometimes the other driver has spotted something you haven't - i.e. you've just entered a school zone and didn't realise it.

  • When theres no lines on the road it's OK to overtake them isn't it?

    • Generally speaking, if it's safe to do so, yes.

  • +1

    One slow driver will piss off ten fold as many people compared to a speeding one.

    • +2

      Speeding one kills ten fold as many people as a slow one.

      This isn't a demeaning comment aimed at you. More so, better to be slow than that idiot in the in the ford ute speeding down the wrong side of the road.

  • Let me see if I have this right:

    You're driving on a road 50km long but some drivers are only driving on it for between 20-30km. I assume that they are then just stopping on the road and not turning off, since this would not be a problem. There's nothing in your post that refers to speed, only to distance.

    What I don't understand is:

    1. what is 20-30km down the road that is causing them to just stop in the middle of the road - is there a bridge out or are aliens frying their cars' electrical systems (and why doesn't this affect you);
    2. how you get stuck behind them for 3-4km, when they are stationary; and
    3. what this has to with slow drivers? You should be complaining about stationary drivers.

    /s

  • I have seen people go slow upto a km because they got a turn coming up

    • At 50km/h, it takes just 1min 12 seconds to go 1km. At 30km/h, it would take 2 mins… so, at worst, 48seconds… So, please, tell me how inconvenient that is for you again??

      • Apparently, according to the negs, you’re getting anything over 30 seconds is probably too long for people to be slowed down by these days. Bit sad to see.

        • +1

          Oh, the outrage! This is truely the age of entitlement.

          And I don’t care about the negs, it just proves that my message is offending those who are easily offended and think that fake internet points make a difference. It’s just a barometer of butt-hurt. :)

      • -1

        So it takes 160% more time to make you comfortable? Where is your regard for other people? And let’s say it delays me enough to get caught at the traffic lights for 3 minutes. And that happens every day. You’re telling me it’s ok to for me to spend over 18 hours in a year stuck at red lights simply because you don’t give a stuff about other road users?

        • +1

          Oh, woah, hold on there little buddy. So much outrage… Let's break down your outrage, ok…

          So it takes 160% more time to make you comfortable?

          Is this a question that you want me to answer? (And your math looks off… or was 160% just an arbitrary number?)

          Where is your regard for other people?

          Didn't say I was the one doing 30km/h in a 50 zone, in fact, I imparted no opinion on my regard for other people, whatsoever.

          And let’s say it delays me enough to get caught at the traffic lights for 3 minutes.

          And let's say it actually causes you to sync up with the lights and you get every green, saving you more than 3 mins. (ie: What if, Autie, balls, Uncle…)

          And that happens every day.

          Drama much? The likelihood of this happening "every day" is remote at best.

          You’re telling me

          I'm not telling you anything. "♪♫Do you want to build a straw man? 🎶 Or ride our bike around the hall?♫♪"

          it’s ok to for me to spend over 18 hours in a year stuck at red lights

          • A: A driver slowing down to turn off a road is not causing red lights. These two encounters are mutually exclusive. One does not cause the other. But I guess in your RoAd rAgE moment, you need something to blame it on.
          • B: There are 8,760 hours in a year. 18 hours/year is 0.2% of that. If you only take "awake hours" into consideration (because who drives in their sleep), 18hours/year is 0.3%
          • C: You're not stuck in traffic for 18 hours straight. But you know, put that number up there so your outrage looks more impressive. What about time wasted waiting for the kettle to boil so you can have your morning coffee?
          • D: Either way, I, personally, never said it was "ok". That's just something you want me to have said, because it's easier to be outraged at that than it is the facts. *cough*Straw man*cough*

          because you don’t give a stuff about other road users?

          Again, nice straw man. I never said that I don't give a stuff about other road users and I never said that I was a/the perpetrator. I was merely pointing out, that on the grand scheme of things, it's 48 seconds "at worst".

          • +1

            @pegaxs: What’s a straw man?

            • +1

              @2025:

              A straw man is a form of argument and an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man"

              Often misrepresenting what the other person has said or introducing indirect comparisons that were not made and attacking those ideals because they are easier to be outraged and comment about then what was actually up for discussion.

              Let's go over all your outrage logical fallacies;

              So it takes 160% more time to make you comfortable?
              Where is your regard for other people?

              Is "Begging the Question" or a "Loaded Question". Where the question is either made rhetorically, contains its own answer or the answer can only be construed as a guilty answer.

              And let’s say it delays me enough to get caught at the traffic lights

              This is "False Cause". You are saying X happens because Y happened, when X and Y have absolutely no common factors. ie: "That fast car is red, ergo, all red cars are fast."

              You’re telling me it’s ok to for me to spend 18 hours…

              Is a "Straw man". You are adding to or misrepresenting what I said by adding your own narrative, because it's easier to be outraged about what you wanted me to have said than what I actually said.

              18 hours in a year stuck at red lights

              This is "Cherry Picking" where you are selecting the data that most suits your outrage. 18 hours sounds like a lot, but the reality of it is that it is not close to that, or you're using it to make it sound worse than it actually is. (which, coincidentally, is only about 0.3% of your waking hours. Doesn't sound so impressive when I write it like that, does it?)

              And that happens every day.

              This is "Anecdotal". It isn't evidence or factually based, but just your own observation, which, coincidentally, is usually exaggerated to fit your cause.

              you don’t give a stuff about other road users?
              Where is your regard for other people?

              This is "Ad Hominem", where you are trying to make me look heartless or as having a general disregard for other road users, when, in fact, I have not given my opinion on my regards for other road users. You are trying to attack me personally though your perceived impression of what you wanted me to have said, that I didn't.

              So, feel free to leave your negs, because I know you left it over what you wanted me to have said, not about what I actually said. It's a touchy subject and people want to be outraged, so they often will read into things, just to get that outrage going and drop a neg on a comment they want to be angry at, because it makes them feel better.

              • @pegaxs: Didn’t neg ya mate

                I had assumed that because your original argument seemed to be in support of this behaviour that you were in fact supporting it. Lol

                Anywho now it’s appearing like a deliberately provocative remark as it is not your position on the situation.

                Congrats for the somewhat effective troll.

                PS I deliberately boil just enough water for a cup in the morning and put my socks on during that time. So it’s not wasted. And it’s a decision that I make. Not someone else making it for me.

                • +2

                  @2025: The comment about negging wasn't directed specifically at you, but to all the other soft, fragile ego, easily frustrated, passive aggressive, entitled forum users that suffer from emotional butt-hurt when someone says something that bursts their reality bubble.

                  I absolutely do not support people driving at way below the limit, but that is a separate issue to me losing 30 seconds of my day to get so pent up and angry about it I need to suffer from road rage.

                  It's a part of life that arseholes will use our roads and make other peoples life hell, but is that 30~60 seconds out of your day worth getting ulcers over? Life is full of wasted time from everywhere, in much larger quantities and from more important things.

                  The big message is that people need to relax while they are on the road and accept that dingbats also have their license and are oblivious to your life or anyone else's around them. They only see what is in their own bubble, as you do yours. All you see is an idiot driving below the limit, but people don't spare a second for "why" they are doing that.

                  And I am sure that you have never stood around waiting for an appliance to do its thing, with nothing else to do, other than wait. :)

  • +1

    As frustrating as it can be, I just sit behind them until I have an opportunity to overtake. The last time I honked at a car that was going under the speed limit they were aggressively break checking me, stopped the car in the middle of the road and 3 guys jumped out looking to flog me. You never know what degenerates are in the car in front of you, so road rage just isn't worth it…. particularly on a motorcycle.

  • +2

    In the extreme example you gave Op I would give a honk.

    But for someone to drive at around 25km in a 50km zone is extremely slow, and for 3-4km, as you say, means you are following for 10+ minutes, that is a while. So I dare say this does not happen frequently, but if you say it happens all the time, I feel bad for you.

    What I find more frequent on the roads are the impatient drivers. I live in a street where some drivers cross, but it has speed humps every 100m. I can’t be bothered speeding up and braking and doing it all again to save 10 seconds or so and burn petrol. So I only add a bit of acceleration after a bump and cruise till the next bump. But I’m surprised how many people are tailgating or overtaking on the wrong side after 2 or 3 bumps (approxately 300-400 metres). And funnily, my experience is they are stuck at the end of the road waiting for traffic to clear to enter the Main Street. And I’m already behind them, saving, zero time.

  • 10km under the limit: Flash high beam
    20km under the limit: Horn and high beam twice, if no response: overtake when possible + a present of a middle finger

    I do a lot of highway driving for to/from work and see a lot of these slowpokes. Same principle applies for morons who like to hog the right lane and go under the speed limit. Driving 80km on a 100km zone is extremely dangerous and not to mention highly illegal.
    We all pay taxes and pay the toll to use our roads, highway or not. There's no excuse for poor driving behaviour. If you cant drive to the speed zone indicated, you shouldn't be on the road.

    • +1

      10km less and you’re already flashing high beams? Some streets, you can barely reach the speed limit before you hit the next red or turning driver etc, where you have to stop anyway.

      Highway driving is a completely different story.

      If you were behind me flashing and horning I’d brake check you till your so pissed off and hope you would do something nuts just for the lol, hope for something good to put on YouTube.

      • 'If you were behind me flashing and horning I’d brake check you till your so pissed off and hope you would do something nuts just for the lol, hope for something good to put on YouTube.'

        What are you, 16? Grow up kid

        • +1

          sadly the 16 year old kid has more maturity than someone who can’t stand travelling 90km in a 100 zone.

          Patience is a virtue

          • @cloudy: i have to agree, nowadays i feel like people are driving like this:
            1. treat the maximum speed limit as minimum.
            2. probably they already forgot the "Hazard Perception Test" that they did before or maybe they didn't do that.
            3. the most dangerous one, that "3 seconds driving rules" has become "3 meter rules"

            i have to be honest, occationally i do drive like that, because of time and patience or get pissed off by other drivers, but i am training myself to do better.

            • @chengjianer:

              1. the most dangerous one, that "3 seconds driving rules" has become "3 meter rules"

              A buddy of mine does my head in when he drives and was only telling me on the weekend that he doesn’t like that the radar cruise control in his RAV4 because it doesn’t let him get closer to the car in front.

              On the three settings, the lowest was about 1.5 to 2 seconds to the vehicle in front at 100km/h, and he was not happy that he couldn’t get closer… It almost felt like I could nearly lean out the window, reach forward and touch the car in front…

  • Tailgate and rev your loud car

  • +3

    Why do people do anything? You won't change the behaviour of the slow driver, you stress yourself out and you risk a fine. Since this happens every single time I drive (people drivr 10 to 20 km below the limit EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME) I just let it go and wait until I can overtake the slow bugger.

  • Gas brake honk has brake honk.
    Honk honk punch
    Gas gas gas

  • The real problem is in the road infrastructure itself. A single lane road with double solid that run continuously for more than 1 km should not exist at all anywhere.
    The one that is being "inconsiderate" is the road planner.

    • I dunno who negged you, but unless it’s for a very good reason I tend to agree. But there are a lot of very good reasons why it should exist. But 1km isn’t a very long stretch to be honest.

      • For local roads, yes. But for busier roads, it bounds to happen that a single lane will eventually become a bottleneck. People slow down for various legit reasons. And also when accident happens, the road will be completely blocked.
        While adding an extra lane means an extra cost, placing double solid lines should be done sparingly, preferably after extensive simulations and evaluation of past records.

  • +4

    I don't understand tailgaters, what would you achieve apart from putting you at at fault insurance risk?

    • haha, agree.
      and now i see this kind of driving every single time i am on the road.
      i guess those tailgaters they just want people to go faster or move out of their way.

      i was making a comment above, is that "3 seconds driving rule" still a thing? or has it become "3 meters driving rule"?

  • +7

    I always try to do 50km/hr in a 50km/hr zone and guess what? People still get pissed.

    I get tailgated, every now and then they do aggressive overtaking techniques.

    The real problem is people driving over the speed limit in suburban areas, everyone is speeding. Seriously, do 50 in a 50 zone and see what happens.

    I try to anticipate traffic, so if a light goes red in the near distance I will back off a touch but no, apparently you are supposed to brake heavily at the lights then gun it it when the lights go green. Any sort of ecologically sensible driving is looked down upon.

    • I press the brake pedal slightly, only to the point where the brake lights turns on. That usually scares all shit off the tailgater, especially on freeways :)

    • haha, i like this thread topic and your post here.
      100% + 100% agree.
      some people don't do 50 in a 50 zone, but they might do 40 in a 40 school zone, because of cameras. those people just haven't received enough speeding tickets yet.

      and don't forget, sometimes you need Usain Bolt's reaction time if you are the first one at the traffic light, when the light turns green..

  • +2

    Frankly, slow drivers are not the biggest problem. I more get irritated when someone using the phone while driving or not using indicators when manoeuvring.

  • In this case, think positively and patient will help you make a good decision on how to deal with this situation. You can try to find alternative way if possible.

  • +2

    I've been in other condition where during peak hour, when the road sign says 60 due to roadworks (usually 80 without roadworks) and the drivers following me would not slow down and start thinking on me when im driving at 60 but they are being restless and want to go 80

    • The end of the freeway near where I live goes from 100 to 80.. and the same people that are doing 90 (the entire time in the 100 zone) get mad when I overtake them and slow down to 80 because they keep going at 90.

  • 20km/h under = high beam flash
    Randomly braking and obviously looking for something and distracted = horn

    When I got done for rather excessive speeding the cop told me they were going to let me off as the car in front was going incredibly slow but then I kept speeding.

    I asked why they didn't pull the slow driver over and the cop seemed a bit confused, simply said they didn't know.

    This was like doing 40km/h in a 70 zone, I booted it to go round as soon as I could, as everyone else was.

    • +4

      Why did you need to go over 73km+ to over take someone going 40km? Surely keeping to the speed limit would easily achieve your goal.

      • +2

        Hell, doing 60km/h in the 70 zone would have even been sufficient to overtake a driver going at 40km/h

      • +3

        When you are overtaking an overly slow driver it is essential to show your superiority by disappearing into the distance as quickly as possible. Bonus points if your cars has an obnoxiously loud exhaust and their window is down while you pass.

        • It was a bit like that, boosted fun car, drop it in to second to overtake, rev it out further than I should've. Not denying I was in the wrong.

          Cop was sympathetic and probably could've nailed me harder. Just highlighting that slow drivers really should be pulled up too, 30kmh under is dangerous.

          • @mezje:

            30kmh under is dangerous.

            It’s not really dangerous. Inherently it is safer to drive slower. When other drivers get frustrated (all too often IMO) they tend to do stupid things - that’s the dangerous bit.

            Drivers should be capable of handling all others on the roads but somehow we are trained in this country that driving at the posted limit is what you have to do and we tend to get all butt hurt when anything impedes our incredibly important travels. We are also time poor and don’t leave sufficient travel time to allow for delays which increase frustration.

            • +1

              @Euphemistic: 40 in a 70 zone when the flow of traffic is 70 is ridiculous though and by nature people do stupid things when confronted with situations like this, we are not patient creatures :P Obviously I used it as a chance just to enjoy some of the power, which I am aware was wrong but plenty of other people in cars with bald tyres etc will do similar and make the situation far worse.

              This country is for sure tunnel visioned on speed and it makes driving painful, people care more about their phones and maintaining the speed limit +/- 3kmh that actually operating the car and situational awareness has dropped.

          • @mezje: I’m interested in what you drive, dropping it to second gear but can still be caught speeding in a 70 zone. That’s some impressive second gear speed.

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