There really is nothing worse for a person in somewhat of a hurry than getting caught on a city street behind a vehicle that's travelling 30 km/h or so below the speed limit when the streets are in good condition, and there are no children running around or any other pedestrians anywhere nearby.
Sure, the people in the slow vehicle may be having a good time trying to see into house windows, or scoping out yards, but the person in the vehicles behind them would like nothing more than to take their foot and jam it on the gas, or for them to just pull over and let others by.
It is extremely frustrating to be needing to get somewhere at a certain time, or as quickly as possible while staying under the speed limit, and end up with a driver like that in your way.
Last week, as I was caught behind a truck travelling at about 20 km/h down the wide-open, stop-sign-less 5th Ave. in Humboldt, where no one was walking or biking at the time, I was fuming about why there are all the fines in the world for those people who exceed the speed limit, but none for those who travel so far under it, they are nearly standing still.
But a call to the local RCMP informed me that there is such a fine - and even a few sections of the Saskatchewan Traffic Safety Act that could be used to charge a person going too slow on the road. The clearest one is section 199.4, "drive at a speed that impedes traffic." Those charged with it have to pay a $125 fine.
That makes me feel a little bit better. But not much. For not often do slow drivers actually get charged, yet I would argue they are equally if not more dangerous on our roads than those who speed.
Case in point: a couple of weeks ago, I was driving to Prince Albert on Hwy. 2. The highway went by the edge of a small town, and just around a curve in the road, I had to slam on the brakes because a car in front of me was going 40 km/h. At first I was mortified, thinking I'd missed a sign that changed the speed limit, but it turns out, there wasn't one. The other driver had apparently just decided that they wanted to go 60 km/h below the speed limit on the highway on a perfectly clear day when the road was completely dry and snow and ice were months away.
That's dangerous. And dumb. They were risking a lot by going that slow.
Slow drivers have also risked their lives and others' within the City of Humboldt limits. I have seen a car driven by a person who didn't seem to be touching the gas pedal trying to make a left hand turn. They were safe to do so when starting the turn, but literally took so long to make it that they were nearly hit by an oncoming vehicle (which was not speeding). That car was actually idling down the street, being driven by an older woman whose hands were gripping the steering wheel so tight, it was clear she was terrified of what she was doing.
My advice? If you are that scared of driving, don't do it. Hang up your keys permanently and get to know the number of the local taxi cabs. You will get where you need to go much more quickly and without endangering lives.
The other problem that arises when people drive too slowly is that they make everyone around them frustrated, which can result in stupidity. It is illegal to pass another vehicle on a city street, but if you are someone who has minutes to get somewhere, not hours and you get stuck behind someone going 10 km/h down the street, you're likely going to try and pass them.
That's not safe. But the alternative isn't either.
Whenever I get stuck behind someone going so slow, I automatically look in the rearview mirror, fearful of someone coming barrelling up behind me, and rear ending me because they don't realize until too late how slow my car and the guy ahead of me are traveling. I literally fear for my life, especially if the vehicle behind me is a big truck that could roll over my little car without any effort at all.
It's a dangerous situation. So if you don't need to go that slow, don't. Please. If everyone just followed the speed limits, we'd all be better off.
