One of the best phrases that can be applied to any situation, is that “slow and steady wins the race”. For the most part, this is true. There are many times in life where a patient and steady approach is so much more important than rushing around everywhere, and you’d think that one of those places is on the road. Believe it or not, being too cautious when you drive is not a good thing.
Obviously, no one is suggesting that you should start driving like a maniac with no care for other drivers. That’s a great way to require the services of a personal injury attorney, but it’s not a good way to be safe on the road. Being a slowpoke with your driving can be just as dangerous as speeding up to keep up with other drivers. When you decide to stick to being a slow driver and not one who drives the speed limit, you are putting yourself at risk from the actions of other drivers. Taking those country roads at a pace is wonderful, but if your pace is making a huge line of cars back up behind you, then you are risking other drivers attempting to overtake you and this can cause a number of accidents.
This isn’t just country roads and public roads, either, as people on the motorways often see drivers who drive a few miles under the speed limit cause accidents. Other drivers attempt to overtake or become impatient, even when they are driving perfectly safety. You have to consider how your actions affect others on the road around you. Everyone should be able to confidently drive at the right speed limit, but if you are choosing to slow right down, you put everyone else at risk. It should be a given that when you are on the road, you drive as close to the limit as possible and as long as the road conditions allow for it.
Most of the time, exercising extreme caution on the roads is down to either a lack of experience or a lack of confidence. It can help the nervous driver to take an instructor or mentor out on the road with them the first few times that they drive. Learners are often talked at about road safety and speed limits, but the bad habits created when taking driving limits can leak onto real experience as a driver. Delaying and dithering at junctions and roundabouts and being overly hesitant can also put drivers in a bad light, with others beeping at them: road rage is an actual thing!
You should always be a cautious driver. Cautious of other road users, pedestrians and possible dangers out there. However, when it comes to being on the actual road, you should aim to drive carefully, safely and as confidently as you possibly can. When you are on the road, you are responsible for yourself and your actions. If you are safe with your driving, then others will be, too.
