It’s Ok to Drive Slow . . .

There is nothing wrong with driving slow – i.e., below the posted speed limit, which typically means much slower than the prevailing speed of traffic. There are many legitimate reasons for driving slow, including being uneasy about driving faster – perhaps on account of age or not-so-great ability behind the wheel. Indeed, it is sound to drive at a slower speed if you feel uncomfortable driving at a faster speed.

There are also slow-moving vehicles such as RVs that can’t help going slow.

The issue isn’t that.

Just as the issue with “trans” people isn’t that they want to dress up as the opposite sex and affect the mannerisms of the opposite sex. Most people don’t care about that. But many people do care about being lectured by “trans” people that a man who dresses up as a woman and affects female mannerisms is – literally – a “woman.”

Because he isn’t.

That isn’t “hateful” – much less “phobic.” It is the truth. But the “trans” pushers want to change the subject. They want to turn it around. They use shame-words such as “hateful” and “phobic” to portray those who don’t care whether a man dresses up as a woman and affects the mannerisms of a woman as wanting to abuse them when in fact it is the “trans” pushers who are abusing people.

Not to mention the language.

Similarly, this business of driving slow. Which – like a man dressing in women’s clothes  – is not the thing that annoys people. Drive slow if you need to. Even if you want to. But don’t use your slow-moving vehicle to slow-down other people. 

Move over to the right lane, which is for slower-moving traffic. If there is only one lane and you see cars stacking up behind you, do the courteous thing and pull off the road when you can to allow the traffic stacking up behind you to get by. Sometimes, all you need to do is pull off onto the shoulder briefly, just enough to give the cars behind you the room they need to get by. Doing this takes just a moment and you’re going slow already, so what’s another moment spent pulled off onto the shoulder?

The drivers of the cars stacked up behind you will thank you, even if you can’t hear them. Some will give you a friendly wave – because what you just did was friendly. More finely, it was diffusive – as of tension.

As opposed to blocking the drivers of the cars stacked up behind you from getting by – which increases it.

Understandably.

Time is the currency that we spend every moment of our lives that we can never accumulate more of. Once spent, it is gone – forever. This idea – expressed by some slow drivers – that people who are annoyed by slow drivers who won’t get out the way are “impatient” (and worse) is not much different than a “trans” man accusing people who refuse to call him “Miss” or “Mrs.” of being “hateful” and “phobic.”

Nonsense.

If you’re a man who feels pretty and you want to wear a dress and lipstick, by all means. It is a free country. Well, it was – and maybe it will be one again. No one cares.  More finely, most people are indifferent to what you do, provided what you do does not include imposing on them.

It is just the same with regard to slow driving. Most people understand that some people are not comfortable driving fast – or even driving the speed limit. Most people are empathetic toward older people who maybe haven’t got the best eyesight or whose bodies are arthritic and as a result have more difficult reacting quickly. We all understand that this will happen to pretty much everyone, eventually.

We all – well, most of us – know an SUV pulling an Airstream may not be able to go the speed limit up a steep grade. That truck loaded a pallet of sheetrock needs to go slow. And most of us do not have an issue with people who just want to go slow.

But – please – keep an eye on what’s stacking up behind you – and make an effort to stay in the right lane on a two lane and pull off onto the shoulder when you can on those one-lanes so that people who want to go faster and don’t want to spend their time going slower can get by.

These common courtesies were once taught new drivers because it’s not just a matter of courtesy to yield when you are going slower than the traffic that’s stacking up behind you.

It is – wait for it – safe.

Remember that point made earlier about diffusing tension? That makes the driving environment safer. It is less safe when you have one car effectively blocking other cars; the drivers of the blocked cars become understandably annoyed. They are not being “impatient.” Some will do unsafe things, such as tailgate the slow driver ahead or attempt a Banzai! pass that might entail more risk to that driver as well as to others.

The bottom line is it’s safer for everyone for the slow-moving driver to yield – and for all drivers to behave courteously toward other drivers.

As Rodney King said all those years ago, can’t we  all just get along? 

Absolutely. All it requires is looking in your rearview mirror – and driving accordingly.

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