Now, we have looked at the effects the speeder has on traffic flow, what about the slow driver? As mentioned earlier if you drive slower than the flow of traffic then you are simply an object that others have to drive around. Secondly, the importance of looking in your mirrors grows dramatically. Why? The need to look in your mirrors grows because all of the danger that affects a slow driver is coming from behind them. Think about it, if you are driving slower than the flow of traffic then the cars in front of you are moving away from you, a good thing, meanwhile cars are closing in from behind. So, the overall situation for the slow driver looks like this. One, I am probably driving slow because I am a beginner or I know I have some physical or mental limitation. Two, the slower I go the more time I have to see, recognize, and respond to the driving environment. Although, these seem like safe, conscientious decisions their side effects greatly alter a safe driver's normal visual search pattern. The bottom line is this decision forces you to check your rear view mirror more often which leaves you less time to respond to problems in front of you. Solution, always choose to drive on roads that match the speed you are comfortable driving.
Another tip to traffic flow includes understanding that the lane you choose to travel in sends a message to other drivers. What? Yes, if you drive in the far left lane of any multiple lane road then other drivers expect you will be traveling at the posted speed limit if not more. Yes, this can lead to a speeding ticket and any car driving any speed over the posted speed limit can receive a traffic ticket. In other words, faster drivers drive in the left lanes and slower drivers drive in the right lane, hence, the Slower Traffic Keep Right signs. Hazards that go with driving in the right lane include more stopping and slowing action. This extra danger is somewhat offset by the slower speed, but can really be reduced if you just focus on keeping the recommended following distance of 2 seconds.