Ice or snow – sliding along the road, slipping over edges, and spinning out of control are some of the risks with not slowing down for snow and ice conditions. Rain – hydroplaning is a real risk when the rain is heavy and relentless; visibility is also greatly reduced. Another issue is washouts on the road, which can happen suddenly without warning, as well as landslides. Fog or mist – when there is thick fog, mist, or low cloud about, visibility is reduced and in some cases severely limited. It is not possible to tell whether an animal might be on the road, or even traffic in the wrong lane, so slowing down makes good sense. Darkness – without good night vision, humans have difficulty driving well at night. Fatigue and reduced perception also impact night driving, making it much safer to slow down when night driving, especially over long distances. Wet roadways – even if it’s not raining, water across a road can spell trouble. In times of flooding, you are advised to not even attempt to use a road that is suffering from floods as the waters will often be stronger than your car. It only takes 50 centimeters (19. 7 in) of water to lift an all wheel drive and carry it along flood waters. High winds – cars can drift or shake under the force of high winds, and steering can become difficult. It is even harder if you have a load above or behind the vehicle, and the higher your vehicle sits, the more buffeting the wind will cause. Winding roads – tight bends can be difficult to execute well unless you slow down; speed can cause you to miss the bend altogether and fly over the road to the other side, and even down a cliff if you’re traveling through hills or mountains. Blind corners – these are corners where you’re not able to see oncoming traffic; whenever you cannot see what’s coming, it’s a good idea to slow down, especially since some people make rash decisions about overtaking even though they cannot see you coming the other way.
Except in poor driving conditions, do not accelerate very slowly – keep up with traffic overall, at least the slower or more carefully driven vehicles like trucks and minivans. Accelerating too slowly leaves you in potentially dangerous areas such as intersections for periods unexpectedly long to others, can cause dangerous speed mismatches in merges, and can otherwise interfere with traffic patterns. Braking gently saves wear on the brakes and it is less likely to cause you to skid. To brake gently, leave additional space between you and the car in front of you, and anticipate upcoming braking, such as corners, stoplights, and slow traffic ahead. Driving slowly helps maintain that space and gives you more time to react.
If you feel as though driving is a waste of time and you find yourself speeding just because you want to get the drive over with, see if you can reduce your commute (try driving earlier or later than usual when traffic lessens), or take public transportation, or even telecommute. If these are not realistic options, consider use the time to do something else, such as listening to an audio book, learning a new language, or catching up on the news and current affairs by radio.
If your speed tends to inch up when you’re not paying attention, follow behind someone who is going a suitable, even speed. Keep a generous, constant distance. Or use cruise control if it’s safe to do so (do not use cruise control on windy roads).
If a narrow road does not have turnouts, find somewhere safe to stop, perhaps every fifteen to thirty minutes, to allow other cars to pass if you’re driving very slowly or many vehicles are accumulating behind you.
