What Protection do we Have from Slow Drivers?
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We have all seen hazardous situations on the highways caused by exceedingly slow drivers. Slow drivers count for a huge number of traffic collisions and fatalities.
The question arises then as to what protection we have from exceedingly slow drivers.
The answer, surprisingly, is very little.
North Carolina General Statute Section 20-141© provides certain prohibitions against slow driving. It provides that:
Except when towing another vehicle, or when an advisory safe-speed sign indicates a slower speed, or as otherwise provided by law, it shall be unlawful to operate a passenger vehicle upon the interstate and primary highway system at less than the following speed:
1. Forty-five miles per hour in a speed zone of fifty-five miles per hour.
2. Forty-five miles per hour in a speed zone of sixty miles per hour or greater.
The minimum speed shall be effective only when appropriate signs are posted indicating the minimum speed.
The statute also makes it unlawful to drive so slowly as to impede traffic. This is a very inexact prohibition and, therefore, is hard to enforce.
The law places a heavy burden upon drivers to be on the lookout for hazardous conditions that exist in front of them. For instance, there is a specific statute which requires that drivers slow down to the extent necessary to avoid a collision. Drivers are required to keep a proper lookout and keep their car under control. Drivers are required to keep a proper distance from vehicles in front of them and there is a specific statute against following too closely. All of these laws make perfect sense and are designed to, among other things, protect against the hazards of exceedingly slow drivers.
However, there are very few statutes or rules of the road directed specifically to slow drivers.
The law places the primary burden for avoiding collisions upon drivers who are driving behind slow moving vehicles. There are very few prohibitions against drivers who move excessively slow on our public highways.
It is therefore important to understand that all drivers are responsible for keeping a sharp lookout and protecting themselves and others against hazards of slow drivers.
For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.