With 20 seconds left on the green light I was only four cars away from the intersection, but by the time I reached the stop line, the red light was already on for 10 seconds.
This is a regular occurrence during my daily commute, which involves passing through 10 intersections with traffic lights.
The cars ahead of me often crawl through intersections at an unnecessarily slow pace, even though the road ahead is completely clear.
Why drive so slowly?
I find myself creeping behind these vehicles at just 10-15 km/h, occasionally reaching 20-25 km/h. Frustrated, I flash my headlights and honk my horn, but they often continue at the same sluggish pace.
When I finally overtake them, I notice the drivers appeared perfectly capable—visibly fit to drive and undistracted by phones or anything else—yet they drove unnecessarily slowly.
Driving slowly is not synonymous with driving safely. On the contrary, it creates bottlenecks and causes significant inconvenience for others. If drivers simply accelerated a little faster—while staying within the legal speed limits—traffic congestion could be greatly reduced.
Some may argue that they drive slowly because the car ahead is moving at a slow pace, or due to fears of sudden lane changes or being overtaken in blind spots. However, I am speaking about those with clear roads ahead who still choose to drive at a crawl.
So, please, when driving in urban areas with clear roads, aim to maintain a speed of 40-45 km/h. On highways, if the speed limit is 120 km/h, try to stay between 100-120 km/h.
If you are unwilling or unable to drive at these speeds, stick to the right lane and allow others to overtake. Do not let your personal driving habits hold everyone else back.
Wishing everyone safe driving!