In Kentucky, slow-moving drivers must stick to the right-hand lane of the highway. If they are found impeding traffic in the left-hand lane, they may be cited. Slow driving is dangerous not just because it impedes traffic, though, but also because it can cause other drivers to act in unsafe ways. One may tailgate, for instance, or angrily pass on the right.
Rather than engage in these unsafe, aggressive behaviors, drivers should consider three steps when encountering a slow driver. First, they should travel behind that driver for about a minute and see if he or she will move. Then, they could try to get the driver’s attention with a flash of the headlights. If this fails to rouse the driver, they could gently honk the horn.
It’s important to know what types of drivers tend to go slow. The most negligent are the distracted drivers, especially those who use a phone. Phone use reduces activity in the parietal lobe by 37%: that is, the part of the brain that’s used when one makes judgments based on sense perception.
Other slow drivers may be sightseers, or they may be newly licensed drivers too nervous to travel fast. Seniors may also travel slowly because their poor vision prevents them from seeing the speed limit or because arthritis stiffened their joints.
Nevertheless, slow driving is a form of negligence, and any car accidents that arise because of it may reasonably lead to personal injury claims. Those who were injured through little to no fault of their own may want a lawyer to evaluate their case under Kentucky’s negligence rule. If the case holds up, then the lawyer may hire investigators to gather evidence against the other driver. This may include eyewitness testimony or physical evidence at the crash site.