Slow Isn't Always Safe

Today, while driving to 1 Utama, I was unceremoniously accused of speaking science. You see, what happened was in the morning, we had decided to go to 1 Utama, from here on in refereed to as the mall, but then all our plans hit a slight snag because we had a slight problem. Nobody knew the way! So, I tried to jog my memory to see if I could vaguely remember the road. And while jogging my poor memory, the words LDP suddenly came to mind and I spontaneously, without even thinking said that I knew the way and was willing to drive there. It was then agreed that I would drive there. So, after having lunch at Brickfields, just to save me some embarrassment, I sneaked to the side and gave my good old friend, Mr Jon Woo Sheng Yi a call just to confirm whether or not I was right or wrong. And after listening to what he had to say, I was entirely correct save for an underpass which I had failed to remember.

So, after I had taken over the wheel at some point on the LDP, I proceeded to drive to where we had originally intended to go. Then while driving at a mere 80 kilometres per hour, while most drivers around me were going at at least on an average of 90 to 100 kilometers per hour, I was told to slow down to a pace that even snails would be embarrassed by because number one, I didn't know the road and second I was going to kill somebody by traveling at 80 kilometers per hour. Immediately, almost immediately, I retaliated by explaining that by driving at a pace slower than I was, I would cause an accident. I even went to great lengths to present my theory in numbers, scientific facts and common sense. But did anybody listen? No. Instead, I was accused of talking science and facts! I then continued by trying not to sound too scientific by speaking in layman terms and just like before, I was asked to stop talking and just drive. But contrary, to what I was asked to do, I didn't slow down and continued to drive the way I had. Fuming. The belief was driving slow, no matter how fast the other cars around you were driving at is always the safest way to drive.

You see, by asking me to stop speaking facts one very disturbing problem was raised here. The problem is certain people would rather believe in what they feel like thinking and not what has been proven to be true. In this case, driving slow is always the safest way to drive. I believe that this sort of thinking, especially on the roads have indeed been a factor in our very worrying amount of road fatalities. Simply because, when you drive too slow, you would have turned yourself into a moving roadblock. This would then agitate other drivers and cause them to perform very erratic and sometimes dangerous manoeuvres to overtake you. Needless to say, since most drivers aren't professionally trained in such manoeuvres, mistakes are bound to happen and such mistakes, even at a mere 60 kilometres per hour can be deadly. Not to mention the occurrence of road rage or road bullying when other drivers are incensed by you impeding their smooth journey. In the newspapers, we can often read about drivers who are annoyed by drivers who drive too slowly. Even statistics and studies have proved them to be right.

On a motor sport scale, in Formula 1, there used to be a ruling that cars whose quaifying lap times are 107% slower than the fastest cars will not be allowed to race on race day. Simply because, they are deemed a potential hazard to other racers.

On a physics note, crashes involving a slow car and a fast car are more deadly than a crash involving two fast cars. This can be explained by calculating the impulse of both cars at the exact moment of the crash.

Therefore, I do hope that someday a law will be passed which dictates that drivers who drive too slowly, even on the left lanes, will be issued a summon.

So, based on the points which I have just explained, it is clear that driving slow, isn't always the safest way to drive. So, the next time someone asks you to go at a pace which is relatively slower than the vehicles around you, tell them what I have just told you. But if they still don't want to listen, well, please pray that a police cruiser pulls you over and issues you a summon for driving too slow. A blame which you can later put on whoever it is who asked you to go slow.