Taking Your Car Out for a “Walk.” A Ticket for the Slow-Pokes.

Written by Gregory Monte.

My wife introduced me to the concept of taking your car out for a “walk.”  Early in our relationship, she used this derisive term to refer to motorists who are just out for a leisurely drive, in no hurry to go anywhere specifically.

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with this practice.  In fact, car “walking” is an American tradition.  Wikipedia calls it the Sunday Drive:

“The use of the automobile for the Sunday drive began in the 1920s and 1930s. The idea was that the automobile was not used for commuting or errands, but for pleasure. There would be no rush to reach any particular destination.”

Having acknowledge this, I still feel very strongly that courtesy should be the rule when a car “walker” is sharing the road with other motorists who actually do have somewhere that they have to get to.  I would suggest that these individuals pull to the side of the road when they notice that they are holding up traffic.

Fair enough?

And it is not just all about courtesy.  Many states actually have statutes which govern this issue.  In Pennsylvania, Title 75, Section 3364(a) regulates minimum speeds:

“Except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law, no person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.”

Furthermore, the statute requires the leisurely driver to:

“… at the first opportunity when and where it is reasonable and safe to do so and after giving appropriate signal, drive completely off the roadway and onto the berm or shoulder of the highway.”

I don’t know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods, rare is the driver who abides by this speeding statute.  And I have to add that these slow drivers piss me off much more than the “speeders” who flow with the traffic even though they are technically breaking the law by going 75 in a 65 zone.   

I get regular comments on Facebook criticizing my focus on finding ways to beat speeding tickets.  These people are quick to get all “law-and-orderly” when it comes to exceeding the posted speed. 

I wonder if they would agree with me that slow-pokes are a traffic hazard and so they should be issued tickets.