Should you always drive more slowly than other traffic?
- No, you can block traffic when you drive too slowly. ✓
- Yes, it is a good defensive driving technique.
- Yes, it is always safer than driving faster than other traffic.
Answer: A. No, you can block traffic when you drive too slowly.
No. Driving too slowly can halt traffic flow and block other drivers, so you should not always drive more slowly than surrounding traffic.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's defensive driving section says a driver going too slowly can halt the flow of traffic and create a dangerous condition. It adds that even without a minimum speed limit, people who drive too slowly can be just as dangerous as those who drive too fast. That is why the correct choice is to avoid always driving below the pace of other traffic: doing so can block traffic rather than make you safer.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Yes, it is a good defensive driving technique. — Driving more slowly than everyone else is not presented as a reliable defensive technique; the handbook warns that going too slowly can itself create danger by interrupting traffic flow.
- C. Yes, it is always safer than driving faster than other traffic. — The handbook does not say slower is always safer; it says drivers going too slowly can be as dangerous as those going too fast.
Remember it
Match your speed to the flow and conditions rather than simply staying below everyone else's speed.
Official handbook: New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), Chapter 8: Defensive Driving – Speed