diff --git a/connectionpool.go b/connectionpool.go
index 4e61f3062..c34448326 100644
--- a/connectionpool.go
+++ b/connectionpool.go
@@ -211,6 +211,17 @@ func (p *policyConnPool) SetHosts(hosts []*HostInfo) {
 	}
 }
 
+func (p *policyConnPool) InFlight() int {
+	p.mu.RLock()
+	count := 0
+	for _, pool := range p.hostConnPools {
+		count += pool.InFlight()
+	}
+	p.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	return count
+}
+
 func (p *policyConnPool) Size() int {
 	p.mu.RLock()
 	count := 0
@@ -348,6 +359,15 @@ func (pool *hostConnPool) Size() int {
 	return size
 }
 
+// Size returns the number of connections currently active in the pool
+func (pool *hostConnPool) InFlight() int {
+	pool.mu.RLock()
+	defer pool.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	size := pool.connPicker.InFlight()
+	return size
+}
+
 // Close the connection pool
 func (pool *hostConnPool) Close() {
 	pool.mu.Lock()
diff --git a/connpicker.go b/connpicker.go
index af43d35c0..c6c65f7d3 100644
--- a/connpicker.go
+++ b/connpicker.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ type ConnPicker interface {
 	Pick(token, string, string) *Conn
 	Put(*Conn)
 	Remove(conn *Conn)
+	InFlight() int
 	Size() (int, int)
 	Close()
 
@@ -60,6 +61,11 @@ func (p *defaultConnPicker) Close() {
 	}
 }
 
+func (p *defaultConnPicker) InFlight() int {
+	size := len(p.conns)
+	return size
+}
+
 func (p *defaultConnPicker) Size() (int, int) {
 	size := len(p.conns)
 	return size, p.size - size
@@ -114,6 +120,10 @@ func (nopConnPicker) Put(*Conn) {
 func (nopConnPicker) Remove(conn *Conn) {
 }
 
+func (nopConnPicker) InFlight() int {
+	return 0
+}
+
 func (nopConnPicker) Size() (int, int) {
 	// Return 1 to make hostConnPool to try to establish a connection.
 	// When first connection is established hostConnPool replaces nopConnPicker
diff --git a/host_source.go b/host_source.go
index 31132e38f..8dcf371ae 100644
--- a/host_source.go
+++ b/host_source.go
@@ -409,6 +409,11 @@ func (h *HostInfo) IsUp() bool {
 	return h != nil && h.State() == NodeUp
 }
 
+func (h *HostInfo) IsBusy(s *Session) bool {
+	pool, ok := s.pool.getPool(h)
+	return ok && h != nil && pool.InFlight() >= MAX_IN_FLIGHT_THRESHOLD
+}
+
 func (h *HostInfo) HostnameAndPort() string {
 	h.mu.Lock()
 	defer h.mu.Unlock()
diff --git a/internal/streams/streams.go b/internal/streams/streams.go
index 05bcd7d6a..7e502c2cc 100644
--- a/internal/streams/streams.go
+++ b/internal/streams/streams.go
@@ -145,3 +145,7 @@ func (s *IDGenerator) Clear(stream int) (inuse bool) {
 func (s *IDGenerator) Available() int {
 	return s.NumStreams - int(atomic.LoadInt32(&s.inuseStreams)) - 1
 }
+
+func (s *IDGenerator) InUse() int {
+	return int(atomic.LoadInt32(&s.inuseStreams))
+}
diff --git a/policies.go b/policies.go
index 70ea00164..98867d2fa 100644
--- a/policies.go
+++ b/policies.go
@@ -391,6 +391,17 @@ func ShuffleReplicas() func(*tokenAwareHostPolicy) {
 	}
 }
 
+// AvoidSlowReplicas enabled avoiding slow replicas
+//
+// TokenAwareHostPolicy normally does not check how busy replica is, with avoidSlowReplicas enabled it avoids replicas
+// if they have equal or more than MAX_IN_FLIGHT_THRESHOLD requests in flight
+func AvoidSlowReplicas(max_in_flight_threshold int) func(policy *tokenAwareHostPolicy) {
+	return func(t *tokenAwareHostPolicy) {
+		t.avoidSlowReplicas = true
+		MAX_IN_FLIGHT_THRESHOLD = max_in_flight_threshold
+	}
+}
+
 // NonLocalReplicasFallback enables fallback to replicas that are not considered local.
 //
 // TokenAwareHostPolicy used with DCAwareHostPolicy fallback first selects replicas by partition key in local DC, then
@@ -424,6 +435,8 @@ type clusterMeta struct {
 	tokenRing *tokenRing
 }
 
+var MAX_IN_FLIGHT_THRESHOLD int = 10
+
 type tokenAwareHostPolicy struct {
 	fallback            HostSelectionPolicy
 	getKeyspaceMetadata func(keyspace string) (*KeyspaceMetadata, error)
@@ -443,6 +456,8 @@ type tokenAwareHostPolicy struct {
 
 	// Experimental, this interface and use may change
 	tablets cowTabletList
+
+	avoidSlowReplicas bool
 }
 
 func (t *tokenAwareHostPolicy) Init(s *Session) {
@@ -687,6 +702,21 @@ func (t *tokenAwareHostPolicy) Pick(qry ExecutableQuery) NextHost {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if s := qry.GetSession(); s != nil && t.avoidSlowReplicas {
+		healthyReplicas := make([]*HostInfo, 0, len(replicas))
+		unhealthyReplicas := make([]*HostInfo, 0, len(replicas))
+
+		for _, h := range replicas {
+			if h.IsBusy(s) {
+				unhealthyReplicas = append(unhealthyReplicas, h)
+			} else {
+				healthyReplicas = append(healthyReplicas, h)
+			}
+		}
+
+		replicas = append(healthyReplicas, unhealthyReplicas...)
+	}
+
 	var (
 		fallbackIter NextHost
 		i, j, k      int
diff --git a/scylla.go b/scylla.go
index 7dece242a..49d14d55a 100644
--- a/scylla.go
+++ b/scylla.go
@@ -544,6 +544,16 @@ func (p *scyllaConnPicker) Remove(conn *Conn) {
 	}
 }
 
+func (p *scyllaConnPicker) InFlight() int {
+	result := 0
+	for _, conn := range p.conns {
+		if conn != nil {
+			result = result + (conn.streams.InUse())
+		}
+	}
+	return result
+}
+
 func (p *scyllaConnPicker) Size() (int, int) {
 	return p.nrConns, p.nrShards - p.nrConns
 }