Highway as Daytona International Speedway

You may wonder why I haven’t written about this rather obvious topic before now.

Well, let’s just say, I fancy myself an “efficient” driver. And by efficient, I mean I drive with focus, and without hesitation.

Ok, I speed.

But I do have my limits. (You see what I did there?!)

via GIPHY

I have heard through the grapevine that most cops won’t pull you over if you are going 11 miles over the posted speed limit or less. Is that urban legend? Don’t know.

I do know that there are not enough cops on the road to properly manage all the bad stuff drivers do – speeding and otherwise. I include myself here.

BUT, BIG BUT HERE…

It blows my mind when I see cars FLYING down the highway, and, worse, WEAVING in and out of lanes around other cars just to maintain their RIDICULOUS and DANGEROUS speed.

And while this is not in the U.S., it does illustrate my point rather well:

You’d think it was the dang Daytona International Speedway! In fact, Daytona looks safer!

via GIPHY

You are endangering your own life, yes.

But, far more important, you are endangering the lives of the people in the cars around you – me included. And, THAT, dudes, is crossing the line.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration web site reviews the myriad issues related to speeding including pointing out this fun fact:

In 2017 [the most recent stats I can find], speeding killed 9,717 people, accounting for more than a quarter (26%) of all traffic fatalities that year.

Consider this frightening note:

“…going just ten miles over the speed limit can make the difference between life and death. In a crash, the severity of injuries increases dramatically depending on the speed of a driver—a pedestrian hit at 30 mph has a 60 percent chance of survival, while someone hit at 40 mph only has a 40 percent chance of living.”

I can preach about us all slowing down. And we should. But will we?

This I know for sure: you will never look back and say, “I wish I didn’t slow down.”

And, getting a speeding ticket, getting in an accident, or killing someone will NEVER be worth it.

I’m sure I’ll write on this topic a million more times. There’s lots to cover.

Resources

NHTSA: Safety Study Reducing Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles

NHTSA: Crash Stats

NHTSA: Speeding

CBS News: Speeding kills nearly as many people as drunk driving, NTSB says

Curbed.com takes an in depth look at the issue in this article: U.S. traffic death increase caused by speeding

United Speeders of America

[WARNING] Watch this video only if you think you can handle it.