If you are like most people with a healthy fear of heights, you probably couldn’t imagine yourself in a car that’s balanced on the top edge of an eleven story building. That situation is the stuff of nightmares. Yet from that height which is 120 feet, your car would hit the ground at 60 miles per hour. This is a common speed for cars on most highways and is the speed of the slow traffic lane for many interstates.
The point being made is that anyone in a car that’s balanced on the top edge of an 11 story building would be keenly aware of their danger, yet the same person wouldn’t sense that danger while driving 60 mph on a highway. It only takes a moment’s distraction for their car to hit something hard and solid at 60 miles per hour.
Why You Should Keep Your Speed Down
There are many reasons for this. The biggest one is staying alive and unharmed as well as not causing harm to other motorists. It’s easy to accelerate from 20 mph to 40 mph, and in modern cars you can barely hear or feel the difference. However, that doubling in speed quadruples the damage potential of an accident and can make a life or death difference in an accidental pedestrian collision.
Speeding also causes stress and complicates your life. It’s stressful because driving fast automatically means that everyone on the road is driving slower than you. Speeding makes it seem as though the whole world is getting in your way and preventing you from getting to your destination on time. This feeling may cause you to drive aggressively, tailgate, and pass cars when you shouldn’t. It means more accidents, traffic tickets, and more money spent on gas and car insurance premiums.
How much time do you save when you speed? If your commute is 15 miles and the speed limit is 55 mph, driving at 70 mph saves you 3.5 minutes. This is why getting stuck behind a “slow” driver has little impact on your arrival time to work.
How To Avoid Speeding
- Periodically check your speedometer. Safe driving requires an awareness of the road which is done by scanning. In addition to scanning the road ahead, you should include your speedometer as part of your routine.
- Drive below instead of at the speed limit. This doesn’t mean obstructing traffic by driving too slowly. It means driving enough under the speed limit so that the normal variations of your speed doesn’t bring you over the limit.
- Allow plenty of time. When you’ve commuted on a particular route enough times, you will become familiar with the traffic delays. Allow extra commute time to take these delays into account. Sometimes you’ll arrive to work early which means you can start your work day more slowly. Your commute time should also take the weather into account.
The downsides to speeding don’t justify the few minutes gained. Speeding also increases the stopping distance of your car as well as the likelihood that you will be found at fault if you get into an accident.
Unfortunately, there are many speeders on the road and you may find yourself in an accident caused by one of them even though you were driving responsibly. If this has happened to you, Chattanooga car accident attorneys are here to help you. There is no reason for bearing the financial consequences of the accident on your own. For a free consultation, please contact us.
