REPORT #3
THE SPEED LIMIT DEBATE: WHERE DO I STAND
by: ANGELICA GILMER
While I was looking through the prior generations reports I was
also taking notes of quotes that I thought would be interesting to reflect
on. There are so many perspectives to the issue of speeding and I felt
that noting some of those different perspectives would help clarify the
issue.
Carlene Yee: "Also remember that you are biased by the type of driver that you are. If you like to
drive fast, then you may want to have no speed limits. However, one must analyze what will be best for all drivers. To make a decision based on one's own needs would be foolish and selfish."
Everyone thinks that they are the best driver in the world. Plain and
simple. Most people have a hard time finding their own fault when it comes
to driving. We all act according to our self-interest from time to time. I
think this is part of being human. For example, you may speed if you're are late for work, if
you think its no big deal, if you think its "cool", or if you figure you're just going with the flow of traffic.
Shelly Secretario: "Sadly I found that most of those so adamantly in opposition of speeding were the bereaved parents or families of people killed in car accidents due to speeding".
I wouldn't doubt that this is the case. Unfortunately, the people who are advocates of safety are those persons who
have experienced some loss by a tragedy due to driving. In 1995 I lost a
friend in a car accident due to speeding and I know it opened my eyes to the
dangers of speeding. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a life to be lost
for people to realize the seriousness of an issue.
Sandra Scarbrough: "I think if people are responsible and cautious, speeding is not really not a bad deed".
I don't think most people are thinking that something "bad" will come about when they speed. The sad thing is that when something does, its either too late
or they may try hard to get out of it (say a speeding ticket). However, I
have to say that people should look at speeding as a bad thing to do and in my opinion,
there is no way to be responsible and cautious while speeding.
MY
TAKE ON THE SPEEDING ISSUE
It is hard for me to take either side on this issue. I am someone who goes over the speed limit time
to time. I have been pulled over twice for speeding and you would think that
that would have taught me a lesson but it has not. I am completely aware that speed limits are set accordingly for a reason.
Majority of the time I don't even notice that I am driving over the speed limit.
I know that for me the mood I'm in while I'm driving greatly affects the way
that I drive. When I'm tired or in a rush I tend to speed. Most
people like myself, know the common spots where cops hang out and so we know
exactly when and where to slow down.
When I was thinking about whether or not I would want to change
the speed limits here on Oahu, I think not. When I am visiting family on
the mainland, say California for instance, the speed on the freeways freaks me
out. I am actually afraid to get out and drive. I think the speed
limit should remain at about 55mph on freeways because people drive about 65mph
anyway. What would happen if we upped the speed limit to 65mph?
Would people then drive about 75mph. That is just much too fast to be
driving and I feel it is a dangerous speed to be traveling at in the event of a
collision.
IMPLICATIONS FOR MY
ATTITUDE
One thing that can be noted about my view on speeding is that I know that it is inexcusably
the wrong thing to do yet I still do it. I think I need to examine how I'm
feeling when I get behind the wheel and make sure that I'm not stressed out or
angry and if I am take a few deep breaths and relax before I get out on the
roads. If I were to be the cause of an accident and cause harm to someone
else I would never be able to forgive myself and this is something that I need
to make myself more aware of.
examining
MY BEHAVIOR
Like I said, I do think that how we drive has a lot to do with our mood or our daily life activities. If I am late, I will
definitely drive with more tension and my full attention is really not on the
road. If I don't have to be any where at a certain time, I usually am more
relaxed and more aware of what's going on around me as I drive. When I am going out with my friends
or have someone else in the car with me I tend to drive more carefully. In
the mornings in traffic I am relaxed because I know that fighting the morning
traffic is just unavoidable. However, in the afternoons if I am caught in
traffic I am just a terrible grouch. I think it's just because I want to
hurry up and get home and wash the day off of me. I think all of this
self-witnessing will be very beneficial to me and those on the road with
me. What I have come to notice most is that I only speed when I am
stressed out.
Additional
Websites Discussing Speeding Issues
Here are just a few websites dealing with speeding issues. These Web sites
focus more on prevention. Some are "how to" sites that give advice after the fact.
I found them to be beneficial to me and hopefully they will be to you as well.
Parents Against Speeding Teens (P.A.S.T.)
Citizens Against Speeding and
Aggressive Driving
How to Legally Beat a Speeding Ticket
where
I stand after doing this report
I think I have been reminded about the seriousness of taking precautions while driving. I know that despite the fact
that I speed from time to time, I will be sure to be more aware of the safety of myself and of all others on the road.
I have had a lot of close calls, and usually speeding and or tailgating has been the main reason.
What has been most beneficial to me is that I have learned what is going on with
me when I do speed. Since I started looking at this issue I have done a
few things to help me be a better driver. 1) I make sure that I
leave the house about ten minutes earlier than I need to. This way if
there is a car accident or simply slow drivers on the road it won't be such a
major crises. Before this I would leave the house with just enough time to
get where I'm going and hope that nothing goes wrong. 2) If I am
angry, tired, or stressed I won't start up the car. Usually just sitting
in the drivers seat and talking to myself works. I remind myself that I
need to calm down so that I can concentrate on the road and make sure I get home
safely.
So basically, I am taking the position that speeding is definitely
not the answer. Safety must come first and people shouldn't do anything
that could take the lives of themselves and innocent people. The speed
limit definitely should not be increased here on Oahu because I feel that it
would create more problems on the road. Because so many people are getting
speeding tickets does not mean that we should up the speed limit. These
drivers who do speed need help and need to realize how dangerous what they are
doing is.
What traffic psychology
Could do
Traffic psychology could do so much for this on going issue of speeding. It could help in debates in legislative
sessions to help politicians make the best decisions for public safety on our highways. At the minimum, traffic
psychology allows people to have education about the finer spectrum of the sources of problems on our roads.
It also helps people like myself recognize where there problem lays and how to
take steps toward correcting it.
Discussion in Deja News
Take a look at the following discussions that I have taken from Deja News. This is samples of the discussion I
thought were worthwhile.
Why I no longer have any respect for traffic law enforcement officers.
Author: Backyard mechanic
Date: 1999/03/05
Forum: rec.autos.driving
1) Unfortunately for you, a V-1 won't help you. If you are getting pulled when you AREN'T even
speeding, the V-1 won't do squat.
(2)Get your Speedo checked
(3) Are you foolishly "driving while black?" or "driving while looking like a drug dealer"
(4) When you get pulled, always be very nice and courteous. Even if he still gives you a ticket, he'll remember that
you were nice when you go to court and may be willing to help you out.
(5) Type of car makes a big difference in whether you get a ticket. I had no tickets for years, but then I got
a Porsche, I got 3 speeding tickets in one year. My driving habits were the same in the Porsche, but cops just like
to ticket them I guess. After those tickets, I was paying over $4,000 per year in insurance. By the way I WAS
speeding in the Porsche, but I always speed. The only difference was the Porsche versus a
Honda.
(6) Multiple highway studies have shown that the most dangerous driver is the SLOW driver, not the fast one.
I really think this posting gives insight to many factors surrounding the speeding issue. Also,
I definitely think the type of cars we drive seems to have implications on the road. Who is
implying traits of drivers by what they drive, how they look? It seems to be more of a
"class" problem than a driving/speeding problem. Moreover, if you are stopped by an officer for any violation, just be courteous rather than
defensive. I think a bad confrontation makes things a lot worse in court.
Tailgating-What are the laws.
Author: E. Faubion
Date: 1999/02/28
Forum: alt.law-enforcement.traffic
trfcsgt@aol.com (Trfcsgt) wrote:
Unfortunately, you're right to a certain extent. RADAR, while invaluable for
speeding violations, has made it
too easy on the officers. They feel there is no need to work other violations. Speed in my area is NOT a big
collision factor. I would much rather my guys go out and WORK than sit in one spot,
vegetating. There are
many hazardous violations out there that cause collisions and need enforcement.
My City is somewhat spread out and encompasses a chunk of rural area. What we've found is that the speed
related crashes tend to occur mostly in the outlying areas and the non speed related crashes in the urban areas
where excessive speeds are less likely to occur. When we start pushing pins into the map to represent those
areas where the fatalities and serious injury crashes occur we find most are in the rural areas and interstates.
Of interest is the examination of hundreds of driving records. It's rather rare to find one that has only speed
violations to the exclusion of other violations. Very common is the record that includes a variety of moving
violations. What this tells us is that the speeder is seldom just a violator of that specific law to the exclusion of
others. In other words, a speeder will typically violate other laws as well. Some claim this is reason enough to focus
on speeders while others (my group) believe all major violations must be targeted and that a balanced enforcement
program is better.
What is important about this posting is that it brings up the fact that there are other violations than just speeding.
I think a lot of emphasis is put on speeding, but what about other major violations. I do think that law
enforcement should concentrate on a "balance" program to make sure that safety measures are more effective.
My objection to speeding
Author: John Lansford
Date: 1999/03/15
Forum: misc.transport.road
"SP Cook" wrote:
40,000 people are killed on US highways and countless others are injured. Still more accidents happen where no
one is hurt but there is significant property damage. Mostly (92%) the result of drunk driving, inadequate highway design, and other non-speed issues.
If drivers stayed within the posted speed limit (or heeded the cautionary signs at particularly hazardous areas), the
highways would be perfectly fine from a design standpoint.
I dare say nearly every one of the motorists involved in those accidents thought before hand "they knew best".
Obviously they were wrong.
And when we went from 55 to 65, we SAVED lives, and when we went up from 55, we SAVED more, the higher we
went, the more we SAVED. So let's set the speed limit on ALL roads even higher. Set it up to 100mph for all roads no matter where they are.
That will save even MORE lives, won't it? After all, that's the only criteria you are using in assuming all those
lives were saved.
Accidents happen, but you ASSUME speed contributed to ALL of these accidents.
Reaction times are less at higher and higher speeds, cars take longer to stop and avoid collisions, and fatalities
are higher on accidents involving high speeds. Interstates have less accidents in general, but more of them involve
fatalities as a result of the higher speeds.
I was on I-25 in northern New Mexico last week. Me and about 4 other cars. Think of the waste of the NMSL in
police and court resources, insurance rip-offs, driver time, fuel, radar detectors, etc. Thank you, Newt, it is now 75.
Hopefully it will reach 85-90 in the near future.
The difference in most Eastern and Western interstates is like night and day. Even though many interstates east
of the Mississippi River are designed for 70-75 mph, many others are designed for 60-65mph. One size does not fit
all; unfortunately, drivers think that all interstates allow a nearly unlimited speed limit and tend to act accordingly.
The number of drivers traveling 70mph + on I-95 in North Carolina, for example, is discouraging. Yes, we've
placed a 65mph limit on most of it too, but it's one of our oldest interstates and not really safe at higher speeds.
Other interstates in this portion of the country are the same.
I think this exchange was one of the more comprehensive posting I've seen looking
through Deja News. This
exchange identifies other externalities that can contribute to dangers. Comparing states, comparing location,
emphasizing non-speed issues that contribute to accidents. I think we always assume that speeding was an issue in
tragic accidents as well as fortunate ones. I think we need to stop inferring, assuming, guessing. We need to get
fact! After that, we need to take precaution and change our attitudes and our behavior.
Epilogue: Suggestions for future generations
The speed limit debate is not simple to discuss. There are many issues that surround the larger issue of speeding.
There are many perspectives, many purposes for the different views, and thus its very controversial. I think future
generations should continue to emphasize the importance of awareness. It isn't about speeding and getting away
with it. It is our safety, our lives. If you are interested in learning more I
suggest you look at Dr.
Driving's Web Site.
Put your fingers on the keyboard and send me an email.
ALL
ABOUT DR. DRIVING