By Raeder Kinney (G6)
As I lay in bed at three in the morning on March 14, 1992, I was awakened by the ringing of my telephone. "Who the heck is calling at 3 a.m.!?" I thought to myself. The ringing stopped after a second or two, so I tried going back to sleep. A minute later, I was stirred up once more. It wasn't the telephone this time, it was my mom. I could hear her crying. I got up and hurried to see what the problem was. Walking down the hall, I overheard my mom and dad talking. When I got to their bedroom, I asked the both of them what the commotion was all about. My mom went on and explained to me that my uncle had been killed in a car accident earlier that morning near his home in Southern California. According to the California authorities, my uncle was traveling down a two way residential street that had a fifteen mile per hour speed limit. It was reported that an oncoming car hit him head on. I asked myself, "how could uncle be dead? Yes, head on collisions are deadly, but not when you're traveling at fifteen miles per hour!" Neither my mom nor my dad could explain it.
Later that same morning, we received another call from the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department. The officer explained to my mom that it wasn't my uncle who was at fault. After investigation, it was discovered that the driver who hit my uncle was traveling sixty miles per hour down the fifteen mile per hour residential street!
You never expect this kind of tragedy to happen to one of your own family members. The sad reality is that most of us will experience this type of tragedy sooner or later. The statistics speak for themselves. Speeding is a serious problem. Because so many people speed on our highways, it's a problem that is often overlooked and not taken seriously. Speeding seems to be the norm. Unless there's a police officer in sight, most cars don't abide by the speed limit. The next time you're traveling on the freeway, try traveling at fifty five miles per hour. At this speed you'll notice that most cars will pass you by. It's not uncommon to see other vehicles traveling at seventy to eighty miles per hour!
Traveling at eighty miles per hour on the freeway is ludicrous! Something needs to be done to make drivers realize the dangers of speeding and the dire consequences that may result. In this report, I will be looking at and analyzing different viewpoints regarding the speeding issue. I will also be presenting my own personal viewpoints regarding the issue.
Shane Cobb-Adams of G4 stated that"speeding is one of drivings biggest problems. Millions of deaths every year have speed as a contributing factor. For this reason, recent speed limit changes in the United States and Canada have been the topic of an excessively large amount of debate."
Also of G4, Shelly Secretario stated that "it is a terrible thing to lose a loved one and even worse when the accident could have been prevented if only they had the common sense to just drive a little slower."
Ronnie Simon of G3 stated "that one state has already completely removed the speed limit on one of their freeways-in other words, one can drive as fast as one wants to without the risk of receiving a ticket.
Also of G3, Michelle Alonzo said that "Some of us like to live in danger. We speed because we feel a rush when we do or we just want to test out our automobiles' abilities."
All four of the above students had their own individual views regarding speeding. With the exception of Michelle Alonzo, the other three individuals viewed speeding as a dangerous activity. Judging from Michelle Alonzo's statement, it seems like she enjoys the rush she gets while speeding. There are many different and opposing views regarding speeding. Presently, there is a lot of heated debate going on about this issue. But, before we go any further, here's what I think about the issue.
"SPEED KILLS!" This is a saying that a lot of us have heard many times. Despite hearing it over and over, many of us still fail to take heed. There is no doubt about it, speed DOES kill!
How often do we hear the news or listen to the radio and hear things like "teens die in head on collision, speed was a factor," or "three die in freeway accident, speeding was a factor." Nowadays, these are the kinds of things that we hear all too often.
I feel that speeding is an epidemic. For a lot of us, it has become a habit, a nasty habit. Unfortunately, it's a habit that many of us can't kick. Almost all of us drive everyday. Not a single day goes by without me noticing a car traveling in excess of the speed limit. As an exercise, try observing the number of cars traveling in excess of the speed limit. You'll probably be amazed at what you'll find.
Speeding is a serious problem with serious consequences. Therefore, it needs to be handled seriously. I feel that speeding is an example of road rage. Thus, the problem isn't speeding per se, it's road rage. My report #1 dealt with some aspects of road rage and the handling of it through QDC's. To quell the need for speed, focus needs to be directed toward the individuals ACS skills. ACS is an acronym for Affective-Cognitive-Sensorimotor. In layman's terms, ACS refers to our feelings thoughts and actions.
Implications for my attitude toward the law
I feel that the law cannot be ignored. As much as we would like to break the rules and speed, it'll get us nowhere. Things always seem to "catch up" with us, including the law. Most laws, rules and regulations are made and put into effect for the benefit and safety of society. Speed limits are no exception. They should always be followed.
Is my behavior as a driver consistent with my philosophy?
I have to confess that I do speed. In fact, I speed on a daily basis. The scary part about it is that I don't notice that I'm doing it until I actually glance down at my speedometer. Sometimes while driving, I catch myself traveling at 75 or 80 miles per hour! When my air conditioning is on and my radio is playing, I become somewhat oblivious to how fast I am driving. I mentioned earlier in my report that speeding is due to road rage. I do feel this is true. But, in addition to road rage, I also believe that some people (including myself) speed because they're simply used to speeding. It is habitual.
Prior to doing this report, I wasn't really aware of the speeding issue. I didn't view myself as a "speeder." Now, I am much more aware of my driving behaviors. In order to make people aware and sensitive to their speeding problem, the problem needs to be brought to their attention. That's the beauty of QDC's. QDC's make people more aware and sensitive to their problems.
The National Coalition for the Abolition of Speed Limits
The National Coalition for the Abolition of Speed Limits has a very interesting opinion regarding speed limits. Currently, this coalition has members in twenty six states (including Hawaii). They are motivated to abolish all speed limits except in large cities, business districts and residential areas. The members of this coalition firmly believe that the saying "speed kills" is totally false. According to the coalition, drunk and careless drivers kill, not speed.
The members of this coalition make a very interesting point. They have a lot of statistics showing how in fact death rates on the highways have slightly dropped in states where speed limits were raised. These statistics are interesting. But, they're taking into account the number of people who aren't killed by speeding. What they need to focus on is the number of people who are killed in speeding related accidents. The bottom line is that many people are getting into crashes because they are traveling too darn fast. The problem is obvious. When traveling at 70 miles per hour, it's much easier to lose control of your vehicle than if you're traveling at 25 miles per hour! Driving is much more dangerous when you're traveling fast!
There is nothing good or positive about raising the speed limits. I can't think of any anyway. Why can't people realize the dangers of speeding? What's the big deal if you arrive at your destination 10-15 minutes sooner. Risking your own personal safety as well as the safety of other road users isn't worth it.
Virginia Department of Transportation
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, speed limit signs are posted for our safety. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, speed limit signs are regulatory devices that promote better traffic flow by reducing the wide variance in speeds. The Virginia Department of Transportation also stated that "It is assumed that reducing a speed limit will cause speeding motorists to slow down, but studies have shown that this is not the case. When determining speed limits, engineers attempt to set a realistic limit that the majority of drivers will obey and that can be reasonably enforced."
The Virginia Department of Transportation firmly believes in speed limits. Their main concern is safety. It would be ludicrous to abolish all speed limits. In my opinion, our highways are just too crowded. Without speed limits, our highways would be a much more dangerous place.
My feelings and opinions regarding the speed limit haven't changed. I still believe that SPEED KILLS! I think I feel this way because my uncle died because of a speeding driver. I feel that it is irrational and down right stupid to travel at 80 miles per hour on the highway. There's no point in driving fast. Leaving home several minutes earlier to go to work is a better alternative than speeding to work. Think about it. Is your life (or someone else's ) worth risking?
As I stated earlier in this report, speeding is a by-product of road rage. It is my opinion that helping people psychologically is the key to better, safer driving. Improving on our ACS skills will not only make us better drivers, but better people too.
ACS skills apply to just about anything. In other words, ACS skills are integrated into just about all of our daily activities. We all possess them. Some peoples' ACS skills are just more developed than others. Learning about these skills should be an integral part of the education process. I view ACS skills not as psychological skills, but rather, as life skills.
Subject: Re: Speed Limits
From: jojo157@aol.com (Jojo157)
Date: 1997/07/19
Message-Id: <19970719234600.TAA08096@ladder01.news.aol.com>
Newsgroups: rec.travel.usa-canada
"...speed limits in south dakota are posted as either 65
or 70 (i'm pretty sure). but i was pretty much fine
going 90-95 the whole way through"
"...just clean your windshield often (the bugs blur the
vision constantly)"
Subject: Speed limits
"If most drivers in America are exceeding the posted speed limits, I
reason that those limits should be removed. Is it not a basic tenant of
"freedom" and "democracy" that the will of the majority should prevail?
We have for far too long allowed OUR representitives from forcing their
will upon us, what about our will? Do we want speeding tickets and fines
for driving the wat the majority of us drive?I think not"
As you can see from the above articles that I located using Dejanews, some drivers don't take speed limits seriously. While browsing through numerous other articles, I came across many that were similar to these. A lot of drivers are totally against following the speed limit. One of the individuals made reference to freedom and democracy! She's ignorant because she doesn't see the safety hazards that abolishing the speed limit would create.
I feel that your actions reflect your emotions. By learning emotional control, you can gain physical control. I feel that having the ability, not to retaliate (an affective skill) is an important skill. If this skill can be mastered, people would be able to act rationally and logically, regardless of the situation.
Again, learning ACS skills is very important. Acquiring the ability to control your feelings, thoughts and actions are important not only to driving, but to everyday life. ACS skills should be introduced and taught to students beginning at a very young age. Exposing youngsters to these skills will not only improve them as drivers, but more importantly, as human beings.
Currently, our nation has a very serious driving problem. We need to make the younger generations aware of the problems that we are now facing. We also need to teach them ways to counter these problems ahead of time so that they are well prepared. Once the younger generation recognizes their task, they can begin thinking of solutions.
Judging from my positive experience with QDC's, I feel that QDC's are effective tools for teaching youngsters about ACS skills. New Driver's Education advocates teaching ACS skills to youngsters in kindergarten. I am totally in favor of this. It is never too early to expose a child to lessons emphasizing the importance of ACS skills.
There is no one single solution to the speeding issue. But, it is important that we teach our youngsters about issues such as this one from a very young age. The proposed New Drivers Ed program is one that I feel will succeed and show very positive results.
Teaching and educating adults about these same issues is essential too. Many adults are just too ignorant. They don't believe that they themselves have driving problems. Acknowledging that they have a problem is the first and perhaps the most important step in solving a problem.
Programs and activities such as QDC's are effective tools that will allow individuals to recognize and acknowledge their driving inadequacies. It's unfortunate that it often takes a tragedy to occur before people recognize that a problem exists. It shouldn't have to come down to that. People need to recognize that a speeding problem exists before tragedy occurs.
SPEED KILLS!Take it from me. I experienced it first hand. Don't allow a tragedy such as the one I experienced to happen to one of your family members. Inform your loved ones about this issue and remember DONT SPEED!
From: joezb
Date: 1997/06/22
Message-Id: <33ACCCD5.29D7@starnetinc.com>
Newsgroups: alt.society.civil-liberty
What are the implications for traffic psychology theory and approach?
How should this activity be continued by future generations?
A final thought.....
In writing this report, I have come across many different viewpoints regarding the speeding issue. Some people view speed limits as unnecessary while others believe that they are essential. There will always be individuals who will speed on the highways. Even if our speed limits were raised to 90 miles per hour, there will be people who will want to travel at 100 miles per hour.
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