Dangers (and Consequences) of Driving Over the Speed Limit
It’s happened to everyone at one time or another. You might be late for a work meeting. You decide to pump the gas and start driving over the speed limit. Surely you’ll get to your destination faster by going 70 mph instead of 55, right?
The problem with this assumption is that your driving speed is impacted by a variety of factors that are out of your control. Just because you want to move faster, that doesn’t mean the traffic will allow you to do so. Often, the only thing you get out of a decision to speed is dire safety and financial consequences.
The ways speeding affects you can be even more drastic if you do it during a cross-country trip. Getting a speeding ticket out-of-state and insurance costs that follow can be stressful and make you wish you had followed the rules of the road.
We’ll cover many reasons why you shouldn’t speed, no matter how tempting it may be depending on the situation. We’ll also give some tips on how to get to your destination quicker to convince you that going fast is the answer to your problems.
The Danger of Speeding
If you are driving on a nice smooth surface with no obstructions or traffic, there may be no safety consequences in going 10 miles over the speed limit. You have checked that there is nobody in your way, and the police aren’t anywhere in sight. It’s like stealing a cookie from the pantry when Mom isn’t looking.
This isn’t the only time people speed, though. What if you decide to dart around the high-altitude perks of Fairy Meadows Road? This treacherous pathway in Pakistan is completely unpaved and has no protection anywhere on the road to prevent you from falling.
It doesn’t just have to be this road. This is just one example of the hundreds of risky scenarios that people speed through without thinking about the dangers of doing so. It’s why so many people are found stuck in a ditch during the blizzards of January. It’s why they slide off the surface of the pavement during the rainy season.
Speed limits are put in place for a reason. They are there to protect the driver against the natural hazards that happen on the road that have been listed above. They aren’t there to annoy you or prevent you from getting to work on time after a night on the town.
There has to be better communication with citizens on why certain roads have specific speed limits. This can be a huge problem when there aren’t any visible hazards at play. Sometimes a school zone or residential area has strict speeding limits, but if there are no kids around, people buck the rules go as fast as they want.
Getting a speeding ticket in a school zone or a neighborhood is going to carry hefty fines because young pedestrians are at risk of getting hit. You also would have to shoulder the guilt and the blame forever if you injure or fatally run over a child in one of these areas.
Think about how big of a responsibility driving is. You are controlling a collection of metal parts that weighs thousands of pounds. When that contraption is moving too fast, it is horrific. Try to put your life in perspective. Whatever you are doing, it is not more important than handling a motor vehicle with logic and reason.
Why do insurance prices go up after speeding?
Speeding tickets are obviously the main financial consequence of going too fast. Their severity will depend on what type of speeding violation it is and what situation you were in when the action occurred. They are usually over $100, and this price depends on the state you are driving in.
The other main monetary loss that will occur after speeding is potentially the increase in your auto insurance premiums. One of the main reasons that your insurance prices go up is because companies hate when their clients have a moving violation.
Moving violations are anything that you do that is illegal while the car is in motion. Speeding and driving under the influence are all moving violations. Parking in a handicapped-reserved spot at the grocery store is a non-moving violation.
Because you are not putting anyone in imminent danger by parking your car wrong, this will usually prevent your insurance prices from going up. There are no claims to be filed after a non-moving violation. Because wreckage often occurs due to moving violations, this is why they are so frowned upon as well.
Try to remember this reasoning for the money that you lose when you start speeding. Unfortunately, cash is always the incentive to not do dangerous things. If you have a lot of money and getting fined doesn’t affect you, be selfless. Don’t put others at risk. It’s really that simple.
What can you do to prevent the risk factors for speeding?
It’s within human nature to find ways around obstacles we face daily. Commuting and other forms of transportation can be a nuisance. Speeding is one of the most obvious ideas people have to save time on this necessary evil of getting around to where we need to be.
There are so many other ways to prevent the temptation of speeding, or even eliminate the need for it. Try leaving the house 10 or 15 minutes earlier than usual if you anticipate that traffic is going to be slow.
Take a more scenic route to your destination. Drive somewhere to get away from your routine and enjoy the sights of the trip. Choose a specific destination where you have to drive on a long-winding road, like going through Leh-Manali highway in India. This way you can get where you’re going and enjoy the journey at the same time.
If you make the drive part of the reason for leaving your house, it makes it less likely you’ll speed. You don’t want to miss the journey this way.
If you enjoy going fast, and this is why you always speed, take your car somewhere that allows it. Go on the autobahn in Germany. There are virtually no speeding rules on these roads.
There are always more answers for speeding than you may originally think. Be creative. Be safe. That’s all there is to it.