Driving is exhilarating. It’s fun, it’s exciting and it’s liberating. Unfortunately, while driving is certainly all of the aforementioned adjectives, one more adjective can perfectly describe it as well – dangerous. It seems that as time goes on, more people view driving less as a practical mode of transportation, and more as a thrilling pastime.
While this shift can be interpreted in a positive manner, it is also frightening in its own right. Speeding was already a problem in the past, but now – with more and more people seeking to have a fun time – it’s getting worse. The Governors Highway Safety Association found that speeding is now a significant cause in over one third of all traffic accidents.
Chasing the Thrill
The allure of speeding is both easy to see and easy to fall into. People often feel constrained by what they perceive to be “slow” speed limits and don’t see the problem with going slightly over to reach their destination. After all, if you need to get somewhere quickly, just speed up! Unfortunately, there are a plethora of problems with this fallacious attitude.
Speed limits are in place for a reason. Lawmakers don’t just randomly assign limits – they are carefully calculated based on the surrounding area and its general activity. Even lawmakers understand that 25 miles per hour is slow, but these “slow” limits are often necessary due to the chaotic nature of those areas. Even if you don’t cause a collision by speeding, there’s a high likelihood that you’ll get ticketed – a headache no one wants.
Further complicating the problem, drivers often have a mentality that it’s ok to drive slightly over the speed limit.
While its unrealistic to expect drivers to always drive below the speed limit all the time, this mentality becomes dangerous as people start getting progressively looser and looser with the law. By breaking habits like these, you can encourage prudent driving on the streets.
How to Stay Within the Law
Just because everyone does it, doesn’t mean you have to too – here are a few easy tips on how to check yourself before you wreck yourself!
- Leave early. One of the predominant factors playing into why drivers tend to speed is because they’re in a rush. By leaving early, or on time, you can eliminate one of the primary pressures to speed.
- Use cruise control. Cruise control allows your car to stay at one speed without fluctuations. It’s an extremely useful tool on straight, clear roads. However, only use it under the correct circumstances.
- Be afraid of tickets. Make avoiding tickets a legitimate goal. Police are present in basically every area – by doing this you’ll have added motivation to stop speeding. After all, no one wants to pay.
- Emotional turmoil can dramatically influence your driving speed. Relaxing before you get in the car can reduce inadvertent reasons to drive erratically.
- Find fresh releases. Racing games, or other similar forms of exhilaration can lessen your desire to speed. The one difference being that you have countless lives in video games, while you only have one in real life.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way – lets keep our streets safe!
If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an automobile accident due to another driver’s negligence, contact my office immediately. As your Ohio car accident attorney, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities. You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 877.944.4373
