Driver Safety

The Dangers of Speeding

Speed in itself is not dangerous. After all, we the people of earth are right now moving around the sun at one hundred thousand miler per hour and are in no danger. What makes speed dangerous is the proximity of other objects that are moving at a dissimilar speed. Even our own bodies can generate enough movement to cause injury (Those of us who have bumped into a wall or post while walking know what I mean).

The dangers of speeding when driving are caused by the variance in speed between the speeding vehicle and other objects. This greater variance presents two problems. The first is a reduction of time to react if a hazard presents itself in our path. The second is the increased damage that will occur to both our bodies and property if the hazard cannot be avoided. Let me explain.

Posted speed limits are there not only to dictate a safe speed, but to encourage traffic to move uniformly. If every vehicle is moving at seventy miles per hour in the same direction, the closure rate between them is negligible. This gives each driver plenty of time to react to the maneuvers of other drivers. Also if two vehicles collide, the damage will be minimal because of the small speed variance.

When one or more drivers decide to speed, the closure rate among other vehicles becomes much greater, thereby reducing reaction time and increasing the damage if a collision occurs. This is what makes speeding dangerous. It is also what makes driving too slowly dangerous. The further the variation from the average traffic speed, the more dangerous the situation becomes.

We must also consider stationary objects. The ground and all things attached to it are at rest. The faster we drive, the higher the variance in speed (stopped versus however fast we are moving). This is one of the reasons why speed limits are reduced in residential areas. The slower we move in relation to stationary objects, the safer we are. We are the safest when we are completely stopped. This condition however, is not practical for traveling and so we trade safety for mobility.

I don't know how traffic moves around the rest of the world, but in America it moves along approximately five to ten miles an hour over the posted limit. My suggestion is to try to maintain a speed as close to this as possible. You will arrive at your destination soon enough and have a greater chance of getting there without incident.