411 Pain – Effects of speeding
411 Pain – Effects of speeding
Before you put the pedal to the metal recognize that choice puts your life, the lives of your passengers and the lives of your fellow travelers at risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates excessive speed is a contributing factor to nearly a third of the nation’s fatal vehicle crashes.
411 Pain suggests you do the math… For a 5 mile trip via a 35 mile per hour zone, speeding at 45 miles per hour barely saves the driver two minutes.
Is two minutes really worth your life, the lives of your loved ones, or others who you share the road with?
Speed limits are the maximum rate motor vehicles should be able to travel without endangering all drivers sharing the road. Reaction time is a key component in factoring safe speed limits. Speeding diminishes a driver’s reaction time in the event of the unexpected pedestrian, mechanical problem, road defect, or inclement weather. 411 Pain reminds for every 10 miles per hour a vehicle travels, there should be one car length between vehicles. For example, a driver traveling at 70 miles per hour should have a space equal to 7 car lengths between it and the next vehicle ahead. That space offers the driver ample time to spot trouble, react to it and potentially avoid a crash. Know also, the faster a vehicle travels the harder the impact it will have when it hits another vehicle or anything else. The force from a speed related accident is also likely to yield serious injuries or death to all involved.
Exercise Restraint
Speeding is a choice and a poor one at that, but throw traveling at a high rate of speed without wearing a seat belt into the mix and you have a recipe for disaster. Surviving a speed induced wreck will likely wreck your vehicle, your body, and your life. 411 Pain warns if you are traveling at 70 miles per hour and have to make a sudden stop, your car stops when brakes are applied; your body is another story. If a two ton vehicle cannot withstand a high speed wreck, imagine what it does to the human body. Your internal organs like your brain move at the same 75 mile per hour rate and slams into your skull with the same force. As a result, you’re likely to suffer irreversible brain damage, paralysis, or blindness. Your internal organs also suffer insults and injury from the violent jostling at a high rate of speed. Any or all of these can prove deadly to driver, passenger, and other motorists involved.
Paying the Price
Crashes attributed to excessive speed rack up an estimated $4 billion in health care costs every year. Drivers with lead feet pay millions in fines for breaking the law. Insurance premiums rise as points are assessed against drivers cited for speeding. Then there are the tens of thousands of dollars spent to replace vehicles totaled in high speed crashes. 411 Pain finds no good in exceeding the posted speed limit. It doesn’t save time and it doesn’t save lives, it puts them at risk. So take your time, obey speed laws, and stay safe. It’s better to arrive a little late than not to arrive at all.