At some point, most drivers have sensed the pressure to press their foot on the gas pedal more than they felt comfortable with to stay with the flow of traffic. In fact, you’ll often hear people claim that it’s safer to speed to keep up with traffic as an excuse for speeding.
While you never want to go below the speed limit to the degree that impedes traffic, it’s also important to be wary of going too fast. Sadly, speeding was a contributing factor in over a quarter of traffic fatalities in 2023. Choosing to go the speed limit offers these benefits that are worth considering the next time you are tempted to go faster.
Reduce the Severity of Accidents
Speeding tends to increase the severity of any type of vehicle collision. For instance, someone who is traveling at the normal speed limit and wearing a seatbelt has a strong chance of walking away from an accident with fairly mild injuries. Once you begin speeding, you can expect the severity of the accident to be much worse than a few bumps and bruises. Considering that many roadways already have speed limits that push the boundaries of safety, it’s best to stay within the defined laws.
Give Yourself More Reaction Time
As you speed up, you can expect your ability to stop quickly to go down. The average passenger vehicle moving at 55 mph will stop within about 300 feet. But, once it begins to go faster, it will take longer to stop. The stopping time increases even more for heavier vehicles. Making sure that you have enough time to react and for your vehicle’s braking system to work helps you avoid being at fault for an accident.
Make the Roads Safer for Cyclists and Pedestrians
Although you might be able to speed up to stay with the flow of traffic, not everyone has this ability. Sadly, collisions between cyclists and pedestrians are often catastrophic. Staying within the speed limit helps to protect vulnerable people who are sharing the road. Speeding through an intersection may not give a cyclist or pedestrian enough time to react. If an accident occurs despite your best efforts, then the outcome is likely to be better if you are following the speed limit.
Avoid Legal and Personal Penalties
If you’re the type who always seems to get caught when others break the law unscathed, then you may already know that speeding isn’t financially worth it. Compared to a ticket, receiving a honk from the other cars on the road for following the law isn’t so bad. Depending on where you live, you could face steep fines and other consequences for being caught speeding. Drivers can often get points on their license that could lead to suspensions. If a citation for speeding hits your driving record, then insurance companies may also raise your rates. Unfortunately, the impact of a traffic violation could last for years, versus the few minutes you get out of speeding your way to a different destination.
Help Set a Realistic Speed for Traffic Flow
One of the biggest problems with speeding is that it encourages others to also go too fast. As a responsible driver, you can help lower the general speed on the roads by going the recommended speed limit. Modeling good driving behaviors also helps you teach younger drivers that it’s ok to follow the law, even when others are breaking it.
Resisting the urge to speed might be hard, but it pays off when you can arrive at your destination unscathed and without expensive traffic citations. While you need to work with the traffic flow, it’s possible to do so while still abiding by the posted speed limit.
