You have probably seen drivers speeding before. Some of them might wait until they’re out on the highway. They may think there’s less of a chance for a cop to catch them then.
Others might speed through residential neighborhoods. That’s very dangerous, but some of these drivers don’t seem to care about that. They feel like the speed limit is really more of a recommendation, and they can go as fast as they’d like.
Speeding is very dangerous, though, and it’s not something that you should ever do. Let’s talk about why people speed and what you can do to avoid it.
How Dangerous is Speeding?
You have doubtless heard that you should not speed, but you might not realize how deadly it can be. For instance, consider this statistic: speeding is part of 26% of fatal accidents.
If you speed and hurt or kill someone, you might never forgive yourself. You might develop PTSD because of what you did. You may not want to ever drive again because you know you harmed someone or even robbed a family of one of their most cherished loved ones.
Every mile per hour you go over the speed limit makes what you’re doing more dangerous. That’s why you should never be one of the speed demons you see tearing around the neighborhood or out on the highway, pushing the pedal to the metal to see how fast the car can go.
Why Do People Speed?
You should also understand why it is that most people speed. Some of them are thrill-seekers. They want to see if their car can go as fast as the speedometer says it can. They don’t care if they endanger the other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians around them.
You might have what you can call the practical speeder. This speeder wants to get where they’re going as fast as possible because they are already late for some appointment. Maybe the speeder you see zipping through rush hour traffic wants to get to work because they know they’ve been late three times already this week, and their job is on the line.
A third speeder variety is the angry speeder. This speeder is driving fast because they’re mad about something, and that’s what’s on their mind, much more than the road ahead of them or the other cars around them. You could argue that the angry speeder is the deadliest one.
The angry speeder is probably going to lay on the horn if you’re in the lane ahead of them. They might yell at you or flash their middle finger as they go past. The angry speeder is a road rage incident waiting to happen.
If you try to interact with the angry speeder, you might get the worst end of that exchange. They may not think twice about ramming into you, or they could try to chase you down and use a weapon on you. Angry speeders are unpredictable, and they’re a public menace.
What Can You Do to Avoid Speeding?
You cannot control what other people do on the road. The angry speeder, the one who’s late for work, or the individual who’s just chasing an adrenaline rush, any of them are outside your influence. The best you can do is hope that a cop will spot them and pull them over before they hurt or kill someone.
You can control your own actions behind the wheel, though. That includes speeding, checking a text message, zoning out and thinking about something else when you should concentrate on driving, and so forth. You can definitely avoid all of these things if you just focus on cautious driving and nothing else.
Before you start driving somewhere, think about what it is you’re doing. Know that if you have speed tendencies, you need to avoid that behavior. If you consider what you’re doing, your mind will stay active, and you might not speed anymore.
Think About What You Have to Lose
If you can’t think of any reason not to speed, consider your family. Maybe you’re going much faster than the speed limit, and you glance over at your significant other in the passenger’s seat. Perhaps you have a young child in the backseat as well.
You’re risking their lives by hurrying to try and get somewhere a little faster. If you keep doing this, you need to try and put things in perspective. Reaching your destination a little quicker is not worth it. Every mile per hour faster you go makes a crash more likely, since you can easily wreck the car.
Consider What Can Happen if You Don’t Slow Down
You know that if you speed, you can hurt or kill yourself, a passenger, or some other driver or pedestrian. However, you might also lose your license if a cop pulls you over. You may have to appear in court and pay a large fine.
If you do this too often, a judge can take your driver’s license away. If that happens, you will no longer be able to drive to work. You will have to take public transportation, such as a train or bus.
Having your driver’s license is something that is easy to take for granted. All that can change in an eyeblink if you decide to speed one time too many.
Speeding is something that some people do without even thinking about it, but you cannot let yourself become one of these individuals. They make the streets dangerous for everyone, and they’re inconsiderate. They are not responsible society members.
You want to set a better example than that for the people around you. Driving carefully sends the message that you are a trustworthy individual who’s in control of yourself. You don’t want to seem like a loose cannon, and that’s what you project when you speed for any reason.
Don’t maintain an irresponsible self-image. Show everyone in your life that you are a better person than that.
