Do you underestimate how fast you are driving?
Have you ever been driving along, lost in your own thoughts, and you look down and gasp at how fast you are going? I think that happens to most of us on occasion. There are studies to support this that show that drivers going over the speed limit will purposely report a lower speed. It may just be human nature to deny it, but taking responsibility for our own speed could save lives!
How fast can you legally go? Click to enlarge.
Did you know that in high speed crashes it is almost impossible for the automobile structure to handle the force of a crash and still have enough room inside for people to survive? And all those things that keep us safe in a car – airbags, seat belts, etc., cannot function properly when extreme speed is involved. According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2010 a third of all motor vehicle fatalities were the result of speed related crashes (see link below). The NHTSA claims that about $40 billion a year is what these crashes cost all of us.
So who speeds the most? By far it is males under the age of 30. Some studies have shown that rate of speed can be as much as 3 times as high for drivers 16-19 as it is for 30 and above. And although all age groups speed at times, this is the group (below 30) that will have more violations and crashes on their driving records.
Find out all you can about how speeding affects driving safety by clicking on this link:
