This is without question the most controversial opinion we have ever run. We could devote an entire Web site to this one editorial!
I like to drive fast. But only if conditions allow it.
I carry a scanner, but no radar/laser detector. I never exceed 90 if I have passengers. And then I only see 90 when passing. If there is too much traffic to proceed at my preferred speed, I slow down. (Knocking on wood again, but I've never had a reportable accident of my own, always been a passenger in bad wrecks. And motorcycle accidents don't count for these purposes.)
There is no reason for someone to be in the left lane doing sixty in a seventy zone. Why don't the CHP [police] give these idiots tickets for obstructing traffic? They do more harm in my opinion than me doing 90. And the CHP could leave me alone (and others).
Speed doesn't kill. Moronic lack of thought, kills. Inattention, kills. Just plain disregard of your fellow human being, kills. But speed doesn't.
My point to this way too long commentary is that, yes, I drive fast. But I maintain situational awareness. My head is on the proverbial swivel. I constantly scan my mirrors and gauges. If I am on a land speed record run, I don't have the stereo on. I want to hear what my car has to say to me. And sometimes, that is better music than any CD has ever had.
Let's be careful out there, but I will never tell you not to have fun...
[note: sent with permission to reprint this]. The last couple of trips have sent me off in this wild foray of commentary. My frequent trips to San Diego from a not so secret location in the Mojave desert are due to my wife's medical condition. I enjoy the drive and most aspects of driving too. But the morons on the road are what light me off but good. And while it seems that I am headed for a chronic case of Road Rage, I generally have a fairly even temper. I will rant and rave and it is a good thing that others can't hear me when I rant in the car... But I never aim that "two ton weapon" at innocents. No matter how much some truly deserve it.
I would like to add (or have added), that if your car isn't capable of maintaining 90 MPH, don't drive 90. If you can't remember when your last oil change was, don't drive 90. If you can't hear your engine, turn the radio down. I am not an expert here. I don't even play one on TV (wish I could, then I'd have my GLH-T). If you are not comfortable at these speeds, don't do them. And stay out of the left lane. That is rude.
It's really amazing to see how people will distort logic, ignore facts, fabricate statistics and just plain make up whatever data they need in order to justify doing what they want to do. Saying that speed doesn't kill is like the T-shirt that says "I don't have a drinking problem...I drink, I fall down, no problem". The equivalent analogy here (and just as ridiculous) is that speed really doesn't kill...it's the sudden stop that does the damage.
Everybody who admits to speeding seems to think of themselves as confident, experienced, courteous, attentive drivers who only drive cars in perfectly maintained condition. They also think that the vast majority of other drivers are physically and/or mentally impaired morons who don't belong on the same roads. Both extreme views go to the heart of the topic.
Nobody is in tip top mental or physical condition all of the time. Nobody keeps their vehicle in racing condition all of the time. The vast majority of drivers do have habits which are careless and even dangerous. Somebody will always be talking on a phone, drinking hot coffee, fussing with a child, arguing with a spouse, playing with the radio or (my personal favorite) putting on makeup while they are supposed to be paying attention to their driving. This is unavoidable. And the number of drivers keeps on increasing which adds even more stress and opportunity for mishap on already overcrowded roads. Unfortunately, we all see these things every day.
Inevitably, no matter how skilled or careful you are, something unexpected is going to happen to you or your vehicle. The faster you're going, the less time you're going to have to react. If you're lucky, it might only be yourself that you kill or maim. If not, you might have to live the rest of your life with some child's death on your conscience. Everybody who speeds has to make that choice whether they admit it or not.
| Mr. or Ms. Bailey | I agree with everything everyone has said. I live in a small town of about 5200 and the cops here will let you do 45 in a 30. They don't care but if you were to smoke or squeal your tires they will pull you over like that but they dont care about people doing 15 mph over the limit. The other thing is this town has a lot of [people] that like to go 50 down the street in front of my house with their stereo so loud I can hear it in the house over my stereo in my room. These people should not be driving. | |
| Edwin A. del Toro | I would rather loose a minute of my life, than my life in one minute because of driving fast | |
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reygus |
I have no problem with driving fast, or other people driving fast, as the long as the driver is aware of what he is doing and is very conscious of the traffic around him. I have a problem with those goobers, the <b>average</b> driver, who thinks he or she is better than they actually are, trying to push their way through traffic just because they have convinced themselves they are going to be late at their destination. These are the people who ride your back bumper, who cut people off, who weave in and out of traffic while driving their Infinitis, Mercedes, Acuras, or BMWs and think that we all driving "lesser" vehicles should just get out of their way. While the car itself may be capable of 90+mph speeds, I would wager the driver's abilities do not go beyond mashing the gas pedal and knowing how to parallel park. These guys will try to pass everything in site while their cell phone is glued to their head. [Webmaster would add Hondas, VWs, SUVs, and pickups]
I typically cruise at 75 - 80 because that is a nice rhythm for me. I monitor my mirrors and try to know where all the traffic is around me. Out in the mountains and away from traffic, I'll push my speeds up. As long as there is no other traffic that I will affect, I'll have as much fun as safely possible cutting apexes and just driving. I have explored the limits of my car and know when to back off. I have driven autocross events and have learned how to upgrade my car to expand those limits and its capabilities. Speed is not all there is to driving a car. Driving with intelligence, courtesy, and respect for others on the road is what's needed. |
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| Ed | I looked into the issue of speeding and speeding tickets several years ago. What I found knocked my socks off. The problem with a speeding ticket is that the insurance company may jack your rates up. I called my insurance company and asked them a simple question-- Do you have a study that shows that people who get speeding tickets have more accidents than people who do not. The answer --no such study. However, while the company did not, they assured me that New York State did. I called NY state. It turned out that NY state also had no such study. The did send me a study done by California which seemed to show something. I showed the results to our statistics person. He looked at the numbers and said they had virtually no significance. The case had not been made, On the top of that, the CA study related accidents to tickets for all reasons, not just speeding, so in fact it was irrelevant. The last and most damning piece are the statistics collected every year by the NY State police which list causes of accidents. I looked and was stunned. Exceeding the speed limit was not even listed as a cause. The closest category was excessive speed for conditions, accounting for 4%. Folks, the next time you get a speeding ticket, remember, they are collecting your hard earned money, the insurance company raises your rates, and there is not a shred of evidence to back up this robbery. |
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| Chris | I believe we have all forgotten that driving above a posted speed limit is a ticketable offense. The best offense is a good defense and the best way to save money is to not spend it in the first place. | |
| Virginia McGee | I enjoy speed as much as anyone, being an ex-motorcycle racer. Though most of you are right, there are too many dangers existing on the street to speed unless all alone on an open road. Two years of driving a semi showed me that someone is going to do something stupid at the worst possible time, especially RV's. Talk about people that should have a CDL license.
These people use a normal license and training to drive a huge vehicle Speed in traffic is reckless driving. Like I said, I do like going fast, but you're responsible for the consequences. |
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| Racer Rick | First off I would like to say one thing - I am not a highway saftey expert. But I bring good old fashioned common sense to the table. Especially when I drive.
You can be a world class driver, but if you have the judgment skills of a hyperactve 5 year old, you still shouldn't drive. Case-in-point: I have a good friend who has complete driving school and actively races Formula 2000. He is one of the best drivers I have ever seen. He is also a moron at times. He has destroyed two cars and currently is going to court to fight an exhibition of speed ticket and the loss of his drivers licence. He was caught doing 220 kph in a 60 zone, charged with careless driving, exhibitions of speed (he was racing someone), and speeding. With me riding shotgun he has raced around a subdivision at 140 kph, apexing every turn, and drifting the car around blind corners, at 4pm on a school day. He has been in the fast lane doign 20 kph UNDER the speed limit. He has passed cars on the right hand paved shoulder, and this is all in one day of me driving with him. I won't mention what happens when he answers his cell phone while driving. I don't think he should be allowed to drive on the street. Nice guy...just makes all the wrong judgement calls when driving. Speed doesn't kill. Moronic drivers like my friend do. |
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| Kenneth Rudd |
I've read nothing here but complete stupidity and idiocy. "I can drive fast, because I drive safely." Yeah, right. Try bringing a car to a stop at 100 miles per hour on a blown front tire. If you don't end up on your top, it's only because God is looking out for you, because, as they say, God protects fools, drunks (and some speeding drivers).
This applies especially to people who drive 4x4s. I commuted to college 40 miles each way every day for three years, on a freeway. It always amazed me to see that the only vehicles I saw flipped over on the side of the road in wintertime were four-wheel drives, because they were driven by morons like you people who thought, "So what if the road surface is covered with BLACK ICE, I'VE GOT A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE! I'M INVINCIBLE!" You idiots who think you can drive so well are the very people I fear. You're the ones who cause accidents which kill people every day. You're the ones in need of driver's education. You're the ones who make certain I drive defensively every day. |
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| George Denzinger | More power to you! These are my feelings exactly! I have experienced much the same problems in my time driving, but there seems to be no end in sight. I swear, when my daughters are old enough to drive, they are going to a a racer's driving school that offers teenage instruction, so they will have a fair chance to survive on the streets. I can't imagine how bad it will be in another 7-10 years. | |
| Robert Kristof | Up until I accidentally came across this page I thought I was the only one out there that could see through this government cash grab called speeding. I know a fair amount about cars and I know what my particular vehicle can handle. I think driving safe has allot to do with being aware of your vehicles limitations and how it works in the first place. I also believe that by adding a basic automotive maintenance course to a driving school curriculum would help produce some better drivers out there.
P.S. Ever notice how it's OK for a cop to exceed the limit by 20 MPH or KPH (depending on where you're at) but if you follow behind him at that speed they get really, really angry! |
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| Dave | No question about it! Though I have had no problem driving at high speeds - 3 digits and above - I frequently find that many people drive dangerously either at or just above the speed limit. Every day I have to contend with the Hondas and Saturns driven like flies (that is, buzzing around unpredictably, always seeking an entry), the SUVs that suddenly swing into another lane without changing their speed, the various "blockers" who simply do not want to be passed, and the nuts who want nothing else. That's not to mention the tailgaters who refuse to pass - apparently you're supposed to get out of their way - and the "doing the speed limit in the passing lane, quite stubbornly" folk.
Try driving with cruise control on for a while...it's amazing. You keep passing the same people you just passed. One moment they're at 65, the next at 80, then back to 65. Every day, I am cut off dozens of times by the same people. Half the time I end up passing them again a few minutes later. What's the point? To always be first? Some people actually try to make other drivers angry, to see how close they can come. (Yes, I do know this for a fact). What kind of nuts do we have out there? Meanwhile, the police are content to go after one kind of offense - speeding. You can run a red light in front of a cop, they'll ignore it. You can ignore a stop sign, the cop will ignore it. You can't speed, though! and god help you if you squeal your tires! Ummm, to all those other fast drivers out there, please be courteous and kind, because rudeness does kill, and also make sure you're using good high quality performance tires that can deal with wet roads. Thanks. |
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| Brian Powers | I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT. I TRAVEL OVER 2000 MILES EACH WEEK, AND I SPEED. I HAVE DONE 100 IN 60 ZONES, BUT ONLY WEATHER PERMITING AND ONLY WHEN TRAFFIC IS REASONABLE. I DONT BELIEVE IN WRECKLESS DRIVING BUT I THINK GOOD COMMON SENSE CAN ALLOW SAFE HIGH SPEEDS. | |
| Jason | I like to push my car, but never ever with passengers or with highway traffic. Sure, your car is in tune and normally safe, but I always fear the unavoidable like a tire blowout. At high speed it's a guarenteed wild ride to a stop. Today's cars cannot survive a violent wreck, so what makes you think you can. Unless you have a roll cage and drive on deserted roads, be smart. I have seen the leftovers of high speed rear ends. | |
| Douglas Miske | All the "safety mavens" out there are cringing. Speed definitely does not kill, and there are many studies to support this. Speed does compound ignorance, stupidity, and arrogance on the road. Drive safely and with respect for others, at a speed that is appropriate for road, etc. conditions. It's that simple. If we weren't meant to go faster, we wouldn't have highways or cars in the first place. | |
| Landon Robinson | I agree, people should not drive below the speed limit in the fast lane. I also am always looking at my guages and looking far, far up the road for any trouble. I also prefer to have my radio off at times to hear and feel what the car/truck is trying the tell me. | |
| Withheld by request | I like to speed because it brings a rush and I like to speed. I am careful when I speed and am aware of my surrondings. When I speed I usually like to go down windy, long country roads. It tells me what my car can do and how it reacts. I do not like those who say they go fast but never turn the wheel, this is pointless and has no challenge. Thank you for your opinion and making it clear that speed doesn't kill!! | |
| John V. Agugliaro | I wholeheartedly agree. I travel frequently interstate and am constantly amazed at the general stupitity displayed on the roads. And people wonder why others get pissed off ! I've seen people merge onto a road way at 40 mph cutting in front of a semi doing 70 + mph! I truly believe these people will meet their demise this way, hopefully with out taking others with them, and actually provide clearer, safer roads. But yes, I speed too.... | |
| Ken McHattie | Roger - I agree 100%. I was talking to my father the other night, we agree the speed limits are awful low here in SW PA, but they have to be because so is the driving ability and common sense of people behind the wheel. When I'm doing 50 in the right lane of a 45, it's disconcerting to have someone pass w/their right blinker flashing as they roll on by.
Like you, at higher speeds, I'm driving with all five senses. |
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| Name Withheld | Driving is a skill. Some are born with it. Some people no matter how hard they try can't drive well enough to be safe. Some people don't have the mental faculties to anticipate traffic or there own vehicles reactions. Ive been passanger to some who I know made drunk drivers look like highly trained race drivers. I think some people should evaluate there driving skills and habits before they kill someone or themselves. Then you have the people who can drive. The people who understand that ice is more slippery when melting and refreezing at 32 degrees than it is at colder temperatures. The people who know how to move in and out of traffic flow like a pianist in an orchestra. The people who can see "the future" by enterpreting a brake light in combination with with a turn signal. This is what I call "using the force". Knowing your surroundings and your own vehicle so well that you are the master of almost all road-situations. I have a passion for driving whether on a congested freeway or on a winding country road using all of my senses being at one with the machine and the road. I love speed, cornering, braking, and acceleration. I am always aware of my safety the safety of my passengers and the safety of others in their vehicles. And I go over the speed limit almost all the time. I dont care about speed limits i only care about safety. and if i can safely go 90 in a 60 I'm going to because i can. Some can. Others cannot and should not.
If you have eyes and you use them you have seen police flying by you with no lights on or sirens they are not supposed to but they do. I've witnessed police going 100 miles per hour in a 25 with no lights or sirens through my residential neighborhood, where at any intersection if a car would have pulled out in front of them, they most likely would all have died or been seriously injured, and God forbid if you were a person trying to walk across the street you better have had good ears and running legs if you were going to make it. like a bad game of frogger, but they say two wrongs dont make a right. I guess it comes down to discretion,wisdom and safety. But as for me I'm also gonna have fun along the way. Life is not safe. Life is a risk ever day whether you get in your car or stay tucked in your bed. People can tell you your chances of winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning. lightning being the more likely of the two we still pray against the odds. Well I gotto go get my lottery ticket drive safe and happy. and always use the force. |
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| James Bird | I feel that speed is only appropriate in certain conditions and fate shouldn't be tempted in an unfamilar car. I believe also in the opinion that speeding tickets are a revenue generating business and do not necessarily make better drivers or in the case of probationary licences, takes "unsafe" drivers off the road. I have been a victim of the "probationary problem" it really having an effect on me even tho I have been driving for almost 2 years in the same car. I have had the unlucky timing of getting 2 tickets within a month on a probationary licence... since Canadian courts are as slow as American ones I waited 2 months for a 1/2 hour hearing. on which I pleaded to 2 lesser charges on my first ticket. The second ticket will have been had out in court more than 15 months since the incident and I have since gotten my licence returned only to have another suspension period to go through. I feel this is unjust and ruins my chances of ever finding a steady job because of living in a rural area where busses and taxis don't exist. and all of this on top of attending an extra year in high school which I worked out to get a part time job (classes in the mornings only) but now I will have to attend a whole school day in which I have 2 (on average) out of 8 classes a day. This all because the government needed my lousy 114 bucks. | |
| Nigamanth Lakshminarayana | It's obvious. Though statistics should be made to satisfy the masses. Speed doesn't kill. Physics of the events are simple enough. If everyone can do 65 on the open road, it's as safe as everyone doing 90 or as I prefer about 100-110 interstate average. The problem, I believe, is that we all come from different backgrounds.
My initial training was on an iced lake. My driving test was very elaborate. I go to Ohio for instance and train my friend for a serious driving test. He comes back from the driving test five minutes later and says that the instructor just took him out around the block. No highway training though the highway was only a few blocks from the station. No maneuvering or anything of any sort. Just four left turns and a nice little roll back into the station's driveway--a typical Ohio driving test. *This* is what we have on the road to contend with. If everyone took a more elaborate driving test/instruction we could easily do 90 on average. Most interstates at least can handle this. However, the real issue that compounds the problem is that automobiles today are soda cans on cheap wheels. We have a huge mass (usually over-loaded semi) contending with a featherweight (can you say "Yugo"?). The physics don't add up at the same speeds in favor of the Yugo. Ever. Whether it's at 10, 50 or 100 mph. They never favor the Yugo. I have complete confidence that statistics would show that speed does not kill. Otherwise there is something wrong with just the fundamental physics of this world. The only thing which surpasses all laws and logic is money. |
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