This is the most ridiculous argument I have seen for a while. Too much speed lessens reaction time and thus is more dangerous than not enough. Plus, if I have an accident at 30mph I'm likely to survive, at 80mph and I'm in the ground. Your basic argument is flawed because you have not done any analysis of stats and you also assert that driving faster makes you more attentive which is irrelevant anyway because the loss in reaction time massively outweighs any gain in attentiveness.

E-

News just in...

Tailgaters are good drivers!

Your title makes sense, however, your synopsis makes no sense. Inattention is a problem on the road everyday and speed also adds to the danger. Some people cannot handle their vehicles when it goes too fast. They don't happen to be trained Nascar drivers so how are they going to? There's no time to react because the vehicle will go out of control.

It's been a problem all over and I planned on putting my thoughts on it as well. I don't see how speed is a political thing though.

I find that speeding actually causes me to pay more attention.

Because things are happening so much faster, I find myself
- looking farther ahead,
- predicting traffic patterns further in advance,
- focusing more on my driving than on other things
- imagining various contingencies, and
- making plans in advance for dealing with various contingencies.

When I'm speeding, the cars around me hold no surprises, because I've been watching them for upwards of a mile before I reach them, and I've already been noticing their driving patterns and making plans for various things they might do. By the time I get alongside them, I'm already fully prepared for any situation that might arise, and I'm also thinking about the next set of cars up ahead and the challenges they might present.

Another advantage to speeding, for me, is that it keeps my blind spots clean. If I'm the fastest car on the road by a good margin, I generally don't have to worry about other cars creeping into my blind spot. Under ideal conditions, they're only in my blind spot for the brief moment it takes me to put them a quarter of a mile into my past.

The faster I drive, the more I focus on driving, on the cars around me, and on the cars up ahead. And the more I focus on these things, the more I notice and remember traffic patterns, common contingencies, and my own bad driving habits. And the more I notice these things, the better I understand myself, my car, and the road and traffic conditions common to my region.

All of which makes me a superior driver: more tuned in, more focused, more thoughtful, and more thoroughly prepared not only to react quickly but to react correctly as well.

In conclusion: speeding makes me a better, more attentive, and more responsive driver.

#4 by stutefish Friday, April 21, 2006

I hate to say this but I agree, I too drive exactly how you describe your driving abilities. Thank God (knock on wood) I have never had any serious accidents and only 1 or 2 minor ones and I wasn't even going over 10 MPH on either.

#1 by Amazing (Anonymous user) Friday, April 21, 2006

It does sound rediculous but it's kinda true. I should know.

I've been in three accidents.

The first was just after I'd gotten my car, and before I'd even gotten my license. While using my permit to drive my mom and myself home in my new (to me) car, I missed the brake pedal at a stop sign and bumped the car in front of me. I was doing about 10 MPH at the time, broke a taillight on the other car.

The second was driving home from work one afternoon. There was a sudden slowdown on the road ahead. I stopped in time, but the three people behind me didn't.

The third was driving to work in the rain. I slowed down considerably when the rain started. About a mile later, a car ahead of me wiped out, strewing debris across the road. I was already going nice and slow, but the truck driver behind me panicked, slammed on his brakes, fishtailed, and slammed his trailer sideways into the trunk of my car.

Including the original solo wipeout (and I just love the way San Diego drivers can wipe out all by themselves whenever it starts to rain) and the truck (which drove off before the cop arrived and before I could get his plate number), that particular event involved about nine cars with various amounts of damage.

At no time in my life have I ever been in an accident on account of me driving too fast. I have come close a couple times, though, on account of driving too fast and being too cocky. The last time this happened, I realized I was setting myself up for failure, and since then I've slowed down considerably while increasing my attentiveness.

I tend to question the numbers here. From my own experiences and observations from the road sitting high up in a rig where I can see more of what's going on I would have to say that impatience is more likely the number one cause of accidents. I've seen far more accidents caused by someone doing something incredibly stupid trying to save themselves a few seconds than anything else.

Inattention would probably come in at number two.

If people would just realize how close to literally being maimed or killed they are every time they operate a motor vehicle they would be far more attentive and better drivers.

stutefish:

Exactly my point. As for the BS about slowing reaction times and people not being able to handle it.... It's BS. Here's why:

1. Speed limits essentially haven't changed in 50 years. 50 years ago cars took 10x (I'm not kidding) longer to stop then they do today. That means if I'm doing 160 km /hour I can still stop faster than a car doing 80 km 50 years ago. And then there are tires and handling characteristics that enable the driver to have options... if they're paying attention that they didn't have when the limits were set.
2. Highways are vastly better than 50 years ago, so the arguement about increased traffic is complete BS.
3. If people can't drive fast THEY WON'T. All of the records in Montana during the 90's when they had no speed limits proves it. Further the 5 for 5 rule ensures that those people get the hell out of the way or get fined so that people that can drive faster can without having to do stupid things to get around the morons in the left lane on cruise thus eliminating the "impatience" accidents that MasonM talks about, which are reckless driving in the stats and < 7% of all accidents BTW.
4. My theories are proven in Europe repeatedly. In Germany they have 92% fewer accidents on their Autobaun series of highways and they essentially have no accidents compared to North American speed controlled highways. That places where they put 140 km/h limits on show fewer accidents it's actually proving my point. The people have to slow down for these areas but were already tuned to driving fast in the limitless sections so they're increased awareness as Stutefish outlined are still going. Of course if you could keep your attention level at that which you're driving 180 km/h while you're doing < 140 km/h you're going to be even better and even safer because of the margin for error increase, but the fact is that you can't. And the stats in Germany prove my point, because those very studies show that the longer people have to drive on the 140 km/h zones, the more accidents happen.
5. Reflexes are trained. If you have no need for them, you won't be able to respond quickly. The slower we drive the less our reflexes are involved and thus when we need them, we don't have them. You drive fast, your brain speeds up, as does your reaction time. Race drivers don't have the fastest reflexes in the world simply because they were born with them (although there is some evidence that they started out with slightly faster ones than most), they learned it. And if the same race driver stops racing, her reflexes drop over time and have to be rebuilt just like muscle.

If we were able to drive the speeds that we are comfortable driving instead of a prescribed speed and the law ensured that people had to get out of the way of those that wanted to go faster than you, the entire system would be improved. Road Rage, accidents, traffic jams, congestion the whole deal.

But instead they're putting on HOV lanes here in Ontario... (which right now means, have an extra person? Great! Do 140 in a 100 zone and we won't pull you over) which California just determined actually increase accidents and slow traffic down, not speed it up. BRILLIANT! Something like open concept classrooms of the 70s and 80s... California tried it, it failed horribly and then 2 years later they started building schools in Ontario the same way. MORONS.