Is Speeding REALLY that Dangerous?

[brasstownbald]

There's a lot of talk on this forum about evading the law. But I wonder just how dangerous a little excess speed really is. Modern vehicles are quite capable of speeds in excess of 100mph....but are they controllable at that speed?

Anyone know any statistics on fatal crashes and how often speed ALONE is the culprit? (Aren't there usually mitigating factors such as texting, alcohol, weather etc?)

Should the law permit higher speeds? Why or Why not? maybe drivers with "Safe" records could be allowed slightly higher limits ? Not sure how that would be managed but it's a thought.

Anyone else got any thoughts on this?

[srtga]

I think 80 on the interstate would be reasonable. It's actually the de facto limit in a lot of areas of Georgia

So do they let it creep up until folks start dying or just change the signs one day

[mahjong007]

I think 80 on the interstate would be reasonable. It's actually the de facto limit in a lot of areas of Georgia

So do they let it creep up until folks start dying or just change the signs one day

75-80 in city highways seems reasonable to me, open road highways-90 is about right. cities local 10over is about right.

[djrams80]

A 2008 US DOT/NHTSA study on what causes traffic accidents found that excessive speed is the primary cause of only 5% of traffic accidents, while 41% of traffic accidents were caused by distracted drivers.

US DOT Report Confirms Speed Not Major Accident Cause

http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs...crashcause.pdf

[unmamfqlm]

It depends on many things in my opinion. There's definitely a big difference from excessively speeding and going 10 over. If the road is open, 15-20 over seems reasonable by me. If someone is doing 10-20 over while weaving through traffic and what not in a heavily populated area, well, that's just an accident waiting to happen. It really gets under my skin when somebody is driving like that. I've had many close calls from these kinds of people.

As long as a driver stays alert and aware of their surroundings, there's honestly not a whole lot of risk in my opinion, assuming again, the area isn't too populated. Common sense goes a long way when driving.

[srtga]

A 2008 US DOT/NHTSA study on what causes traffic accidents found that excessive speed is the primary cause of only 5% of traffic accidents, while 41% of traffic accidents were caused by distracted drivers.

US DOT Report Confirms Speed Not Major Accident Cause

http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs...crashcause.pdf

That DOT study looks like crap. "Speed too fast"? Is that MPH above PSL? How many miles over the PSL? Did they get it from officers reports?

Sounds like LEOs hold the keys to the US autobahn. They really set the limits through enforcement.

[ka34.739]

it is very dangerous 5 or 10 mph can make a big difference in stopping distance.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOch9VuIpms]YouTube - ‪Same Cop - speeding ad‬‎[/ame]

Now you Tell me IS it really dangerous i think the answer speaks for it self.

[pharmaboy]

none of these reports are simple -after reading pretty much all of them over the years, I reckon its causal in about 10-15% of fatal accidents. thats after you take out people who are drunk or drugged and also speeding, given the primary factor is their incapacitation.

the reason why "speeding" is targetted so much is its a surrogate for people not paying attention to what they are doing, and also people in a hurry. eg in the post above, the guy weaving through traffic is high risk AND speeding - authorities target the behaviour thats enforceable hoping to change the behaviour of the person whose also doing other things dangerously as part of their driving behaviour.

Its alll about correlation with risk, not causation.

[jb2wheels]

My opinoins only:

yes dangerous in a school zone
yes dangerous in a residential area
yes dangerous in a congested area

not dangerous on our fantastic interstates
not dangerous on divided, limited access roads
not dangerous in rural areas to anybody but yourself

Driving to work everyday it's just not worth it to me other than the challenge of playing to game - not enough gain for the risk

Driving from TX to CA or MI or FL speeding can save hours of windshield time for low risk.

[supercowpowers]

Extra speed decreases time available to perceive and react to hazards, increases stopping distance exponentially, and tends to multiply the effects of errors like trying to brake hard in a turn.

That said, even the government lets you go 65-75 MPH on the highway, which would be a colossally stupid idea in town, so it's all about the risks of a particular situation.