Over 30 thousand people died in automobile accidents in the year 2013 alone; and these data are not isolated. The death toll is actually down by about 10 thousand from the numbers just 10 years ago. It seems that less impactful, more esoteric causes of death, such as shark attack and mercury poisoning, receive an inordinate amount of media coverage while we sweep the number of deaths caused by automobile accidents under the rug.
Clearly this is a comparison of apples to oranges, and there is indeed a lot of outrage about automobile fatalities. New car safety features emerge with every new car model, and numerous campaigns exist that act to improve driver safety. However, in a very large way, people do not care about being safe whilst driving.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one in five Americans admits to driving over the speed limit; and those are just the ones who admit to doing so. A good number of people, perhaps the majority, violate the posted speed limits. I am one of those rare few who always drive the speed limit. I have a long commute to campus, part of which involves driving on a long country road. The speed limit on that road is forty-five miles per hour.
Every day I end up with some random person following me close enough that it looks as though I am towing them. Why do they not just pass me? Because it is illegal to pass me in a no-passing zone? I do not see why that should matter. They are already trying to violate the speed laws—why should the illegality of passing stop them?
Clearly the people who speed are not merely people who violate laws. Something must be causing them to exceed the speed limit whilst still honoring the interdiction about passing in certain areas.
It could be that the odds of being caught are quite slim. There are far more motorists than there are traffic police. Therefore, the vast majority of speed demons will not be caught. What is needed is a war on speeding. With the advancements of modern technology, there must be a better way to enforce the speed limits. We could have periodic radar traps, which could be run by computers specifically programmed to check speeds and photograph the license plates of offenders.
It may seem like this issue is nothing but a tempest in a teapot, but look at the automobile fatalities. Sure, most of those deaths are not caused by speeding but rather are the result of other factors (such as drunk driving or driving under less than ideal conditions). Yet, according to the NHTSA, “Speeding-related deaths nationwide account for nearly a third of all traffic fatalities each year, taking close to 10,000 lives.”
Ironically, the NHSTA reports that 91 percent of Americans believe everyone should drive the speed limit. Surely some of that 91 percent violate the speed limit. These people are merely paying lip-service whilst making exceptions for why they deserve to get away with driving faster. Laws are binding on everyone. There are many speed limits that I feel are too slow, but that does not give me the right to usurp the state’s authority and replace it with my own whims. Lawmakers typically have good reasons behind their posted speed limits.
Driving is inherently a dangerous occupation. There is no way to guarantee that one’s next drive will not be the last. But by driving the speed limit, you can make the odds better. 10 thousand people every year die because of wanton disregard for simple regulations. Do not become just another statistic; drive prudently.
