Can Speeding Be Justified??

Question

Further to a previous question that i answered concerning speeding, i would like to know if there is anyone who has an intelligent and informed opinion on speeding. My answer to 'why do speeders drive excessively' was removed due to an apparent insult, but i think it may have more to do with the fact my answer had the most votes and someone didn't like that!

Think about the question carefully and don't just assume what you hear from government warnings is true. What sort of groups of drivers are the most to blame and what arguements are there for AND against speeding.

I'm not after short, pointless answers that have no experience to back them up.

I'll be interested to see how many proffessional drivers reply here. Sources would also be a great help.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Can burglary be justified? Can assault be justified? Can theft be justified? Can speeding be justified?

The first 3 crimes are unlikely to lead to death. The 4th crime can and does.

Answer 2

Speeding is a very loose term. Is a few miles per hour over the limit speeding? Yes of course it is but in good weather on good clear roads is it any more dangerous than driving at the speed limit? There do have to be limits but an experienced driver knows how fast is safe on a particular stretch of road, and sometimes this is below the set speed limit.



As a general rule on British roads it just is not sensible to exceed the limits. This has nothing to do with safety. My reasons for saying this are:-



1) You just don't gain anything by speeding. Because the roads are so congested all you achieve is you get to the next set of traffic lights before the other guy.



2) Is it so important that you arrive at your destination 5 minutes earlier that you put your life at risk.



3) Speed cameras are everywhere its only a matter of time before your clocked and that's a £40 fine and 3 points on your license. Its surprising how quickly 3 points can become 12 points.

Answer 3

Speeding is illegal. That is an irrefutable fact.



If you're cought and you feel that you were justified (medical emergency etc) then you are free under the law to argue your case in court. Each case is taken on its merits so there is no point in trying to give a general answer.

If the magistrate or judge agrees with your reason for speeding then your fine will be waived. If he doesn't agree then you'll just have to pay up.



I think many people who claim speeding is justified because the 'road is good' should direct their efforts at getting the speed limit changed rather than carp about cameras.



Remember, speeding fines are a voluntary tax. If you don't want to pay it then don't break the speed limit.

Answer 4

Speeding, as in 'driving too fast for the prevailing road conditions' is totally reckless & should carry high penalties.

Speeding, as in 'exceeding the speed limit' should not necessarily be a crime, but is used mainly to generate income for the treasury.

Doing 25mph on an icy, busy high street is the former.

Doing 100mph on a lightly trafficked motorway in good conditions is the latter.

I reckon most of the 'lock em up' brigade either don't drive at all, or do so with less than the required amount of competance or confidence.

Bad driving is what causes accidents, whether that involves speed is another issue.

Answer 5

First of all, a Driver's Licence is simply a permission slip for you to use the highways and roads systems. Holding this permit doesn't mean that you are well trained and that your attitude is in tune.

Drivers vary in their skills and confidence.

Some may drive slow. Some may drive fast. Some use good judgement, and some have impaired judgement due to some influence of a drug or extreme emotional state.

The problem is, all of these persons are driving on the same roads at the same time. You never know who you are dealing with out there. Speeding increases the possibility of a loss of control and decreases the possibility of a successful trip. You may get a ticket, you may kill someone. You have to accept the consequences of either.

You are the captain of your ship!

Answer 6

One problem with higher speed limits is reaction time. Many people already have difficulty in this respect. Anyway, how many people really study their driving skills and religiously keep their cars on top line? Looking at this site many are even incapable of performing routine underbonnet and tyre checks. Also many cars are capable of speeds which questionably outstrip their abilities in an emergency compared with the latest quality products which adds to the number of rear end accidents. Someone at a Mercedes dealership told me that nearly all body repairs they did were to the rear of vehicles dor this reason. It is just that available performance makes drivers think that they are going too slow. You see youngsters passing on motorways at 80+ mph in ancient fiestas etc. They have no chance in an emergency; and I had no sympathy for the young man who had clearly blown up his Rover 100 ten miles down the road after passing me. Only on a long journey can driving hard make even a small difference to journey time and already 90% of drivers consistently exceed speed limits by at least any proposed increase. No driver with the right motivations pushes it. I have been lucky enough to have owned both high performance cars and motorcycles and have driven on racing circuits. But on three occasions in the last two years I have only been able to avoid an accident because I was conforming to the speed limit and advised separation distance. Something that seven out of ten motorists clearly have no intention of doing, even with their family on board. I no longer ride a motorcycle because of the sheer incompetence and wilful lawbreaking of the vast majority of car drivers. It is hard to accept that such people are of normal intelligence or have the slightest regard for the welfare of others, including their own families. Many are certainly too lazy to get up earlier in the morning as an alternative. How would it be if airline pilots took the same approach?

Answer 7

i think that it can be justified for the correct circumstances, i.e. someone very ill needing to go to hospital and it taking too much time for an ambulance to come out. i also think that for another reason such as big wide straight open roads, that arent too busy are ok as well, bends cause a lot of accidents, so i wouldnt reccommend it on a bendy road!

however, when it says 30mph, i think thats what it should be. 30s are usually there for a reason... to protect people of a village. i would never purposely or knowingly go over a speed limit in a built up area especially a 30. xx

Answer 8

In most cases speeding increases the risk of being in a crash. The only exception is if you are traveling the speed limit, and every other car is traveling substantially faster than you (i.e. 10-15 mph). In that case, you are creating a hazard for other drivers who are trying to get around you (this is more evident on a two lane road versus a 4-6 lane divided highway, driver impatience/"road rage" can increase the risk of crashes). In that case, it is safer to maintain traffic flow.



ADDED NOTE:

The design of the highways are heavily dependent on the speed limit. The posted speed is 5 mph lower than the design speed. This is used as a factor of safety. However, the speed limit, not the design limit, is the law that governs motorists. This is vital when designing curves in the road. Obviously, the road must be designed for a semi as well as a passenger car. It is far easier for a semi to tip over in a turn, because they have a higher center of gravity, so the curves are not sharp. This is rather critical in the posting of on-ramp speeds (especially with ramps with sharp turns). Yes, it is conceivable that a well-maintained vehicle can travel a well-maintained highway at higher rate of speed safely, assuming no other vehicles are present. Perhaps 10-15 mph over in some cases. But it isn't smart to be traveling 15 mph over in traffic or at night (there was a time when the speed limit was lowered at night because of darkness).



However, it would be unsafe for people to travel at high speeds when others around them are traveling the speed limit. If you choose to speed, you can lose control of your vehicle (which is more likely to happen when traveling at high speeds; on bumpy roads, the vehicle can briefly lose contact with pavement, increasing the risk of spinning out or reducing the ability to use your brakes), get into a crash and kill someone (fatalities and serious injuries are more likely at higher speeds). Then you would have to deal with it the rest of your life, legally and mentally. The roads in this country are some of the best designed in the world, but you cannot design against stupidity.



In the end, is speeding justified? Not really, unless you are causing a safety hazard to other drivers. That type of situation is often the result of poor law enforcement of the road.

Answer 9

in Germany they have unrestricted roads when on these roads you can drive as fast as your car will go however this would not work in the UK as lots of drivers have a poor understanding of lane discipline and wont move to the left when over tacking is complete.

on the autobahn if a speed limit is posted it is keep to by all drivers except UK tourists this would not work in UK as lots of drivers don't have any respect for speed limits.

the 70 mph limit was first posted in the 60s after a road tester took an ac cobra over 140mph then wrote about it in a magazine article the volume of traffic on the roads has gone up very dramatically in just the last 10 years the space in the road will not permit this speed.

if speeds in city's towns and villages were drop-ed to say 20mph to help pedestrian safety this could then be balanced by a 100mph speed limit on motorway's.

Answer 10

Speed does not kill, inappropriate speed does. There needs to be a different mind set with respect to how fast you can drive and when it is not appropriate to ad hear to the speed limit.

Different cars can do different speeds for example a super car can speed up to 100mph and then stop faster than a mondeo can accelerate up to 70mph.

I am a professional driver with over 15 year behind the wheel, I was lucky to have learnt to drive in South Africa and completed an advance drivers licence, as class A1 licence (Same as the police), an anti hy-jacking course and ever with all these driving skills I am limited to the same rules as a 17 year old newly passed driver.

Answer 11

SJW, you are a hypocrite.



In answer to the original question, yes anything can be justified by the individual, so it's up to you whether you think it's justified or not!



Personally, it depends on the circumstances, I don't think speeding can ever be right in cities, towns or villages, but on a clear dry motorway/freeway yes, as long as the car and driver are up to it. YThe main problem is the normally the car and driver are not up to it or do it in the wrong conditions and so accidents happen.

Answer 12

It depends on the situation. Doing 60 mph past a school at kicking out time is stupid and should see you punished.

Doing 90mph down the outside lane of an empty motorway in perfect visibility on a dry road should be no problem.

The problem we have on the roads is lack of training of drivers.

The driving test is ridiculously easy. It doesnt encompass driving in the wet, something we all do. Driving at night. Evasive action, spotting a route out of trouble if it happens in front of you. How to control a skid. So many things that could happen to a driver and what does it cover? 4 poxy manouvers of which only 3 are tested, and how to pootle around quiet roads at 30mph. No wonder people are scared shitless the first time they step out of the 40mph zone. They arent taught how to control a car that is going moderately quick let alone 70mph or beyond

Answer 13

As far as I know, speeding can only be justified in an emergency situation. Two years ago my brother in law was injured in an accident and was not expected to live. I had to travel 125 miles to get my wife (his sister) to his bedside. Enroute, I was stopped by a Louisiana state trooper for doing 85 in a 70MPH zone. When I explained my situation, the officer allowed me to proceed. He didn't even tell me to slow down, just to be careful. So yes.....speeding can be justified.

Answer 14

speeding will only be cured with blackbox tchnology that remove drivers from having any choice but to follow the pre-programmed speeds of theroad.

But the goverment use speeding as a money making scheme. I mean people will get fines for speeding, not thier vehicle speed adjusted to the new speed limit.

Its human nature to bend the rules in some way.Everyone has broke a driving rule at some time, wether something small and stupid to more serious.

I dont think speeding can be justified in all situations but there may be mitigating circumstances.



Really the only way forward is to take the oportunity of speeding and similar potentual driving offenses out of picture. By using black box technology that will eventuatly prevent vehicle drivers from :

speeding

lane hoping

use of mobile phones

consumption of food or drink

reading

lane hogging

various other road law breaches.



vehicle ownership will loose the freedom we all have grown use to- its a matter of time. This i feel will be easier to do as we seem to suck up anything UK goverment thrown at us. Its easy to implement new rules inthe name of saving fuels,global warning,traffc congestion, and encouraging people to use public transport by pricing a basic vehicle out of reach of people on low income.

I actuatly can see the introductionof black box technology, being a nightmare that can also put tourists off from driving to UK.... i had this day dream of some poor man in UK getting the wrong tax bill and having to go to Europian courts to fight it and a watch-doggy program showing how long it takes for a French family coming to uk for thier holiday, but getting stuck for 2hours to book a local fitter to install a black box.Then they are stuck without a car for 2days, they finally get the car and pulled on the M6 and fined as the device was faulty.

I read about the black box technology testing on AOL news today.

Answer 15

I am all for speeding by intelligent, road-informed, and well experienced, consciencous drivers who fully understand the capabilities of their vehicles also. I am not for speeding by idiots, of which there are all too many out there with cell phones stuck to their faces. Your license and a special sticker on your vehicle should reflect what your capabilities are, and that should be a requirement for driving in the speed zone. All others should obey the speed limits or risk a hefty fine and jail time for being an idiot on the road. Commuter lanes should be banned due to the insane amounts of slow drivers in them who only annoy the rest of us who want to reach our destinations before we're elderly. They should be replaced by a speed zone for licensed speed drivers.

Answer 16

I think eveyone should drive the speed limit, when im driving an is ee poeple going way over the speed limit my thought is "Wheres a darn cop when you need them?"



I speed out in my area only because its open, no cops and hardly any cars!

Answer 17

I don't have a problem with people that drift up to about 10mph over limit, except for obvious areas like outside schools etc. But people that do thinks like 70mph in a 30mph limit are dangerous. And also I think going over 100mph on motorway instant ban thing is around right.



Thats just my view

Answer 18

no one should ever speed. i can see by some of the answers you received that they are inmature. i used to be a speed demon and when i look back at all the money i paid out in fines,special insurance, restrictions etc. it was not worth it. also when you are speeding you have no control of everything around you, what if a car just suddenly pulled out in front of you? what if your view was obstructed? i was with some friends talking about the illegal drag racing which takes place in our town and now even if you are caught just watching you go to jail. many of those guys have lot control and killed innocent bystanders just trying to prove "quein es mas macho"

Answer 19

Any emergency vehicle may speed for the obvious reasons. as far as autos, trying to speed because a slow car is keeping traffic or an emergency(like trying to find a break down lane for emergency bodily functions)



SPEEDING BECAUSE OF HYPER MUSIC LIKE TECHNO OR JUST BEING ARROGANT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED

Answer 20

yes,



the speed limit is to low



we need to get fast lanes of motorways at off-peak times raised to 85



but we need to lowers limits on urban/dangerous areas further

Answer 21

If you must speed, take it to the race track!

Answer 22

Speeding is ok in the proper place and time....Some roads are posted to low...sometimes traffic is moving faster then the limit

Answer 23

i hate speeders! at my university there are zebra crossings and many a time i have had to dodge cars who were driving too fast and couldnt break in time.

Answer 24

"dont wory I have ABS"

Answer 25

I'm afraid that I have a certain sympathy with the Police, who just say, "Speed kills." It doesn't of course, but extra speed does contribute to more severe consequences when an accident occurs.



What we DO know, is that pedestrians are far more likely to die when hit by a car travelling at 40mph than one travelling at 30mph, whilst 100% of pedestrians survive when THEY collide with a stationary car. (That does happen, believe me)



Something else which people should know, and that is the fact that when travelling in excess of 50mph, the occumpants of a vehicle are entirely at the mercy of the design of the vehicle and the strength of the seat-belts in the event of a major collision. Without good design and seat-belts, you die....simple as that.



Next thing to know.....if you are travelling at 80mph and hit something solid, the chances are you will die anyway.



This is precisely why race and rally drivers are protected by a complete safety-system, which includes a seam-welded car body-shell with integral roll-cage and strut-braces, additional side-impact protection, very strong safety-seats, flame-proof overalls, fire-extinguisher systems, petrol cut-off valves, battery cut-off switches, safety petrol-tanks, stronger spare wheel clamps, strengthened suspension, stronger wheels and full-face crash-helmets with neck-guards. That is the MINIMUM leveL of safety demanded by motor-sport, AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OF IT.



So taking this as the starting-point, is speeding ever justified?



I drive a truck all night, and I can safely tell you, without fear of contradiction, that almost EVERYONE breaks the speed-limits at 3am, including the post-office drivers, taxi-drivers, truck-drivers and Police Panda Car drivers. If it says 30mph, read it as 40mph. If it reads 40mph, read it as 50mph......that is the reality at this time of night, whatever the law says.



Is that justified?



Quite probably, would be my immediate reaction, because the urban speed-limits take into consideration "normal" people, doing"normal" things at "normally" busy times, and for the most part, the limits are reasonably sensible, even if totally inconsistent in their application. Wide-open dual carriageways are often restricted stupidly to 30mph, and there are roads set at 40mph on which there are busy shops and schools.



For the law to work, IT HAS TO BE CREDIBLE, and many speed-limits simply are not.



In a mjaority of traffic flows in a 30mph limit, the usual speed of traffic varies between about 25mph and 35mph: a very big difference to that seen in the wee small hours.



Actually, that demonstrates something very important, and that is that most drivers are conscientious and on-the-ball, because they are driving "appropriately" if sometimes a little illegally, and safety is therefore not compromised. This is why so-called "safety-cameras" have contributed little to overall road-safety, because all they do is push the problem somewhere else, as people anxiously creep past the yellow boxes.



The fact is, no amount of regulation, regimentation and enforcement can take away the prime cause of accidents, which is the freedom of the individual to get things wrong and make mistakes, and really, even a big-stick makes absolutely no difference. Traffic and pedestrians (and even other traffic) are not a safe mix, and statistics will tell you that wherever there is motion, there will be casualties. That is also true in crowded shopping-malls, when people bump into each other or fall down escalators.



In essence, it is not so much speed-related as density-related, and busier roads result in more miles, a greatly increased risk factor as well as some degree of "information overload" as we all struggle to take-in what is happening around us, and then react to it in what we hope is the right way.



Now I'm not suggesting for one moment that I speed (I would never do that your honour)....BUT.....if I left work at 4am, and travelleded at no more than 80mph on the motorway for 15 miles, and then drove across another 15 miles of deserted rural-roads, I THINK I could easily be home within 25 minutes. (Wink, wink....know what I mean?). That could be done in perfect safety and in complete control, in virtually any weather other than snow, when I "think" (wink, wink) I would have to allow another 5 minutes or so.



The difference is the volume of traffic, or virtually none at all in this case......everything is about driving rather than dodging unexpected obstacles and pedestrians. (Think about dodgem cars, which travel at 8mph or so, but which can be terribly exciting. At 30mph they would be lethal!)



All things being equal, this variation in speed and density should not make the roads any more or any less dangerous....roads are roads, and they're not out to get you.



However, there are two distinct categories of drivers who pose a far greater risk. These are young-drivers (especially young MALE drivers) and business-drivers such as managers, engineers, white-van men and salesmen (among others).



Taking the last group, I would suggest that these are the most dangerous category of drivers on the road, because like all people who HAVE to drive here and there, they possibly don't want to be doing it, and they have appointments and deadlines to meet. Enter the "red-mist" of motivational behaviour, where the next port of call becomes the next challenge and the next pressure-point in their lives. THIS is a lethal combination, because safety is pushed down the list of priorities, and it can result in extraordinary risk-taking and even reckless behaviour.



These are also the same people who text on the move, hold mobiles to their ears, fiddle about with paperwork and who curse the existence of other road-users. (Enter small robot waving arms about....Danger! Danger!)



Lastly, young-drivers full of youth and vigour (read testosterone).



Now I couldn't possibly comment about my own youth....BUT.... I knew a kid (wink, wink) who was completely insane, and who pushed the limits all the time. Saturday night through to Sunday morning was FUN TIME; rushing off into the Yorkshire Dales for "a bit of a blast" with friends, in what they used to call "Road Rallies."



This person had a fairly potent car (wink, wink), and could average 54.3mph over the Buttertubs Pass, where there is a 1,000ft drop into the valley below.



Snow? No problem......a broadside here, a touch of handbrake there.....GREAT FUN and a few minor battle-scars in the process.



Let's try a reverse spin......Wheeee! (Still alive!)



Is that a flooded bit of road? Splash! Look how far the water flew! (Still alive)



Why are we upside down in this field? (Ooops....a bit too late on the brakes there. Good roll-cage....still alive though)



Kids love FUN and SPEED very often, and it is a REAL NEED which nags in the belly of many a young-male, but sadly, in the wrong place, using the wrong machinery, and without the safety-gear described above, A LOT DIE OR GET SERIOUSLY INJURED.



The kid I knew (wink, wink) was lucky.....he knew what he was doing, he knew the risks, he took the safety-part seriously and no-one ever got hurt. Others that he knew now reside underground, and that is Darwinism at work....the survival of the fittest....which really has no place on the public roads, does it?



Yet it does, as we all know.....every evening and weekend.



The good thing about young-drivers like this, is the fact they are very sharp in their reactions, usually completely fired-up, totally aware of their surroundings and can often actually handle a car at speed.



Frankly, I worry more about blind old-bats in Nissan Micras; one of whom almost drove under my truck a couple of years back.....BUT SHE WASN'T SPEEDING BLESS HER.



Frankly, as someone who knew that crazy-kid in a car (wink, wink), I would suggest that the "hang 'em and flog 'em" approach is completely counter-productive, because it turns the fast driver into something of an urban hero......."us" v. "them."



What we really need are places where kids can be as crazy as they like, and the old road-rallies were held on deserted moorland roads, and the police presence was, shall we say, "minimal." It was a great outlet for testosterone and senseless thrills, and my friend (wink, wink) loved every split-second of the stop-watch.



If I were to be given a budget to reduce deaths and injuries among young-drivers, I wouldn't preach at them. Instead, I'd take an old slag-heap or two, and make an off-road facility where boys (and girls) could play in relative safety. In the process, they would learn all the skills, and learn about the dangers of going TOO fast into that bend, or sliding into a tree with all wheels locked. Above all, they would soon realise that they are not invincible.



Education is better than mindless punishment, and that's why speed-cameras will never work!



Does my friend still speed?



I couldn't possibly comment, but he's still alive and he learned the craft. (Wink, wink).