High Speed Limits example essay topic

Speed Kills The high speed limits are often causes of accidents that cause serious injuries and even death. The speed limit should be lowered so we can control accidents caused by high speed driving, pollution, and the high cost of operation and insurance. First of all it is obvious that a motorist driving over the speed limit has more chances of getting into an accident that a motorist who is traveling at the average speed. One who drives fast does not have proper and that well of a control on the vehicle as one that is moving at a safe speed or at the speed limit mark. It is true that traveling above the speed limit will save time and time is money but is it really worth it. Speed over the limit is a major factor in about two to five percent of fatalities.

When driving over the limit it is hard to determine the other drivers speed, this is called the speed variance and this can cause an accident while overtaking the other vehicle or simply changing lanes because the other driver could be speeding up as well, at the same time as you are changing lanes that would result in an accident. Speed not only kills it also costs money and other problems. Cars traveling at higher speeds increase the amount of fuel usage and therefore this causes more pollution in the environment. Not only that since it uses more fuel and takes up fuel faster one has to get gas more often and this will cause the driver to spend more money. Driving fast will increase the wear and tear of your car and the predicted reliability could drop and you might have to replace the automobile faster than expected because the vehicle wont lasts you as long as it was suppose. When you speed you have chances of getting speeding tickets that are very high in cost and you have to pay for them.

Speeding tickets also raise your insurance rate; just two speeding tickets can increase your insurance premiums by fifty percent. According to Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) study in which speed limits were varied at 100 locations nationwide resulted 'raising posted speed limits by as much as 15 mph had little effect on the motorists's peed. ' The data actually indicates that accident rate reduced at sites where speed limits were raised. Traveling at high speeds saves time and gets you to your destination quicker and the traffic usually travels five to ten miles faster than the posted speed limit. Since most of the motorists flow with the traffic it causes fewer fatalities. Driving at the posted speed limit kills and causes fatalities and injuries; it increases pollution and also raises the cost off operating / maintaining a vehicle.

Not only that it also raises the insurance premiums, so why speed.

Bibliography

Solomon, 'Accidents on Main Rural Highways Related to Speed, Driver and Vehicle,' Bureau of Public Roads, July 1997.
David L. Harvey, et. al., 'Assessment of Current Speed Zoning Criteria,' Transportation Research Record, no. 1281, 1996.
J.A. Cirillo, 'Interstate System Accident Research Study II, Interim Report II,' Public Roads, vol. 35, no. 3, August 1998.
N.J. Garber and R. Gadi raju. 'Factors Affecting Speed Variance and Its Influence on Accidents. ' Transportation Research Record, 1213 (1997), p.