Why shouldn’t you speed?  Well once again let me throw out some statics that should make my point clear:

  • Speeding is the leading cause of deaths for teens in America.
  • Of all the auto accidents that happen for young adults between the ages of 15–20 years old roughly 40% are caused by speeding.
  • Speeding related accidents cause almost 35 billion — that’s B as in billion –dollars a year in assorted expenses!
  • In my home state there is an average of one speed related death per day!

Now that I have your attention (I hope!) please try to stay within the posted speed limits while you are out driving. This is especially true for the back roads (non-highway) driving as these roads have been tested for the safest maximum speed that should be followed. Remember though that the speed limits that are posted are for “ideal” conditions and are not necessarily the best speed for driving at night or in rainy/foggy conditions.

So with all the above being said I strongly advise you to be careful with your speed limits especially in bad weather conditions, around school zones , shopping center parking lots and when entering curves on roadways as these areas are just trouble waiting to happen!

Speeding will Send your Insurance Through the Roof

For young adults who are covered by their parent’s automobile insurance policy,  just wait till your first speeding ticket hits the radar with their insurance firm. The discussion with your parents, the insurance rate hike as well as the fine you will pay will make you think twice in the future.

Other then NASCAR drivers there just is no real reason for excessive speeding which I would define as 10+ mph over the speed limit.

There is NO Unwritten 5mph Rule

Just so you know, there is an unwritten rule that you have roughly a 5 mph leeway over the posted speed limit as every driver occasionally drifts over the limit however this is at the discretion of the police. If you are just driving around your town/city well the gain you think you might have by speeding excessively just is not worth it in the time savings, potential speeding ticket or in risking your/my life!

Many people receive speeding tickets by constantly be late for work and thus feel the need to speed. Just some simple advise is to leave 10–15 minutes early each day as you will arrive less stressed out and in a better mood without the risk of getting a ticket. Also by taking it easy when driving to work you are one less person I worry about while I am out there.

Racing Friends is Going to End Bad

speed racingAlso one of the stupidest things that is related to speeding is the “idiots” who feel they need to prove something by racing their friends/buddies!

Nothing good ever comes out of this as a matter of fact you will read many times in your life that “Billy Bob was killed while attempting to race one of his friends last Saturday night”, just don’t do it period. If you do find yourself with the “Need for Speed” then I would suggest one of two things for you to do.

First think of signing up to become a local dirt track car racer where it’s legal and get it out of your system. If that does not suit you then save some money and fly to Germany and have a ball on their “Autobahn” going 120+ mph!

Speed Traps and Speed Cameras

speed camerasAnd finally one more thing that relates to speeding and that is people who just feel the need to have speed detectors that they think protects themselves against all the radar units used by police, they don’t always work! I had the privilege of spending over 12 hours with the local police department where I lived several years ago and road around through two shifts observing them.

Anyhow with the newest technology that they have at their disposal their radar detectors can outfox the best of your so called “toys” so save your money as well as just slow down!

Whoop Whoop…It’s the Sound of the Police!!!

Speaking of the police for some crazy reason many of us have been raised to be scared of them or we grow up thinking of them as the bad guys/girls and I have always been puzzled with this thought process. We often think of them as just driving around with the sole purpose of waiting on someone to come by that they can pull over and give a speeding ticket to as well as harass in general.

Ride Along

As I mentioned in the previous article I had the distinct pleasure/honor of riding around with several policemen at the Orange Beach Police Department in Alabama while researching for this blog and I can first hand tell you this is far from the truth! First I will get this out of the way in that the typical policeman/woman are not nearly paid enough for all they do.

Think of it for a minute what other job do you know that literally has the employee leave their house each day/night and risk putting their life on the line with single goal and duty of “Serving and Protecting” us? I will stay out of the politics of why they do what they do and get paid what they get paid but do know they do a heck of a lot more than just ride around looking for speeders! OK I feel better for getting that off my chest so let’s discuss what you should know about them and how they think/work.

In driving around with them I was able to get a better understanding of what goes on in their head while they are on their shift. First in many cases you have to go out of your way to have them want to pull you over or for them to bother you in general.

Driving down the road like a idiot, excessively speeding or the stupid act of texting while driving will sure as heck get you pulled over for sure.

Also if they were to stop and ticket every single driver that they see speeding even a little bit they would spend 80% of their time filling out paperwork and attending court. But as I said earlier their job is to “Serve and Protect” and they have so many other things to worry about such a violence, shootings, break ins not to mentioned the potential for murders so just looking for speeders is not by any means their top priority!

What to do if you are Pulled Over

Now that you know how I feel for these great people let’s discuss some things you need to be aware of in case you are pulled over.

  • what to do if pulled over by the policeFirst thing you need to do is have your driver’s license and insurance card ready to give to them once they approach your car. By the way do not get out of your car until you are instructed by them, period.
  • Secondly you need to be aware that by the time they have pulled you over and approach your car window they for the most part have everything they need to know about you such as where you live, your past driving record, whether you have insurance or not and if you have any outstanding tickets/warrants against you. So now is not the time to be thinking up any lies or stories to feed them!
  • Lastly sometimes it is all about your attitude as in being polite by saying yes sir/ma’am, etc. that can decide whether they will give you a warning or a official ticket. So now is certainly not the time to be a smart aleck!