The majority of drivers regularly exceed the speed limit. Mostly, it’s deliberate, sometimes accidental, and almost always not required. The average person drives around 13,500 miles in a year, depending on the posted speed limit 8 - 11 mph over; the lower the posted speed limit, the more Americans tend to go over. If you were to take these numbers and average them out, how much time do you think is saved every day by driving over the posted speed limit? Do you think the time saved is worth the risk? I’ll tell you how much time is saved at the end. There are a wide variety of motivations for speeding, which allow the average, otherwise law-abiding citizen to break the law daily. I want to talk about a few of the motivations I heard of for speeding and hopefully get you to consider your own motivations for not speeding.

While over 80% of drivers believe that speeding contributes to road accidents and is unlawful, there’s immediately conflicting evidence for the driver while on the road. Drive 55 mph in an urban area, and you won’t find hordes of pedestrians bouncing off your windshield. Sneak past a truck at 90 mph on the interstate, and your tires won’t explode, sending you off the road in a somersaulting ball of flames. You can even pass a posted-up highway patrol doing 5 mph over the limit, and you likely won’t receive a citation. We are taught to speed by our culture. It is a habit that we are taught from a young age and is carried over into many aspects of our lives. The posted speed limit is not treated as the limit but as more of a suggestion. If everyone around you is speeding, you can too. Even if you have an overzealous traffic cop, the odds are in your favor that the officer will stop someone else.

We also tend to reason out why speeding is necessary:

1. Not fast enough (you’re a danger to other road users around you because you create an obstruction)
2. Just right (you’re in a speed range that means you’re neither impeding traffic nor pushing the limits, and there’s a low amount of risk)
3. Too fast (you’ve elevated your risk level and/or you’re causing a danger to other road users).

This kind of ‘Goldilocks’ delineation doesn’t talk about speed limits themselves but more about your speed in relation to other road users and a consideration of the potential consequences. Speed choice is primarily attitudinal and circumstantial. It’s related to the opinions, maturity, and personality of the driver as well as the prevailing conditions on the road at that time. In extreme cases, a person might speed because of an emergency (rushing a mother in labor to the hospital, for example), but mostly people speed because:

1. They don’t care about the danger. (i.e., they are comfortable with the elevated risk)
2. They don’t perceive it as dangerous. (i.e., they are confident in their own skills, their vehicle’s protective features, and the current road conditions)
3. They have another pressure that seems more important. (e.g., late for a meeting or there are other supply chain pressures)
4. They like the feeling of speed.
5. They are not paying attention to their speedometer. (this covers most incidences of accidental speeding).
6. Fundamentally disagree with the speed limit.

So, how do we stop speeding? Instead of reasoning to break the law, use reason to abide by the law. Speed limits are put in place for the good of all, everyone who shares the roadway, not just professionals or middle-aged white guys. Roadways are meant to be shared by everyone. There are teens on the road, cyclists, grandparents, moms with precious cargo, and all manner of mental and physical distractions that need to be considered, and someone much smarter than myself came up with the speed limit that works best for all interested parties. Remember, not speeding is about more than just obeying the posted speed limit; it also includes reducing your speed as necessary depending on weather, road conditions, and a host of other situations and conditions that could require a reduction of speed.

Here are my primary reasons for not speeding.

1. I want to get home to my family, and I want everyone on the road with me to get home to theirs
2. It is the law – whether it is enforced or not is not my concern; it is the law.
3. There is a greater potential for crashes because of reduced time for reaction to changing road conditions.
4. Increased fuel consumption and cost.
5. It’s not worth it.

Here are some tips to keep in mind to avoid accidents or other dangers caused by speeding:

1. Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination.
2. Be patient.
3. Be mindful of other drivers around you.
4. Know the speed limit.
5. Be aware of what is happening inside and outside of your car.
6. Be aware of the weather.

At the end of the day, every driver must determine for themselves why it is important not to speed. The reasons will be unique to each driver, as value is assigned to an ever-changing sea of possibilities. I would simply stress that you should make it a conscious decision, know what you are risking, know what you are doing every time you get behind the wheel, and don’t fool yourself into thinking speeding is a good and right thing to do. If you have the opportunity, set the right example for the next generation of drivers and share your reasons for not speeding with them.

I said I would tell you how much time is saved by speeding using the national averages. Here they are:

1. Driving 66 in a 55, 11 mph faster than the posted speed limit, for one year, equates to about 6.5 minutes a day.
2. Driving 74 in a 65, 9 mph faster than the posted speed limit, for one year, equates to about 4.25 minutes a day.
3. Driving 78 in a 70, 8 mph faster than the posted speed limit, for one year, equates to about 3.25 minutes a day.

There were 42,795 fatal car crashes in the US in 2022, and about 29% were directly related to speeding, coming in at number two behind distracted driving as the second highest contributing factor for car crashes. So, I ask again, is it worth the risk? Not to me.