Foremost Insurance Group | Speeding: Dangerous and Costly Save Money and Save Lives

Grand Rapids, MI – There are three major dangerous driving behaviors that worry safety advocates: drunk driving, not wearing your seat belt and speeding. In the last couple decades the first two – drunk driving and not wearing your seat belt – have gotten significant attention, saving many lives.

As for speeding, though, that’s a different matter. Many safety advocates say that speeding is the one behavior that drivers, police and legislators don’t take seriously enough. Here’s why.

Estimates are that one third of all fatal auto crashes – approximately 250 each week in the United States – involve excessive speed. That’s not a surprise to anyone who has been through driver’s training. From the first day of training, you were told and retold that that speed is dangerous. Or as the safety folks remind us – Speed Kills! So why do people speed? Reports from judges who hear the pleas of those ticketed for speeding suggest that many people who speed feel justified in doing so. Here are a few excuses typically heard in court:

I was picking up a sick child/had a sick child in the car.
I had to get home before (insert excuse).
I was going downhill and didn’t realize the car speeded up.
I was going with traffic.
I thought the speed limit was higher.
I thought the cops always gave you 10 miles per hour over the limit.

From a legal perspective, speeding is simply the act of breaking the speed limit. But many individuals see those limits as – well – too limiting. Many see five, 10 or even 20 miles an hour over the limit on the highway as acceptable. And many speeders have found police officers to be amazingly understanding when they explain their reasons for speeding – even if it’s a reason taken from one of the many Internet sites that purport to offer effective “But Officer” excuses designed to avoid getting a speeding ticket.

So, if it’s so dangerous, why do people speed? Psychologists tell us that speeding is a habit, one that is considered acceptable in a society that typically rewards people for doing things as fast as they can. Also, speeding for some people is a way of taking on and controlling what individuals themselves see as an acceptable level of risk. Many speeders also overestimate their driving skills and minimize the actual risk they are taking when they drive over the limit.

Why is speed so dangerous? Basic physics. When a speeding driver sees an emergency, he or she will travel a greater distance before beginning to react to the emergency than will a driver who is traveling at the speed limit. It also takes the speeder longer to stop his or her vehicle than it takes a driver who is driving the legal limit. And, the energy created in a crash increases at higher speeds (remember E=MC2).

Other issues speeding drivers face:

A greater likelihood of going out of control from a sudden flat tire
Less control or traction, especially in wet or icy conditions
The likelihood of finding themselves on top of slower drivers who are moving into the passing lane.
Using more gas and costing them a lot more money even if they don’t get a ticket.

The Costs of Speeding

If you’re at fault in an accident or get a ticket for speeding, the cost of speeding becomes pretty straightforward. There’s a fine and costs for a ticket. If you’re in an accident, there are greater costs because you may have a fine and costs plus an insurance deductible to pay. Depending on the severity of the accident, the insurance you carry and the laws in your state, there may be other expenses as well – possibly even a lawsuit against you. Tickets, whether for speeding or for a resulting accident, can also affect your insurance rates. They’re likely to go up and it will take several years of a clean driving record to get them back down again.

Even if you’re one of those rare speeders who never get a ticket, you’ll still pay a high cost for your attraction to speed in your gas mileage. This one costs you every day. If you’re an aggressive driver, chances are you’re spending about 37% more on gas than your more moderate driving friends. On a long trip, driving the speed limit adds up to a 14% savings in gas costs. And use cruise control. It’s a surprisingly efficient gas saver. Plus, cruise control set at the speed limit can save you an expensive ticket.

Foremost Insurance wants to help you travel safely and get the most out of your driving experiences whether it’s a trip to the grocery store or a trip our across the country. For more information about Foremost auto insurance programs visit our Web site at Foremost.com, our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ForemosInsurance or our Twitter page at www.Twitter.com/Foremost.