Opinion Piece 2
Do you drive like you can afford a ticket? If yes, you’re not alone.
I personally believe that driving faster is safe as long as the road conditions permit. For instance, if there was a blizzard and the temperature were low, I would not drive faster than the posted limit, however on a sunny day during the summer seasons, maybe I would. I admit I have a bit of a lead foot, and most times I don’t realise how much faster over the posted limit I am going, but it is the most frustrating thing when someone is in the left lane going the limit; this could be more harmful than going 10kms over. According to the AODD traffic school, driving faster can be safer. “...it is actually safer to drive at a higher rate of speed.” (Feb 2018) The AODD says this for a few reasons, most accidents are caused by slow driving, you are less likely to get in an accident than drivers who are going slower or more “safely”, and people usually drive at a speed they feel comfortable at. If someone feels safe doing 70kms in a 50kms zone, they are safer than someone doing 45kms in a 50km zone on the same roads. On the highway just north of Nanaimo, the speed limit was 120kms, and just recently they changed it to 110kms, and a lot of people who drive that portion of the highway were outraged, as they felt safe doing 120kms and it made their driving time faster. To conclude, I believe that driving faster is safer and if you are travelling at a speed in which you feel comfortable with, you are a safer driver than one who goes below the speed limit, wreaking the flow of traffic.
Links:
AODD Traffic School: http://www.aoddca.com/is-driving-faster-actually-safer
Nanaimo Highway: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/culture/article-would-the-road-be-safer-if-we-could-drive-faster/
I found this article a great read for making me think of other examples on how when driving faster you are actually safer and to mind the notorious Autobahn in Germany. It has been said to be one of the best highway systems in the world, and yet it has unrestricted speed limits?! This works well because generally the Germans are good drivers, why? Because they go through intensive steps to get their licenses "To get a license in Germany, you are required to take tons of driving lessons, including several where you're taken on the actual Autobahn and put into real, high-speed traffic. Drivers must receive basic first-aid training, and on top of that, you still have an incredibly difficult multiple choice exam and the road test." (https://www.businessinsider.com/germanys-autobahn-vs-us-highways-compared-2016-3#german-drivers-are-especially-good-because-of-a-strict-licensing-test-system-2).
ReplyDeleteThe highway is also well maintained, passing is very strictly enforced and cars are REQUIRED to have regular and very thorough inspections. It would seem that the Autobahn accounts for "11% of Germany's traffic deaths. The autobahn fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per billion travel-kilometres compared favorably with the 4.6 rate on urban streets and 6.5 rate on rural roads." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn) thats such a small number!A study done showed that "having a speed limit does not the lower the number of fatalities on motorways"
(https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/may/13/speed-limits-reduce-number-road-deaths)
So it would seem maybe you are on to something here! Maybe we should learn something from Germany and put more importance and regulations on education on HOW to drive and keeping our roads and vehicles safe rather than enforcing such strict highway speeds. We all need a good fast drive on a sunny day sometimes, right? speeding ticket be damned.