Don't Speed!

When you spend too much time as a passenger in a car, you don’t realize how much people speed. Recently, I decided to literally blow the dust off of my car and take a drive. I was amazed at how many people passed by me going well over the speed limit. Having been pulled over in the past for driving over the limit, I am cautious now to not speed. I hope the following ten reasons (in no particular order) why I no longer speed will convince you to slow down too.

1. A Need To Be Safe

   The most obvious reason not to speed is that it’s highly unsafe. You never know what lies ahead of you. There may be a roadblock. There may be a sudden piece of traffic on an otherwise clear road. There may be a car broken down. There may be someone crossing the road. What will you do? Will you be able to react in time? Yes, there is such a thing as brakes. However, you can’t count on your brakes to always work. You need to slow down so that you don’t cause an accident. Killing someone (or yourself) just because you love driving fast is not a good enough excuse.

2. Let’s Not Be Rude

   It is irritating to be driving five over the speed limit in the “slow lane” and still be tailgated by another car. Yet, the fact that I used to do this when I first got my license irritates me far more. In order to not cause bad blood between yourself and another driver, you need to be respectful. There will come a day when your car breaks down and you’ll want one of these drivers to help you out, or, at the least, not splash you with mud. If you’re a jerk, no one will help you. It’s that simple.

3. Please Don’t Give Me A Ticket

   When I was a commuter in college, I sped nearly every day, but I was never pulled over. Yet, once I graduated from college and drove far less, I was pulled over for speeding. To me, this is hilarious. With the economy being how it is the police seem to be out more often looking for speeders to ticket thus making money for the state. Knowing this, the fact that people still persist in speeding is amazing. If saving your life isn’t enough of an incentive to slow down, let the need to keep your money where it belongs be. Your bank account will thank you.

4. There’s So Much Beauty Out There

   I never realized how beautiful and scenic highways can be until I slowed down. When I began to drive the speed limit, I suddenly saw trees and water. I could appreciate life more and regretted wasting so much time speeding. I’m not saying you should pay more attention to foliage than to the road. However, I am saying that even the most mundane a trip can be enjoyable if you slow down and see what the area looks like. Don’t miss another sunset because you’re too centered on the car in front of you going too slow to see anything, but their taillights.

5. Gas Prices Are Too High

   Numerous studies show that you use more gas when you drive above the speed limit than when you drive at or below the speed limit. While statistics may mean little to you, I’m sure the gasoline bill you get at the end of the month does mean something. Our economy is too terrible now to waste money on expenses we could do something about. Slow down a little and be amazed by the money you will save.

6. Go Faster, Damn It!

   You’re driving well over the speed limit and despite flashing your lights to tell the driver in front of you to go faster or to change lanes, they are still going the speed limit and refusing to move aside. You can feel the frustration building inside of you and you don’t know how much longer you can fight the urge to ram into their car. Suddenly, you lose control and slam into them. Judging by the condition of their car, you know they’ll be going to the hospital. If you had only slowed down or changed lanes yourself, you wouldn’t be in this mess. However, you were too centered on your need for speed that you weren’t thinking clearly. Road rage is real, and it is scary. Don’t be a victim of it.

7. Did I Really Just Miss That Exit?

   Until I learned to slow down, I always missed exits. I would get myself settled in the “fast lane” and continue in that lane even if I didn’t have a long way to go. I wouldn’t think to change lanes until I saw the exit and by then I was too late. Or I’d be in the correct lane to get onto the off ramp, but I’d be so preoccupied with going faster that I’d miss my exit then too. I’m not saying that people who drive slowly don’t miss their exits. Having nearly been killed by a couple of them, I know they do. However, it seems to happen far less especially in my case. In short, people usually speed because they are in a rush to get some place. From experience, I know it takes far more time to loop around than it does to slow down for the correct exit. The next time you’re speeding, and you know your exit is coming up, have the sense to switch lanes an exit before.

8. Waiting…Waiting…Waiting

   I remember I would speed to school and then wait forever in the parking lot to go in. After getting tired of waiting, I decided to leave my house later than I had been. It never hit me that if I had driven the speed limit, I wouldn’t have had this problem. On a connected note, when you’re early arriving some place and don’t just wait in your car people get annoyed. You are given a meeting time for a reason. No one wants to feel rushed or made to feel like they’re late when they aren’t. To keep from experiencing these problems, don’t speed. Use your time wisely by not getting on people’s nerves including your own.

9. This Isn’t Fun Anymore.

   One of the main reasons why I stopped speeding was that it stopped being fun. I always had to watch out for other cars and for hidden police cars. I started getting stressed and being anxious about driving. I came to realize that I didn’t enjoy driving anymore and that the reason why was because I was speeding. Once I stopped speeding, I started enjoying driving again. If you’re tired of driving, you might want to try slowing down. It could change your outlook.

10. Baby, Don’t Do This to Me!

    Though I have no definitive proof, I have a theory that my constant speeding contributed to the death of my first car. It was old when I got it and had many miles on it. I worked it hard, and it died painfully. My car was my baby and I killed her. This is why, beyond regular maintenance, I urge you to slow down. You don’t want to have to send your car to the junkyard just because you couldn’t control your speeding. There are few things more painful than having to wave goodbye to your car.

To be sure, speeding is a dangerous form of pleasure. People can get hurt. Driving records can get marred. Cars can die senselessly. Though I long denied it, nobody wins when you speed. The next time you have the urge to floor it, take a second to think about the damage you could do. Once you pass that point, there’s no going back.