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The Debate on Speed Limits

Does speed really kill? My opinion has changed recently.

By Brian AnonymousPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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I know that there are a ton of people that debate this topic every day. There are are so many of us that don't think speed is an issue on the road, whereas others think it's one of our driving sins on the road. My opinion has wavered between each side throughout the years.

For those that argue that speed is harmless, I understand where you're coming from. Everyone that advocates speeding usually speeds themselves. They always bring up the usual arguments and always include Germany's infamous Autobahn highway without knowing too much about that stretch of road. Yes this stretch of highway has been around for years and has for the most part successful. Germany has a very different culture than what we have in North America. We think differently than those in Asia or Europe. They have their own social rules and norms that may help make the Autobahn a successful route. The same can be said for European drinking rules. They don't have tons of people binge drinking like they do in North America. What's what, North Americans and doing things in excess anyways.

Then again, maybe it has nothing to do with cultural norms. Within Canada, there's already stretches of highway that go to go up to 120 km/h. That's 75 mph for those that are unfamiliar with the metric system. I've even heard of a Texas State highway in the United States that goes up to 85 mph. That's 140 km/h for us in the metric system. These stretches of road seem to be doing fine, right? So what's the big deal about speeding?

I used to think that the people that complained about speed were only worried that the drivers can't control driving the car so fast. That's actually not the case, especially since all of the cars are so advanced. Driving a straight line in high speed is easier than ever. I did a little more research and started to understand why people don't want drivers to speed.

Of course, this especially dawned on me while I was watching a bunch of YouTube videos. What I noticed was that a lot of the crashes that occurred in those crash videos could have been prevented had people not been driving so fast.

Wait, hold my horses! How could I say this? I just mentioned that it's easier than ever to control a car going straight at a high velocity. What I didn't notice was that people still have to give themselves time to react. Sometimes there's a red light or a sharp turn where some people just can't handle a fast car. They might not be able to mentally comprehend when they're supposed to slow down. It's okay, we're all made differently. We all learn at different speeds. When you're driving, we don't want you to be learning how to react when you're going fast. There's little room for error because your reaction time is reduced.

That's not the only reason why speed is a problem. I admit that the reaction issue might be for a select group of people, but it only takes one person to kill a bunch of others. A vehicle is basically a weapon of destruction in the wrong hands.

To make matters worse, consider that select few with the slow reaction time and compound that group with another group. This new group would include those that are oblivious of others around them. We see them all the time when we see people walking around with the cell phone in their face without a care in the world. They're everywhere. People that are speeding cannot have the reflexes or the time to stop their car when these morons get in the way.

You can be the most advanced driver in the world, but you can't anticipate on stupid. Your car has a large amount of inertia when you're going fast, and you just can't stop it on time when something suddenly gets in your way. In this case, we aren't worried about the skill of the driver. We're worried worried about the idiots around those drivers.

After considering these arguments, my mind has been changed; well, to a certain extent. Speed might kill, but it might kill because of stupid situations surrounding the driver as well. We have to understand that we don't live in a world where everyone thinks rationally. It would be irrational that you even believe that we live in a world where everyone thinks rationally.

We have to slow down because of these situations. Fast drivers are also being very douchy as well. They have to consider that there are new and old drivers out there that aren't so confident driving. Your irrational speed can scare others into accidents due from the stress you gave to them.

In the end, there's laws and rules for a reason. You all took your driver's license to say that you understand those rules. To break those rules after getting a license is like taking a huge dump on the law and the citizens around you. It means you don't respect anyone and so that you can get things done your way. Sit back and reflect on your reactions and see how you're affecting others. Maybe you'll change your mind about speeding as well.

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About the Creator

Brian Anonymous

I have tons of opinions that change constantly. I watch a lot of movies and play video games. There are some articles on my struggles with languages and dance as well.

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