Speeding

Interesting video isn’t it?  I’ll do a little conversion for those of you who aren’t accustomed to thinking in terms of kilometers.

One of the cars is travelling 60 kmph (37.28 mph) and the other is travelling at 65 kmph (40.39 mph) which is a difference of 5 kmph (3.1 mph) at the start.

Both cars hit the brakes at the same time and he said that in the last 5 meters (5.47 yds) you wipe off half of your speed.

So when the cars hit the truck, one is traveling 5 kmph (3.1 mph) and the other is still traveling 32 kmph (19.88 mph) which is a difference of 27 kmph (16.78 mph).

So, roughly, the difference of 3 mph of speed at the beginning makes a difference of 17 mph when they hit the truck.  That is a huge difference.  I have been driving for 32 years and I never would have guessed that 3 mph would make that much difference.  This video really goes a long way in explaining what a significant difference it makes to follow the speed limit.  I know many people who go 30 mph in a 25 mph zone and feel that this is fine.  Based on what we have just learned, 5 mph will obviously make a big difference in stopping distance.

I did a bit of Googling and found a site called brakingdistances.com.

Using their calculator I ran some examples:

No one can say for sure what the exact braking distance will be, but we can estimate and get close.  Every braking distance calculation must take into account several factors:  Reaction Time, Surface Conditions, and Gradient.  The condition of the car’s brakes and tires will also make a big difference.  These calculators assume that the car has good tires and brakes.

• Reaction time is the time it takes the average person to actually touch their foot to the brake pedal once they realize that they need to stop (these figures assume average reaction times).
• Surface condition is the condition of the road (these figures are assuming dry roads).
• Gradient is the slope of the road (these figures assume the road is flat).

So, on flat, dry roads with good tires, good brakes and an average driver:

• 65 Mph = reaction time of 64 ft + braking distance of 211 ft = 275 ft of actual stopping distance
• 60 Mph = reaction time of 59 ft + braking distance of 180 ft = 239 ft of actual stopping distance
• 55 Mph = reaction time of 54 ft + braking distance of 151 ft = 205 ft of actual stopping distance
• 45 Mph = reaction time of 44 ft + braking distance of 101 ft = 145 ft of actual stopping distance
• 30 Mph = reaction time of 30 ft + braking distance of 45 ft = 75 ft of actual stopping distance
• 25 Mph = reaction time of 25 ft + braking distance of 31 ft = 56 ft of actual stopping distance

If we are speeding and traveling 30 mph in a 25 mph zone it will take us an extra 19 feet to stop our car under perfect conditions.  On a city street with pedestrians crossing, an extra 19 feet is an awful long distance.

How many lives might we save if we could stop 19′ sooner?

Another thing to consider is maybe you were a bit distracted?  Maybe your brakes and tires aren’t new?  Maybe there is snow, ice or gravel on the road?  Maybe you are going down hill at the time?  There are so many variables that can make these stopping distances so much worse, that we need to always watch our speed and pay attention to give ourselves the best possible chance of stopping when we need to.

Living in Wisconsin I have seen plenty of people driving too fast for conditions.  The posted speed limits are applicable when there are perfect conditions.  If there is a bit of snow, ice or even rain on the road, we need to slow down considerably.  Far too often, people just keep driving the speed limit and they cause accidents.  Whenever the roads aren’t dry you need to slow down.  If they look slippery, test your brakes a bit to see how slippery it is.  Another thing to consider is that even though you might have a four wheel drive or all wheel drive vehicle, it still takes the same amount of time to stop.

The fact is that speed kills.  It is definitely fun and it is definitely exhilarating, but speeding is best left on the race track, not on the streets of your town.  I know that everyone is in a hurry and everyone seems to be a few minutes late for everything, but it is not worth risking your life or the life of others.

Consider this:

If you are crossing town and the drive is 6 miles, at 25 miles per hour the drive will take you 14.4 minutes.  If you decide to speed and go 30 miles per hour instead, you have increased your stopping distance by about 19′ and you have saved only about 2.4 minutes if you don’t hit any stop lights.

The exhilaration and time saved really don’t amount to much, so why do so many people speed?  Why do so many people risk their lives and the lives of others just for a few minutes?  I don’t think that any of us have the answer to this question, but I ask you to consider the risks every time that you drive.  If we could all keep the risks in the back of our minds as we drive, we could all be a little bit safer.  Just like a little bit of speed can make a big difference, a little bit of concern and awareness can go a long way toward making our roads safer for all of us.