Speeding And Its Costs Essay, Research Paper
Speeding And Its Costs
The reason that it is unsafe to speed is that it affects everyone. When
you speed, you endanger you, and everyone on the road. If you lose
control of the car, then you could hit someone, and possibly kill them, not to
mention yourself. Imagine how bad it would feel to hit a new mother, with
her baby beside her, and kill her new born baby. Would you be able to live
with that for the rest of your life? Or if you are on your way home from
work, and you wanted to get home a little early, so you decide to speed.
Well on your way home, you hit a car that looks familiar. When you walk up
to the window, you glance in, and on the seat dead is your mother. These
are things that happen to people everyday. These are things you need to
think about every time you speed, or drive wrecklessly. Motor vehicle
crashes are the leading cause of death among Americans 1-37 years old. ”
With the largest % being our age group. (Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety). However, did you know that according to the IIHS, you are 34%
MORE likely to be involved in an accident if you use a car phone while
driving? In 1998 there were 41,471 reported deaths from car accidents. That
is an average of 118 people dying a day because people driving wecklessly.
Most people think they know how to drive better than everyone else. Proven
in a national survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 3/4 of the
543 drivers questioned thought their driving skills were above average. (U.S.
News) A good driver is a person who operates a vehicle with skill and does
not engage in unsafe driving practices. This person should also know his or
her limitations, as well as the vehicle s. There are very few “Good Drivers”
out there today.
I have learned that the only place that speeding will get you faster, is in
trouble. The aftermath of a speeding ticket includes high cost, time, and the
overall frustrating experience. The expenses for a speeding ticket may vary
depending on the seriousness of the offense. Most states charge anywhere
between ten and twenty dollars for every mile per hour over the speed limit.
In most cases the numbers quickly add up to hundreds of dollars per ticket.
Most insurance companies consider a person with an extensively bad driving
record a high risk driver. Then that persons insurance rates quickly sky
rocket to a additional hundreds of dollars a year. Costing then much more
than the initial ticket that they thought they would get away with just paying it
off. The tickets often stay on a person s record for a number of years, there
for are a constant reminder of the previous mistake. This can harm your
chances for a new job (depending on the ticket), or harm your chances on
getting decent or cheap insurance rates.
It took me a speeding ticket, and two accidents to realize that cars are
not toys, and they will hurt you, and others. I totaled two cars, and was hurt
in both incedents. I thought I was an experienced driver, and it would never
happen to me, but it did. Because I was not used to the conditions that
arose. Not every accident can be avoided, but the majority are due to
incompetence, inattention or lack of experience. I can see now that cars have
to be respected, or they will kill you, or at least hurt you very badly. I have
learned from Drivers Ed, and defensive driving courses that you must always
pay attention to the conditions around you. Nobody is a perfect driver, so
always pay attention. Young, inexperienced drivers (that includes people
between the ages of 15 to 20) account for ONLY 6.7% of the licensed
drivers in the U.S. However, this age group is involved in OVER 40% of the
total fatal accidents while speeding or recklessly operating a vehicle. Most
of these people thought that they were in the right while breaking these laws,
because they were not taught about them, or they thought they would not get
caught. Speeding is one of the most common ways young people break the
law.
From now on I will not speed no matter how late I am, or how bad I
want to get there. In closing, I would like to appologize to the court, and the
people that I endangered while speeding.
By: Micheal Turner