The Safe Driver

Is there pressure to do the proper thing?

We have so much pressure on ourselves to do the proper thing these days. That pressure seems to start when we were kids as our parents checked up on us from time to time. Sometimes we end up making the wrong choices in life and if we’re lucky, we survive it. I’m sure you’ve done some things while driving that made you feel that you were really lucky since nothing bad happened because of it. Examples would be running a stop sign or red light because you didn’t see them, or perhaps cutting off a cyclist or motorcyclist because you failed to check your mirrors or blind spot. Does speeding come into that category as well?

I recently read where a driver was caught driving 240 km/h in a 70 km/h zone at 3 am. Why on earth would they feel they could get away with something like that on public streets? This wasn’t an error of not seeing the speed limit signs. It was a very bad judgement of ability and risk on their part. http://bit.ly/h0gDQd

This poses a question though; why are passenger vehicles made to go that fast when most roads only allow the driver to travel at speeds up to roughly 100 km/h or 110 km/h (70 mph)? This driver was assessed fines that reached $2,598 and got 42 demerit points. I can only imagine what their auto insurance would be after a stunt like this. I hope he can’t find insurance once he gets his license back. Better yet, maybe he won’t get his license back. Here’s hoping. He got a six month suspension, but was it enough?

The marketing department from auto makers are doing their job to make everyone like the new vehicle they’re selling because it can accelerate quickly or go very fast. The commercials make it very appealing to younger buyers. Why is that a necessary component to driving a vehicle on public roads?

In some jurisdictions, trucks are restricted from driving past a certain speed. They have a device in their engine that stops the driver from allowing the vehicle to drive too quickly. This is to help reduce traffic injury and death associated to transport trucks. Can’t the same things be dome with passenger cars? I’m a NASCAR fan and years ago the top dogs of NASCAR put restrictor plates in the engines to reduce the horsepower of the vehicle. This stopped the vehicle from going too quickly along the track. Could something like that work on public roads? Would that help solve the injuries and deaths associated to speeding?

Possibly, but it’s the driver that pushes the pedal. It’s the driver that reads the speed limit sign or the speedometer. Perhaps there needs to be a compromise. Make vehicles that can’t accelerate so quickly and drive so fast but also teach drivers to pay attention and respect other road users. Let’s start with driver education so each driver can take pride in their life and their possessions first, then the vehicle makers can do their part. It’s a long haul to have this done, but I think it’ll be worth it in the long run.