Speeding to Nowhere: The Risks of Driving Too Fast

Every now and then drivers feel the need to speed up to reach their destination. What they don’t know is that their speed comes with repercussions that can be costly in several ways. Find out about the risks of driving too quickly below.

Crash Death and Injury

This one should be obvious: should a speeding driver get involved in a crash, the chances of dying go up. The IIHS states that over 28 percent of crash fatalities are related to speed, and that higher speeds create higher impact dangers. From the longer amount of time it takes to brake to the larger amount of force upon impact, a crash is more likely than it would be at legal driving speeds.

Big Fines

Most drivers are aware of ticket costs if they get caught speeding, but speeding is expensive beyond the slip of paper. It actually costs more in gas to speed regularly, averaging to about $0.21 per gallon; on top of getting ticketed, the costs get expensive quickly. Besides those fines, too much speeding (or reckless speeding) can result in losing one’s license or even jail time, meaning the driver will have to pay even more unnecessary costs to get where they need to go.

Back to School

That is, a driver with too many speeding offenses may have to reenter driving school. This can require sitting in on classes or simply taking a test, but it means drivers are studying when they could be on the road instead. As with tickets, schools such as the one at the 702 Traffic Law Office can help drivers sort out school problems in a wide variety of areas; however, this still comes with the cost of courses and court fees.

Economic and Environmental Damage

Speed-related crashes have an effect on society at large, as well. If a driver thinks they have a lot to pay for a speeding ticket, all the speed-related accidents in the U.S. costed roughly $52 billion dollars in 2010. On the environmental side, since speeding uses up more gas, more pollution is released into the air; excessive acceleration makes it worse. It’s better to be careful of speeds, then, for healthier and richer surroundings.

Ultimately, driving too fast is a dangerous game to play. Speeding can have a payoff in getting people places a little faster, but the associated risks should be more than enough to make them wary.