WHY WE HAVE SPEED LIMITS

Daun Thompson — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 13:00:39 +0000

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), “Speeding limits are posted primarily to inform motorists of the speed considered reasonable by a majority of drivers on a particular roadway.” And, a safer driving environment is established when motorists drive at the same speed. If you don’t know what that means, check out last week’s blog. You see, it’s all about safety. This is why we have speeding limits. In the U.S., limits have been set to protect the public and regulate unreasonable behavior. Oddly, this is also my mother’s excuse for not having more children.

MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT

Keeping up with the flow of traffic, even if everyone is speeding, is the absolutely proven to be safest. But, as police say, the sign posts the “limit” and if you go over the limit, you could get a speeding ticket. And proving why you were going 40mph in a 20mph school zone will be close to impossible. But, come on, driving 20mph feels like you’re crawling. And, heaven forbid the guy in front of you is driving like a nervous chihuahua and not even doing 20!

MINIMUM SPEED LIMIT

Minimum speeding limits are typically posted on higher speed roadways and freeways. Not keeping up with the flow of traffic, or driving too slow definitely causes more car accidents. But, it is said that the high-impact from speeding crashes cause more traffic fatalities. And that’s why police still write so many speeding tickets. They should absolutely be writing them for driving too slow, as well.

For more information about why speed limits are set and a list of speed zone studies, check with your state’s department of transportation. If you live and drive in the great state of Texas, go to https://www.txdot.gov/driver/laws/speed-limits/studies.html.

Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

WHY WE HAVE SPEED LIMITS – Comedy Defensive Driving

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NOT KEEPING UP WITH TRAFFIC FLOW

Daun Thompson — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 13:00:14 +0000

I seem to always be the last passenger to board the plane. The only seat left on the plane was in the “crying baby” section. It was exactly what I deserved for not arriving on time. So, I put in my ear buds to block out some of the crying, as to “appear” to be listening to music (although it wasn’t plugged into anything, so I must have looked like a knucklehead). This inspired me to come up with a “Personal Space Kit for Travelers.” The kit will include a life-like baby doll that one can prop in the middle seat so no one will sit in your row. And a pair of sound-canceling headphones for you to wear so you won’t be able to hear “is this seat taken?” Of course, the baby will have matching headphones so other passengers won’t speak to it, either. Perhaps also a cigar for you both. No smoking on the plane? Sorry, I didn’t hear that announcement with these giant ear muff headphones.

SPEEDING vs. DRIVING TOO SLOW

I was doing a crossword puzzle on the plane and got stumped on “A Traffic Cop’s Concern.” That’s an easy one, I thought. But “quota” wouldn’t fit in the boxes. The answer was “speeding.” But speeding is no longer a leading cause for motor vehicle collisions. Driving too slow or not keeping up with traffic flow is currently the leading cause. Like the correct answer, speeding seems to be the leading cause of traffic tickets. But, I have, in my 8+ years of teaching defensive driving, only instructed one student who had been cited for driving too slow. So, why still write speeding tickets? It is fact that slow drivers cause more traffic accidents than speeders. But it is also proven that the high-impact from speeding crashes cause the fatalities, because “speed kills.” I would wager a bet that there are not many speeders in those states that have legalized marijuana.

MINIMUM SPEED LIMIT SIGNS

Any state I have traveled to within the past year all have minimum speed limit signs. My state (at least in my area) does not. But I know we used to have them. Perhaps they removed them all and stored them in a big warehouse somewhere and then sold them to another state. They should definitely put them back up, if driving too slow is the current leading cause for car crashes. Perhaps if it’s posted with signage, a driver can then be cited for driving too slow. That is one ticket that they should absolutely be writing!