   Speeding and Accidents
  So I got a pretty huge speeding ticket on saturday night (driving on an empty highway at 1:00 AM), which prompted me to do some research on the effects of speeding and accidents.  I came accross some interesting research, which basically shows that there is little to no causation between speeding itself and traffic accidents.  There were some good studies done in Britain, British Columbia, and Germany, which show that speeding alone is not a major cause of accidents.  The largest factor(by far) in traffic accidents and fatalities turns out to be recklesss and irresponsible driving (of which speeding does not fall under).  In fact, 80% of all accidents involve speeds of less than 40 mph, and actually the drivers at the highest risk of being involved in an accident are those who drive *slower* than the average speed.Wreckless and irresponsible driving include: not paying attention, failing to yield, failing to signal before turning, cutting other drivers off, tailing other vehicles, driving while using a cell phone, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, among others.Also, the studies show that speeding enforcement (photo radar, aerial surveillance, unmarked radar) does not significantly reduce speeding and accidents.  From one of the sudies:quote:When the California Highway Patrol deployed a massive 40,000 extra patrol missions on four heavily traveled interstates in 1982, they succeeded in reducing the percentage of traffic exceeding the 55 mph speed limit from 76.2 percent to 74.7 percent. Not only was this reduction negligible, it disappeared a day or two after the extra patrols were stopped.Why Vehicles CrashCounteract the MythsIs Speed Killing Us?[edited by - Estese on August 18, 2003 12:04:00 PM]
  So basically you''re just mad you got a ticket for speeding?  How much were you speeding anyway? Anyway, the speed limits are there for a reason, heed them. ;  As long as you don''t speed among other people i guess it''s ok. You should really know that most speeding (unless you are doing some serious Need4Speed-type-o-speeding) won''t gain you any time. 2-4 minutes at most, and at the same time you up the "mortality level" alot.I remember reading something like 90km/h to 120km/h increased death by 400% and only gained about 4 minutes in time (at a certain distance). ;quote:Original post by Ekas78  As long as you don''t speed among other people i guess it''s ok. You should really know that most speeding (unless you are doing some serious Need4Speed-type-o-speeding) won''t gain you any time. 2-4 minutes at most, and at the same time you up the "mortality level" alot.I remember reading something like 90km/h to 120km/h increased death by 400% and only gained about 4 minutes in time (at a certain distance).   THat''s right, I''ve been overtaken by fucktards in their shitty little peugots or whatnot and then I''ve vaught up with them later.;  If there was no 55 limit, people would drive at 100MPH or higher all the time on highways.  Nobody would ever be able to merge onto a busy highway, and accidents would be much more common, since not every car can go that fast, and accidents happen from differences in speed, not absolute speed.  So I think speed limits on highways are OK but I still do 9 over (10 over is a ticket in PA) :-)On the other hand, if you''re doing 45 in a 25 school zone, you''re a serious danger and should be given 3-5 days in jail.~BenDilts( void ); ;  From what I have seen and heard, speed cameras ("photo radar") placed in accedent ''black spots'' help reduce fateleties and the number of accidents. Yes most drivers only slow down when approaching these cameras, but it works in the blackspot (though I wound if the rush of people breaking behind the camera have caused accidents? ). Any speeds over 30 do significantly increase the chances of a fatality becuase of insufficent space to do an emmergency stop. Speeding in residential areas or by schools when there are many children about is potentially more dangous than not speeding. However what you did does not seem so bad. But you did break the law and you deserve the ticket.-J ;  I have also heard (on talk radio) about studies showing that people who legally drive the speed limit are at greater risk than those who drive at the average speed of traffic.This bring into question the true agenda of the Department of Public "Safety".Fines on violations provide revenue.Revenue fosters dependance on violations.Are laws created in order to criminalize behavior for the purpose of revenue itself?How can this be avoided?  Is there a legal defense organization we can support to keep watch on this and prevent abuse? ;  Be very careful in what you read about speading statistics.One of the reasons why speeding related accidents are rare is because only a small minority of people excessively speed. If everyone drove around 10-20 mph over the limit, speed related accidents would be much higher.Let me re-iterate, speeding does cause accidents, just not very many because not every one speeds. Low numbers do not mean there is no cause and effect.I wonder what the statistics would look like if they looked at 2 groups. 1000 drivers that do not speed and their accidents and 1000 drivers that do speed and their accidents.;  People seem to be posting a lot of anecdotal evidence and popular myths.  Here's an excerpt from a study done by the National Motorists Association:quote:Press Releases - National Motorists Association: FOUNDATION STUDY SHOWS: SAFE TO RAISE FREEWAY SPEED LIMITS. According to a study just completed by the National Motorists Association Foundation* (NMAF), higher speed limits are not affecting highway safety. The study of recent federal fatality rate data found states that raised freeway speed limits had a significant safety improvement, slightly better than the nation as a whole. In 1995, the National Maximum Speed Limit was repealed, allowing each state to establish its own speed limits. During 1996, 33 states did just that. The Foundation study examined data from 1995, the last full year before limits were raised in these states, and 1997, the first full year after speed limits were raised. States that raised limits enjoyed a slightly greater fatality rate reduction of (5.00%)  , almost identical to the experience of the nation as a whole. Comparing the group of limit-raising states and the group of unchanged states, the study demonstrated that fatality rates dropped in both groups, essentially equally. Raising speed limits did not affect overall safety. The study examined fatality rates on all roads in each state, so that the expected usage shifts from less-safe undivided highways to safer and faster freeways were accounted for . . . [edited by - Estese on August 18, 2003 12:35:33 PM];  Motorway/Freeway Speed limits will never be raised and this is why:The majority of drivers drive 5-10 or so miles over the speed limit anyway, bump the speed limit up and those same drivers will continue to do 5-10 more than the new speed limit.  They wont go, "Oh right, now it''s been put up to 80 that''s what I''m gonna stick at".  So that study is a load of wank, hope it didnt cost a lot of money. 