Ten reasons to "slow down" this summer

For every reason there is to speed, there is a better one not to. Here are 10 compelling reasons to stop driving too fast, presented by Autobytel Inc's "Take the Pledge to Slow Down," a grassroots movement encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their driving habits.

Because summer is the most fatal time on U.S. roads. Americans travel more than one trillion miles during summertime. Nationally, an average of 269 additional people die in traffic fatalities each month during the summer than the rest of the year. Of the 25 deadliest days on U.S. roads in the past five years, 20 fell between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.

To save lives. Higher speeds mean more accidents and more fatalities. Studies demonstrate that nine out of 10 pedestrians will die when hit by a car going 40 mph. At 30 mph, half will survive and, at 20 mph, one out of 10 will be killed. About one-third of all fatal motor vehicle accidents involve at least one driver who was speeding.

To save your own life. If you are traveling 10 mph above the average speed on the road, you are six times more likely to be involved in a crash. The chances of death or serious injury double for every 10 mph over 50 mph a vehicle travels.

To save gas, The faster you drive, the more fuel you burn--and gas prices never have been higher. Slowing down from 65 mph to 55 mph increases gas mileage by roughly 20%, while driving 65 rather than 75 improves fuel-efficiency by 25%.

To avoid expensive tickets. The average cost of a speeding ticket, with court fees, runs $150. The average insurance increase over three years after a speeding ticket is roughly $300.

Because the government is planning tougher speeding crackdowns. Excessive speed has become a top priority for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the government is pushing for high-visibility enforcement, with steep penalties for the worst speeders and expanded use of technology such as camera systems that send tickets to violators automatically.

Because speeding does not really save that much time. Speeding, with the goal of making up time on the road, has a surprisingly small payback. A driver traveling 20 miles in a 60 mph zone saves a mere 1.5 minutes by going 65; 2.9 minutes by moving at 70; and four minutes zipping at 75 mph.

Because speeding wastes money as well as lives. The human cost of speeding-related fatalities is inestimable, but the actual dollar cost can be quantified: Americans spent $40,300,000,000 on accidents involving excessive speed last year.

Because speeding is not just a "big city" problem. Nearly 60% of fatal crashes occur on two-lane, undivided roads, and rural local roads are five times as dangerous as urban interstates. Rural citizens, meanwhile, are two and a half times as likely to be killed on highways than their urban counterparts. Overall, the fatality rate on local streets is more than three times that on interstates.

Because speeding contributes to road rage. Summer driving usually means chaotic and congested roads, scorching temperatures, and screaming kids; throw speeding into the mix, and you are contributing to that growing American crime: road rage. Since 1990, traffic accidents involving violence have increased seven percent each year; 54% of drivers report that they have been the victim of a road rage incident; and 78% say they have witnessed an incident of road rage.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning