Why do people break the speed limit? Sometimes, often with young drivers, it’s just for the thrill of it. Much of the time, though, it’s because people are in a hurry. An employee may be rushing to work. A student may be rushing to school. Someone else is just rushing home to make dinner.
This is a result of living in a speed-obsessed culture. We are taught that productivity is the only thing that matters. We never want to slow down because that means we are getting less done. We rush because we feel this constant pressure to be on time, to save time and to use our time wisely.
But are we? Is it really wise to rush when we know it leads to more mistakes than if we slow down?
This is true in almost any setting. Rushing to write a paper could lead to more errors for that student. Rushing to complete a task on time could lead to critical mistakes for the employee. Rush dinner and you ruin the dish.
On the road, mistakes due to haste quickly become deadly. Speeding drivers make it so that they have less time to react to hazards. Sometimes, they lose control of their vehicles. Some do not see red lights or stop signs and accidentally run them.
Rushing in the car makes a crash more likely. Not only can this lead to serious injuries, but it creates a major delay that renders all of that rushing useless. People would be safer if they just slowed down.
Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this is going to happen any time soon. If you get injured in an accident with a speeding driver, you must know what legal options you have for recovery of your losses.
