There’s an interesting little notion out there, proffered by some of our more politically correct, but perhaps less skilled Safe Driving advocates, that driving fast — is dangerous.  “Okay.”

Driverthink wouldn’t disagree that “Speed Kills”.  It would suggest however, that the concept of speed will mean different things to different drivers.  Yes, it’s true that hitting a bridge abutment at ninety miles per hour is going to cause some serious hurt, but hitting it at forty or fifty five isn’t exactly going to leave the rest of your day intact, either. 

So how fast is fast?  How fast is dangerously fast?

Asking this rhetorical question is like asking, “How rich is rich”?  To some, having a couple of hundred thousand in the bank might be considered fairly well off.  To others it could be nearing abject poverty.  It’s all relative.  More importantly, it’s all relative as to who’s answering the question. 

We’re cooking down our highway at the average speed of seventy.  We glance in our rear view mirror and suddenly, we see her — bearing down on us.  In another heart beat she goes flying by.  “Sheesh — she must have been doing ninety five or a hundred.”  “She’s going way too fast!”  “She’s a danger to everyone else on the highway!”

But wait!  Suddenly, as the car fades quickly into the future, we notice the overheads.  It was a State Trooper!  Hmmm.  Was she still going too fast?  Is she still a danger? 

Most would suggest, “Probably not”.  Not because she’s a cop who has the right to go fast, but rather because she’s a cop and she’s been trained to go fast.  She has the skills to go fast – and go fast safely.  Sure, if she hits something it’s going to be curtains, but that’s not very likely to happen.  And while she certainly knows she’s moving, she doesn’t feel unsafe at her high speed.  It’s second nature to her.  She’s comfortable up there.

Next of course there’s the “speed limit” issue.  Some will suggest that if we’re breaking the speed limit, we’re going too fast.  Hmmm again.  When even our slow lane drivers are comfortably buzzing along at limit plus ten or fifteen, it should become kind of obvious that, for an extreme majority of our drivers, the speed limit is at best an unrealistic guideline – posted by bureaucrats who may never have even seen the road – or even worse, a steering wheel.

If “Slow Down” is the best suggestion we can come up with, to advocate for safer driving and if eighty percent of our drivers are ignoring limits, then “Guess what, folks.”  “It ain’t working!”  Maybe we need to come up with something better.  Something a little more realistic.

How fast is too fast?  Again, who’s answering the question?

Is it a skilled, experienced highway driver?  There are plenty of them out there.  They understand a higher rate of speed.  They “forward look” for miles.  They know their vehicle and exactly how it will react to an emergency lane change or a panic stop – before it happens.  They’re smooth.  They take driving seriously.  They’ve developed their driving skills to the max.  They are totally comfortable at their chosen speed.  If you suggest that they’re driving too fast, they’re going to roll their eyes and acknowledge you as just another unskilled Road Hazard.

Are you asking a less qualified driver – perhaps a driver who simply hasn’t learned yet (or never will), that there’s more to highway driving than putting the car in gear and aiming it down the boulevard.  Sure they’re uncomfortable.  Their knuckles “glow white” as they tightly grip the wheel.  For this driver, the others whizzing by him are all crazy and driving way too fast.  This driver judges others by his own limitations.

You may also be asking a driver who only thinks he knows how to drive. Yeah, he’s found the gas pedal, but he’s never actually taken a car sideways and wouldn’t have a clue how to control it if it started to go there.  Under steer, Over steer and Throttle Steer are completely foreign concepts to him – but he’s still the best driver on the road.  How fast is fast to him?

A theme begins to emerge here.  It’s about “comfort”.  If you’re not comfortable at you chosen speed, or if the adrenaline is racing through your veins, you’re probably driving too fast – maybe not for the race track, but certainly for the highway.  How fast is too fast?  Let your body answer the question.

How do we stop the road carnage?  How do we get comfortable?  By constantly developing the skills that will make us safer drivers.   

“Unskilled Driving Kills.”  Not quite as catchy, perhaps, as “Speed Kills,” but a far more realistic approach to safe driving advocacy.

Please Add your COMMENTS BELOW.  What do You Think?

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