Page 9 - AAA Every Day – AAA Hudson Valley – May/June 2021

SAFETY ZONE
Speeding Risks
More than a Ticket
Summer driving should be enjoyable, but don’t underestimate the risk involved with speeding. We are buckled up and surrounded by safety technologies. It’s understandable why we don’t perceive the risk outright. Be honest with yourself. Think about a time you found yourself stuck behind a slower-moving vehicle. Were they driving too slowly or were you going too fast? Did your heart skip a beat the last time you passed a police car because you realized you were driving about 15 mph over the speed limit?
This article is not about avoiding tickets. Our overall goal is to help you avoid hurting yourself or someone else. The best way to determine a safe speed is to constantly adjust to three main factors:
1. Your ability to see at least 20 seconds ahead
2. The weather conditions and your tires’ grip on the
roadway
3. Who is sharing this roadway? (Pedestrians, bicycles,
animals, disabled vehicles, first responders, etc.)
Since conditions are always changing, your safe
speed is constantly changing as well. Many drivers try
to simplify this process by suggesting it’s best to go with the flow. This approach has limitations. On the plus side, by limiting the number of other vehicles that cross your path, crash risk should be lower. On the negative side, you are assuming that the drivers around you are keeping safety in mind. Limit this “go with the flow” approach to
Shutterstock: Dmitry Kalinovsky
highway driving only. For all other roadways, the danger to pedestrians and bicyclists is too high. Based on a 2011 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety “the average risk of severe injury for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle reaches 10% at an impact speed of 16 mph, 25% at 23 mph, 50% at 31 mph, and 90% at 46 mph.”
Over the last decade, several states have raised highway speed limits. Supporters of these changes suggest
that higher, more realistic speed limits will cut down on speeding and simplify roadway flow. Today, 41 states
allow 70 mph or higher speeds on some roadways, including eight states that have maximum speeds of 80 mph. Unfortunately, higher speed limits have not reduced speeding. In fact, the majority of these states are seeing an increase in crashes with more injuries and fatalities.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are working together to study this issue. An increase of only 10-15 mph resulted in significantly more structural damage and greater forces on the crash dummies. 2020 saw large decreases in traffic volume (because of the pandemic), but no drops in roadway fatalities. We all like getting
to places quickly, but keep in mind we all share the roadways. For your safety and the others around you, understand the risk before you hit the pedal to the metal.
Check out the full Foundation study at
aaafoundation.org.
Mike Sweeney is a Traffic Safety Educator at AAA Hudson Valley.
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