There can be no better feeling than hitting the open road and pushing the pedal to the metal – literally. As the speed rises, so does the thrill. Adrenaline gives an amazing rush – that’s why it feels so good. But, there’s a time and a place. While a highly skilled driver is capable of operating a car very well at high speed, speed limits on roads exist for a reason. Speed limits give information to drivers and riders about the road ahead. Roads with lots of bends and hazards will have a tighter limit than an open and flat road. Speed limits also catch dangerous drivers out, speeding charges pretty much mean a dangerous driving charge.
The thing is, flaunting the speed limits of the road might not just mean you need a legal defense, in some cases you may need a car accident attorney. The faster your drive, the less time you have on hand to react to situations on the road. The faster you go, the more power in your car. This means collisions at high speed have so much more devastating impact than an impact at the legal road limit. You won’t ever hear of a devastating 30mph crash, but you will hear that about crashes at over 60mph. Driving fast is also unfair to pedestrians, who are expecting all drives to be following the legality of driving on the road. If you’re speeding, you might not realize that a crossing is coming up and you might not be able to stop in time to deal with the crossing. This means you have a high chance of running someone down – they don’t deserve that at all, especially so when they have the right of crossing the road. It will always be your fault, no matter what. What’s more the actions of pedestrians are unpredictable, which makes it harder for you to act if someone happens to step into the road – you won’t see it coming. The thing is, if your car is going too fast – neither will they. Slow down.
Speed is useful, especially on the highways where it is allowed – but a car that can’t handle speed is simply a fast moving weapon. If your car is driving fast, you need to ensure that both your tires and brakes are in sound condition. Your handling will be limited by your speed and even more so if your tires and brakes won’t allow you to handle the car. If you are going fast, and it is legal – make sure you car can handle it and stop when it needs to.
If you want to drive fast, save that for the track. You can book times and take your car out there – or even rent a vehicle to enjoy the speed – but the road is not for racing. You won’t find Vettel or Alonso out on the road – just families, they don’t deserve your recklessness and neither does anyone else out on the road. Save your speed for the right time and the right place.