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Sunday, January 28, 2018

Just Don't Get Caught Speeding?

(Click on the image for the November 2008 New York Times article)
  • When it comes to speeding, many American motorists don’t worry about safety. They just worry about getting caught.
  • “So the faster you think you can go before getting a ticket, the more likely you are to think safety’s not compromised at higher speeds,” said Fred Mannering, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue, in a press release. “For whatever reason, respect for speed limits seems to have deteriorated.”
  • For most drivers, a “safe” speed is typically just beyond the point where they believe they are at risk for getting a ticket. That means that motorists who believe they won’t get a ticket until they go 10 m.p.h. above the speed limit are 27 percent more likely to drive up to 20 m.p.h. above the speed limit.
  • Notably, getting stopped for speeding didn’t seem to have an effect on whether or not a person speeds again. Both men and women drivers who had been stopped for speeding in the last year were 25 percent more likely to believe that it is safe to drive up to 20 m.p.h. faster than the speed limit, compared to those who hadn’t been ticketed.
  • Posted Jan 29 on Nightmare On 210: "They're really cracking down on speeding in that valley and I'm not surprised. I've been going 75 through there and had dozens of cars pass me like I wasn't moving."
    Reply: "Exactly! Seems like you gotta do 80mph or better.."