The Cost Of Speeding
There are very few members of the motoring community that can put their hand on their heart and honestly say that they have never exceeded the speed limit. Whether its driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone or travelling at 80mph on a national speed limit area we are all guilty of speeding at some time. With today's car manufacturers producing vehicles capable of excessive speeds and dramatic acceleration what are the costs of speeding on today's roads?
The costs of speeding can be divided into two categories:
Cost Of Speeding - To the Driver
There are many costs of speeding to the driver of a vehicle, some more serious than others. Firstly the cost can be a monetary one, breaking the speed limits can often result in speeding fines either issued by cameras designed to picture to offender and generate automatic fines sent to the drivers address. The other way is being caught by a police officer. These speeding fines vary depending on the offense but a general rule is the higher the speed the higher the fine.
Penalty Points are another cost to the driver of the vehicle, not only will the driver be fined for their troubles but speeding points are usually added to their licence as a record of their speeding. The number of penalty points depends on the speed at which the driver was travelling but in most minor cases three points are added to the motorists licence. These points can stay on a motorists licence for many years depending on the offense and if the driver exceeds more than twelve points on their licence they can expect an automatic ban. These points also have relation to the drivers insurance as premiums can rise with the greater amount of penalty points on a motorists licence.
As previously stated collecting too many points through speeding can result in an automatic ban. Again this can have a direct effect on a drivers insurance premium as insurers look at drivers with a ban as in a high risk category and therefore have to charge increased premiums. However, increased car insurance premiums may be the least of a banned drivers problems as it means they could be without a car for up to a year which will dramatically influence their income through difficulty in getting to work.
In today's society speeding is frowned upon, even though most of us do it at some point we all know that we shouldn't. In the past few years a new policy has come into effect across certain parts of the UK which involves naming and shaming of speeders. So one cost of speeding to motorists could be their reputation as their names are printed in local papers with the aim to name and shame.
Motoring accidents could prove the biggest in all costs of speeding in today's society as you are at a greater risk to be involved in an accident when exceeding the speed limit. Obviously being involved in an accident can be a costly experience as it means repair or replacement of your vehicle raising insurance premiums. Without a doubt though the biggest cost of speeding to the motorist is death and travelling in excess of the speed limit significantly increases your chances of being in a fatal accident .
Cost Of Speeding - To Other Road Users
When a motorist is caught speeding, they only have themselves to blame for their actions but what are the costs of speeding to other road users who have no control over your actions?
The cost of your speeding to other motorists can be a high one with insurance claims, injury and even death in the most serious cases. However it is the vulnerable road users who are at most risk due to others speeding. Cyclists are at high risk whilst on the roads at the best of times due to the fact that their bikes do not have the acceleration or speed of a car. Cyclists are often not seen on the road and can often be involved in accidents, the quicker you are driving the more risk there is of the cyclist sustaining serious or fatal injury.
Motorcyclists are also a vulnerable road user and just as cyclists are not always seen on the roads. Combine the fact that a motor bike can also travel at high speeds collisions with speeding motorists more often than not result in serious injury and sometimes death.
Finally what is the cost of speeding to the most fragile road user of them all? the pedestrian. Government reports prove that a child has a dramatically higher risk of fatal injury when hit by a car travelling at 40mph than being hit by the same vehicle travelling at 30mph.
So the costs of speeding vary dramatically for the driver from a fine and penalty points on your licence to death. However it is the cost of speeding to other road users that is more worrying. Is the worst case scenario of having another human beings death on your conscience worth arriving at your destination ten minutes earlier? I don't think anybody would say yes, so maybe we should all take our foot off the accelerator pedal a little and slow down.
