Most drivers have driven too fast at some point in time. Perhaps a person sped while they were a new driver in high school and they didn’t know any better. Or, perhaps they speed every single day and feel it’s okay because they’ve never gotten in a crash or received a speeding ticket. Other times, people speed occasionally, such as when they’re late to work or when they have a medical emergency and need to get to the hospital.
Regardless of the “reasons” for speeding, it’s never safe. AAA, along with law enforcement and state and federal government traffic agencies believe that it is very important to select the most appropriate and enforceable speed limits for cities, rural areas, and highways.
Setting Speed Limits
When the ideal maximum speed limit is selected and applied by drivers, it improves safety and driver mobility, but it also encourages drivers to have respect for the law. When setting speed limits, AAA urges states to use traffic and engineering surveys before setting maximum speed limits and to only incorporate speed limits that do not have a significant and negative impact on highway safety.
According to AAA, the most common traffic violation is speeding, but we’re not surprised. Speeding tickets are handed out more than any other traffic ticket combined. When you do the math on how much time you actually save by speeding, it’s not worth the risk of getting in a crash or getting a speeding ticket.
In many scenarios, the driver who is speeding only saves around four minutes per trip, though it can be even closer to two minutes per the AAA’s mathematic calculations.
“Speeding is involved in about 1.3 percent of all crashes – and 33 percent of all fatal crashes. Speeding increases the risk of a crash, because there are less time and distance to respond,” according to AAA.
Speed Traps in Texas
Speed traps are extremely common. Another word for a speed trap is a “strict enforcement area.” Speed traps are often set up in areas where a lot of speeding tickets have been issued. But what is a speed trap? It’s a location where law enforcement entraps unsuspecting drivers, especially people from out of the area. However, speed traps are not always set up for safety. Sometimes they’re set up strictly to generate revenue.