The Dangers of Speeding

The Dangers of Speeding
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The Dangers of Speeding
A lot of people lose their lives as a result of speeding. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 1.4 million people die every year because of road accidents. This means that the world loses potential leaders, young, budding, and energetic youths, and dreamers whose visions could have altered the course of the earth. WHO continues to note that for children and young adults who are aged between 5 and 29, road accidents are the leading cause of death. This is a sad statistic and one that should bring shame to the world. Road traffic accidents are quite costly and greatly impact the gross domestic product of countries. At a personal level, road accidents can greatly impact a family both economically and psychologically. At the national level, the impact of losing one person is also felt as the productivity of an entire country reduces. In the end, WHO reports that road accidents cost countries about 3% of their GDP. But are all road accidents as a result of speeding? The answer is no. Not all road accidents are as a result of speeding. However, speeding increases the likelihood of an accident. There is a strong relationship between speeding and accident risk. But it should be noted that the rate of accidents does vary when the type or condition of a road, as well as the speed level, are considered. WHO notes that “an increase in average speed is directly related both to the likelihood of a crash occurring and to the severity of the consequences of the crash.” So, speeding is indeed a risk factor while considering road accidents. While the main goal of this essay is to discuss the dangers or consequences of speeding, the author will also explain what speeding is, discuss the differences between speeding and bad driving, offer some reasons why people speed, and then discuss what should be done to help avert the dangers of speeding.
What is speeding?
For most people, speeding is driving above the legal limit. Cambridge Dictionary defines speeding as “driving faster than is allowed in a particular area.” But does speeding involve driving faster than the limit only? The answer is no. It is crucial to understand that there is excessive speed and inappropriate speed. Excessive speed is what people understand as driving beyond the set speed limit. This is considered criminal and against the law and people found to be driving beyond the set speed limit are punished. One can be fined or receive penalty points on their license which could eventually lead to a person getting stripped of their license. When people drive beyond the set speed limits, they increase the chances of collisions or accidents happening.
Inappropriate speed, on the other hand, involves driving too fast for a particular road or conditions. This mainly involves a person making the wrong judgment or decision with regards to the road they driving on. For example, it makes little sense to drive at 35mph within the confines of an estate or on a road whose speed limit is 25mph. As a driver, it is crucial to consider an area and the surrounding. There could be a lot of parked vehicles, small children playing, cyclists, pedestrians, etc. and all the...