Many of us leave the house late or underestimate the amount of time it takes to get from one place or another. When pressed for time driver feel anxious and rushed, and it shows. This anxiety to arrive on time causes many of us to speed, crossing our fingers a cop won’t be around the next corner. Truth of the matter is speed limits are posted and enforced for your safety and exceeding these limits is dangerous.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration speeding is a factor in 31% of all fatal crashes killing an average of 1,000 Americans each month. When the obviously dangerous outcomes of speeding are this evident it is important to remember these limits are enforced for a reason. Do what it takes to avoid speeding: plan ahead and give yourself a sufficient amount of time to travel, adjust your driving to road conditions, or check the traffic report on your local news website. Lastly, if you’re going to be late accept that you are going to be late. It’s better to apologize for arriving ten or twenty minutes late than hours after an accident, or not at all.
Don’t see a speed limit sign? When no speed limit is listed, Massachusetts Department of Transportation has determined a set of guideline speed limits to follow:
- 20 mph in a school zone
- 30 mph in a thickly settled or business district for a distance of 1/8 of a mile
- 40mph on an undivided highway outside of a thickly settled or business district for a distance of 1/4 of a mile
- 50 mph on a divided highway outside of a thickly settled or business district for a distance of 1/4 of a mile.
Following these guidelines should help keep you, and your auto insurance bill, out of trouble.