The psychology of speeding is very interesting. People know, technically speaking, that speeding just means going faster than the speed limit. Even one mile an hour over that posted limit is enough to break the law.
However, people never expect to get pulled over when going just a few miles per hour faster than the limit. Some even figure it is fine to go as much as 10 miles per hour over. Still others break the limit by even greater amounts, knowing that they’re breaking the law and risking a ticket but clearly not caring about the outcome.
Why is this? One psychologist thinks that American culture has a lot to do with it. He says that culture teaches people to speed, which is why it is so hard for police officers to get them to stop.
The issue is that our culture values productivity and speed. In everything, we are taught that there is a lot of value to doing whatever task is at hand as fast as we can possibly do it. This is true for students taking timed tests and workers trying to hit a quota by the end of the day.
When we drive, we often apply this same principle. Getting somewhere in 20 minutes instead of 30 is seen as an accomplishment. We hate sitting in traffic because we feel completely unproductive, like the world is holding us back from some goal we should always be chasing.
Have you been hit by a reckless driver who was breaking the speed limit? If you suffered serious car accident injuries, make sure you know how to seek compensation.