Life In The Fast Lane Essay Research

Life In The Fast Lane Essay, Research Paper

Devin Maier

October 23, 1999

English 102 McCrady

Life in the Fast Lane

Humans in the twentieth century live in an era characterized by an unrelenting desire for speed. The ability to go faster and accomplish more often seems to be the option of choice. Everything from the information super highway to the interstate highway is dominated by this need for speed. Whether it is fast food or fast cars, more powerful search engines or automobile engines, the fact of the matter is people rarely stop to catch their breath. Ever since the wheel people have tried to get from point A to B in as little time as possible. This idea is evident every time someone turns the ignition of his/her automobile. Cars were designed with the ability to travel faster and reach destinations sooner, but now it seems that these conveniences have been stretched and abused to the maximum. The question at hand is not whether or not speeding exists, which it does, but rather is it a problem. In addition, what are the consequences and/or ramifications of speeding. The notion of fast is usually associated with better, but is this really the case. These questions will be discussed in this paper.

Speed sells. Many people don’t realize this, but automobile manufacturers do. In the November 1999 issue of Car and Driver there are over fifteen ads that advertise cars driving at speeds that are not reasonable or prudent to existing conditions. Some of these ads have small disclaimers at the bottom of the page, but many don’t. When a new model year car comes out, the majority of the manufacturers advertise more horsepower, which translates into more speed. There are also many people who, on their own, attempt to make their cars faster. This is very similar to what happened during the muscle car era of the 1960s. Instead of using big, American cars with eight cylinder engines, people are using small import cars. These cars are relatively cheap to purchase, and even easier to make dangerously fast. This fact has paid off big for after-market parts distributors and for magazine publishers. The parts distributors offer “bolt-on-performance” upgrades for the speed enthusiast to install on their own. Max Speed, Super Street, Turbo, and Sport Compact Car are just a few of the magazines that have exploited this new trend. This interest in speed upgrades has led to the installation of many local car clubs that trade speed tips and race on the weekends. One club local to Washington D.C. is Absolut Imports, whose name was derived from the alcohol of choice among the members, Absolut Vodka, which raises a red flag. Clubs such as this one participate in legal and illegal racing, generally known as “drag racing.” Legal drag racing occurs at sanctioned racetracks, where drivers can pay to see their cars at top speed. Illegal racing usually takes place on abandoned stretches of highway or airstrips. Illegal racing is exceedingly dangerous due to the high speeds and the lack of medical personnel. Not only is it dangerous, but it is also a criminal offense.

These clubs and magazines appeal mostly to males, who not coincidentally are also most likely to speed. In answer to the question, ”Who speeds most.” the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety responds:

“Studies in California have found that the rate of speeding violations per mile is at least three times as high for drivers 16-19 years old as it is for drivers aged thirty and over. At all ages, male drivers are more likely than female drivers to be involved in speed-related fatal crashes.”

This is not to say that only young males exceed speed limits, for individuals of all age and gender group’s speed. Regardless of who it is that is speeding, there are proponents of greater speed restrictions who believe that the speeding must stop.

Speed limit laws, which date to 1901, have been the responsibility of the states. During the oil shortage of 1973 congress pressured the states into adopting a maximum speed limit of 55 mph. The National Research Council attributed 4,000 fewer deaths to the lower speeds in 1974, compared with 1973. They also estimated there would be 500 more fatalities annually if they were to return to pre- 1974 speed limits. Speeds began to gradually increase on highways as concerns about fuel availability disappeared. In 1987, Congress allowed states to increase highway speed limits to sixty-five mph on an individual basis based on claims that the fifty-five mph law was too strict.

Many believe that there is a strong positive correlation between speed limits and highway deaths. To aid their argument, these individuals quote that the higher speed limits introduced in 24 states during late 1995 and 1996 resulted in increase motor vehicle deaths during 1996 and 1997. In 1997, 41,967 people were killed in automobile accidents, while in 1996 42,085 people died. Based on these studies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates an increase in deaths on interstates and freeways of approximately 15 percent. Meanwhile, deaths didn’t increase at all on interstates and freeways in states where speed limits were not raised. “It’s clear from this study that the current round of speed limit increases on rural interstates in the 1980s is costing hundreds of lives a year,” says Insurance Institute For Highway Safety president