COMPILED BY THE RISK MANAGEMENT STAFF

For those of us who have ridden in a New York City taxi, it seems only fitting that our country's first arrest for reckless driving was a New York cabbie. By most accounts, Jacob German was the first person in this country to be arrested for speeding. He was stopped May 20, 1899, by a bicycle patrolman for driving the exorbitant speed of 12 mph on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan (the speed limit at the time was 8 mph). German was booked and held in jail for a time, but no points were added to his license (New York didn’t begin issuing driver licenses until 1901) and his insurance rates didn’t rise. Those times, however, are long gone. Nationwide connectivity of computer systems makes it difficult to escape a ticket or the havoc it wreaks on your insurance rates.

Advances in motor vehicles, much like our computer systems, have grown by leaps and bounds since that first speeding arrest. By today’s standards, the first cars were little more than a box with tires and a steering wheel. Now we have air bags, seat belts, anti-skid and anti-roll protection, GPS navigation, satellite radio, DVD players and a host of other modern amenities. Despite all those added safety features, are we actually safer now than we were then? You might be surprised to hear that the answer is “not necessarily.”

Back in 1899, the top speed was 12 mph. With enough money, we can now buy production cars that top 250 mph and motorcycles that reach nearly 200 mph (when tested by Guinness World Records in 2007, the SSC Ultimate Aero reached 257 mph and the Suzuki Hayabusa reached 196 mph, respectively). Unfortunately, this increase in speed has resulted in an exponential increase in accident rates. Why? People need time to process information — to decide both how and when to react. High speeds affect this process by lengthening the distance covered while the driver reacts. This effectively shortens the driver’s response time.

A human’s ability to analyze, interpret and react to changing conditions remains fairly constant as long as no distractions are present. However, add in other issues such as fatigue, alcohol, texting or talking on a cellphone (hands-free or not) and our ability to react quickly and correctly significantly decreases. Slowed processing and reaction times, coupled with high speed, means the distance we travel from the time we decide to hit the brakes until we actually stop is much, much farther. Basically, when too much happens in a short period of time, we are often unable to handle it all without making errors. Add to this the simple fact that humans are typically very bad at judging time and space changes and it doesn’t make for a pretty picture.

It should be pretty obvious by now that speed and accidents have a strong correlation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists speeding as a major factor in almost one-third of all traffic fatalities nationwide. Safety gains made with higher seat belt use and less drunk driving are being offset by increased fatalities due to higher speeds. Experts are becoming more concerned because accident risks when speeding are similar to those seen with drunk drivers. Traveling 10- to 20-percent faster than the speed limit (just 4 to 8 mph in urban areas with speed limits of 35 to 40 mph) can increase accident risks equal to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 to 0.08. Driving about 25 percent faster than the posted speed limit increases your accident risks as much as someone with a BAC of 0.12. That exceeds the legal limit in every state.

While the vast majority of us would never think about getting behind the wheel or jumping on a motorcycle with a BAC of 0.12, how many of us actually feel guilty about driving 50 in a 40-mph zone? Truth is, most of us probably don’t. Despite posted limits, our driving speed is strongly influenced by what seems appropriate to us at the time. In addition, our fear of being caught, or our lack of it, also factors into the picture. Just remember, most accidents are caused by human error (mechanical failure accounts for less than 5 percent of all accidents worldwide). People misinterpret situations, make poor decisions and end up overstepping the boundaries of safety. Most of us are not as competent behind the wheel as professionally trained racecar drivers.

Have you ever thought about what you are saving by speeding? If you lived exactly 10 miles from work, speeding up from 50 to 60 mph the entire length of the 10 miles would only get you home two minutes faster. Realistically, most of us have never driven to or from work without having to slow for lights, other cars or pedestrians. Is the increased risk of having an accident really worth the two minutes? That is probably less time than it takes you to walk out and check your mailbox. The next time you head out on the road, before you stomp that gas pedal, ask yourself, “Is the rush really worth the risk?”