Introduction
Speeding is driving beyond the required speed limit. It is an issue that has adverse effects, both economical and physical. The main cause of fatal accidents in the U.S. is speeding. Other causes include poor driving skills and alcohol. Speed limits are applied to regulate the vehicle speed. Most people do not consider the limits and this results in speeding.
The speed limits are different and include maximum, minimum, and variable speed limits which are applied on different roads. Speed has been regulated since the development of the motor industry. Speeding mostly results in a collision with other vehicles or bumping into immobile objects. The car crash is the most indicated case.
Car crashes have many effects. America, earlier than other countries, experienced a high death rate because of collisions (Yamane & Bradshaw, 2009). The other states followed its example when their motor industry have been developing. However, the death rates in the U.S. continued to rise. Enforcement of proper safety regulations in America resulted in reduced car crashes.
Hypothesis
Speeding affects the health and the economy of the country, hence people should learn to drive safely.
Effects of speeding
Speeding has many negative effects, which are faced both at the individual and national levels. Speeding mainly affects the economy of the country and the health of the individuals involved in motorist crashes. The environment is also affected, although at a lower rate.
Loss of life
Loss of life among American people is the major damage caused by speeding in the U.S. Research carried out in America between 1991 and 1993 measured the relation between high-speed limits and drivers’ death rates because of a vehicle crash. The results obtained indicated that deaths occurring due to car collisions were more associated with driving at high speed (Yamane & Bradshaw, 2009).
The speed limit in America is 55mph. Collisions of cars with stationery objects led to driver’s death and had an odds ratio of 0.87 to 1.83. Driver’s death ratio due to collision with other vehicles was 1.12 to 2.22 (Yamane & Bradshaw, 2009). In 1998, 42,000 Americans lost their lives in car crashes. During the research carried out in 1995, 12,545 deaths were found to be a result of high speeding and there was a 3.2% increase in road deaths (Friedman, Hedeker & Richter, 2009). The death rate increased by 17% due to speeding in the U.S. interstates.
In 2006, 13,500 people in America lost their lives in car crashes occurring because of speeding. This shows that people prefer driving at high speed which increases the number of crashes and life loss. Additionally, suffer not only those who drive cars but also accidental people who just happen to be near. Thus, high speeding kills those who do not drive and it increases the number of deaths from high speed. The stress people get from the death of their relatives may also impact the working power and as a result the economy of the country.
People die and it impacts the economy of the country as in many cases die those people who occupied some positions. The imbalance in the country’s labor department makes some companies employ inexperienced employees.
A family of four people appears in a crash where the father dies. The family stays without the person who brought the main income to the family. The costs of funeral and rehabilitation of the members of the family, both mental and physical, also impact the financial situation of the family and they may spend savings. As a result, the mother has to work more, children become more independent and it may result in lower knowledge. Then instead of entering a University children graduate from high school and go to work. The low-qualified employees are unable to be as useful as qualified ones and this leads to economic failure. What was the reason? The high speed left the family without financial support and made them change their lives.
Economic situation
Speeding adversely affects the economy of a given country. A nation’s economy is determined by various factors including the GDP, productivity rate, and infrastructure. It affects the economy indirectly through the production rate. Speeding results in high death rates reducing the productivity of a nation. Different working people in the USA lose their lives in road crashes affecting the economic growth of the country (Richter, Barach & Berman, 2001). Costs met during funeral arrangements are not always planned to lead to financial constraints affecting the economy.
Speeding also results in fatal injuries which make some people disabled and dependent on others and additional spending on the new car of the repair of the broken one. It also reduces the production ability of the individual directly affecting the economy. Others are forced to insure their health since they are at great risk, hence incurring more costs. Speeding also affects the car’s condition, and high costs are incurred for its maintenance (McCarthy, 2009). The durability of the car is also affected. This compels one to purchase another car, thus leading to high money expenditure affecting the economy. Insurance is also the activity that impacts the economic situation in the country as well as the long-term inability to work.
Considering the example within the economic situation, it is possible to remember the car’s peculiarities. People may drive either on the low or the high speed, however, when high speed is applied, drivers are sure to change the speed, and sometimes they may drive slower and then again choose high speed. Both speeds harm the gas mileage of a car. The gas mileage becomes low when speeding hence more money is used to purchase gas. It is advisable, therefore, to drive at the set speed limit, thus, one should drive neither slow nor fast to make sure that they economize the fuel (Son et al., 2009).
Speeding is against the set laws in driving and can lead to arrest. When one is arrested, he/she cannot work reducing productivity. One may also be released on the bond which involves using money. This affects the economy as well.
Health
Speeding has a great effect on one’s health particularly when a car crash occurs. Good health is vital to every individual. When one’s health is affected, other repercussions follow. The productivity of the individual is affected lowering the national economy. There are several causes of poor health and death. Crashes due to speeding put a great risk to the health of the people involved. The injuries may be either temporary or chronic which are going to support people during all their future lives. The drivers who practice speeding are the most affected by car crashes people (Son et al., 2009).
People are also injured during the crashes which result in high medical costs. This affects the economy directly or indirectly. Others are left with some form of disability making them dependent on their close people. Some people involved in car crashes experience psychological and mental disturbances. This leads to lowered mental capability affecting the individual’s socioeconomic life. The inability to occupy the previous position because of the injuries also impacts the economics as the person is to have another education and qualification to be able to work. Costs spent on insurance and after the treatment period also require additional costs which impact the economy.
Considering the health issues, the stress of the relatives should be included in the discussion. Parents are worried about their children while children are worried about their parents and in case something happens to them stressful situations may cause health problems. Moreover, those who suffer from chronic diseases may be subjected to the renewal of the illness due to stress.
Environment
The environment is important to any country since it provides the natural resources of the given country, however, people do not understand how car crashes may impact the environment of the country. The environment is mostly affected by air pollution (Mesriani Law Group, 2009). Air pollution is caused by the various emissions released into the air.
Vehicle emissions are one of the major environmental pollutants and harm the environment. Most of the emissions are released during driving. The emission rate is highly determined by the speed of the vehicle. A high emission rate is achieved when a vehicle is speeding since a lot of fuel is burned up. Low speed has the same effect. The quality of air in the environment is reduced. This results in the development of health problems. When people drive too fast the car details deteriorate faster that makes people buy new and the production of the details which are in demand increases.
The pollution from plants increases that impact the environment. Many companies take care of the environment and pollute the atmosphere they apply various technologies aimed at cleaning the air. This costs money. Moreover, some investors are not interested in supporting the companies and even the countries which are not interested in protecting the environment. There are also taxes applied when companies do not follow the pollution norms (Environmental regulations, 2001).
Safety measures
Speeding is an issue that should be addressed to reduce the death rates and enhance the economic growth of the nation. Safety measures should be put in place to guide the drivers and the citizens. Implementation of reduced speed limits will reduce car crashes (McCarthy, 2009). Speed cameras should be placed on the roads to enhance safety. This will also reduce gas consumption, save lives which will promote productivity, and reduce car damage.
Drivers should acquire the required skills to be able to drive cars safely. They should be taught the importance of driving at the required speed limit. Road safety signs should be placed in the appropriate sites to enhance safety. Drivers should take caution when driving on roads with the intersection, school zones, toll plazas, and work zones.
After the regulation of speed limit from 55mph to 65 mph in America, many people complied with a new speed limit faster than with the previous one (Son et al., 2009). Speeding actions on the highway should be addressed to avoid crashes. The vehicles should be well maintained and the roads improved. The vehicles can be fixed with speed regulators to control speeding.
The interstate roads should be fixed with rumble strips to alert the driver to slow down (Mesriani Law Group, 2009). The driver is alerted through the vibrations after the car passes over the strip. The traffic department should be keen on the roads and enforce laws against speeding. The areas where car crashes occur frequently should be identified to keep the drivers alert. The road lanes should be marked appropriately especially those of a highway to avoid a collision.
The health sector should improve the emergency sector to be able to save more lives involved in crashes (Friedman, Hedeker & Richter, 2009). Although there is an extra cost for adding more safety measures, it is worth it because all the activities mentioned above require additional financing that impacts the economy of the country. Extra costs are not preferable for the USA in the conditions of after-crisis situations.
Conclusion
Speeding is a hazardous issue that is not known to many. It greatly affects the economy of the nation and the health of its citizens. However, few people understand these effects. Many people lose their lives in car crashes caused due to speeding. Car crashes are mainly contributed by drivers’ irresponsibility. Combined efforts should be applied to minimize the crash rates. The traffic department, drivers, and the citizens should be responsible to ensure safety.
Therefore, having an impact on several issues, speeding is considered to affect the following spheres of human life. The loss of life while speeding and car crash impacts labor productivity, the costs of funerals increase, a family may lose income and mothers will have to work and leave their children without appropriate education. The economic issues are connected with gas spending, assurance costs, lack of appropriate working power due to injuries, and the loss of working abilities in general.
Dwelling upon health issues and speeding, it is important to highlight the injuries of people and costs on their recovery, the assurance, the disability caused by the speeding, and stress may also cost much for people. Additionally, the renewal of chronic illnesses and the stress of the relatives are also important for consideration in this topic. The impact on the environment is problematic as the spending of the natural resources, the water, air, and soil pollution are important issues in this question. Investors do not want to spend their money on affairs that pollute the atmosphere. Moreover, the exhausts are also damaging.
References
Environmental regulations. (2001). Business Latin America, 36(41), 4.
Friedman, L. S., Hedeker, D. & Richter, E. D. (2009). Long-term effects of repealing the national maximum speed limit in the United States. Ammerican Journal of Public Health, 1-24.
Mesriani Law Group. (2009). Safety measures in preventing car accidents. Article Alley. Web.
McCarthy, P. (2009). Effect of speed limits on speed distributions and highway safety: A survey of the literature.Trid. Web.
Richter, E. D., Barach, P.& Berman, T. (2001). Death and injury from motor vehicle crashes: a public health failure, not an achievement. Injury Prevention. Web.
Son, H. F. et al. (2009). Long-term speed compliance and safety impacts of rational speed limits.Trid. Web.
Yamane, G. K.& Bradshaw, B. S. (2009). Motor vehicle driver death and high state maximum speed limits: 1991-1993. ResearchGate, 1-3.