IMMA KEEP THIS SIMPLE; The first post is about speed. Everybody drives too fast. [Raises hand] Self included. That is, to say, I, upon occasion, exceed the posted speed limit. But I strive to use speed judiciously and appropriately in all cases. Let me tell you that story.
A long time ago. Back in my late teens and early twenties, I drove (and dispatched) for Yellow Cab in Cincinnati. (The official name of the company was Taxicabs of Cincinnati, Inc. It was composed of multiple fleets, Yellow Cab, Parkway Taxi,and later, Checker Cab and East Cab.) After my first speeding ticket, some mentor pulled me aside and gave me this lesson.
This was in the early ’70s. Gas was still cheap and the nationwide speed limit was a mere gleam in the eye of some power-mad senator. You could, in places, drive over 100 without hassle. But, still, Cincinnati Microwave was a startup then and we were still learning to live with police radar. This bit of lore was passed from hand-to-hand and still holds today because of one simple fact: it worked. The basic ground-level fact was how to exceed the speed limit and get away with it. Having been to traffic court a few times, I can tell you that there would be a large number of cases involving speed. The lore developed that there was a slush factor as to the accuracy of each individual vehicle’s speedometer as measured against the radar, which was, at the time, taken as the gold standard.
It was observed that citations for speeding were issued mostly for speeds in excess of around 7MPH over. Investigation showed that officers operating speed radar allowed a buffer of about 7MPH before they’d go to the trouble to pull you over. This was particularly observed in the case I’m describing in Ohio — mostly southwest Ohio, where we were operating. So it was assumed that you could safely go five over without getting ticketed. The only speeding ticket I ever got was for 50 in a 35 zone. The rest of the time, I kept it to 5 over. The only other moving violation I ever got was for going the wrong way on a one way street. Other than that, I’ve gone over 50 years operating on this principle — stay to 5 over — and have never even raised a nose on any cop I passed — including staties. And in other states on strange roads.
But I don’t sit in judgment, only observe that many, if not most, drivers exceed this rule.
Here’s my take on that: 5 over is OK. Ten over is understandable, but risky (in terms of getting ticketed). 15 over is excessive. And any more is rude and reckless.
A word about that word — reckless. It’s got nothing to do with wrecks. I suspect a lot of folk are confused on that. The root of the word is reckon or reckoning. As in: when you’re reckless, you are failing to reckon the risks and possible consequences. You do not reckon. You are reckless. Although, I suppose wrecks might come into it, now I think on it.
So. Where’s the sin in this? It’s not a malum in se — a sin in itself — but a malum prohibitum — a sin because it’s not allowed by some higher authority. But this is supposed to be a free country, with wide latitude of personal freedom of action. Including driving “too” fast. It’s not bad in and of itself and, if you get there safely, you’ve won. So what’s the problem?
Well, it’s this — it’s risky. Here in southwest Ohio, we got snow over the last couple of nights into the wee smalls this morning. (As I write (some time ago from here in March of ’25), it’s mostly melted, though there’s still some on the cars on the street (mine’s in the shop — broken into a week plus ago, hassles with the insurance company). The wife and I were driving to McAllister’s for a light dinner when, in the lane next to us some idiot driving a Corolla slammed into a Toyota minivan. Crumpled the front end of his car real good. Bent the hood and everything. Dunno if the airbags deployed. If they did, that car will be totaled by the insurance company.
But the point is, he was in too much of a hurry and not paying enough attention. I didn’t even need to observe him at the moment of impact to know that. He gave no indication of braking. (And the pavement’s being wet, his tires would deposit none on the road surface.) He couldn’t have been situationally aware and executed that maneuver intentionally (and all of your maneuvers must be intentional if you want to survive the experience). Speculatively, I would guess he was on his cell phone.
(Seriously: Invest ten bucks and buy a dashboard phone mount. Next time, insist any car you buy be equipped for Bluetooth. It could save your life. You should never drive with your phone in your hand. Again: if you want to survive the experience.)
Anyway, he had to have been driving too fast — not over the speed limit, which is 35 at that point — but what moron drives the limit approaching a busy intersection for a right turn?
One who is in too much of a hurry.
Inn’t that sorta judgmental?
Well, Dolly, it is. I should, perhaps, define “too much.”
Perhaps you should.
First, some background. When saying this, I am reminded of the description from Jerry Pournelle’s stories of Falkenberg’s Legion, wherein he describes the culture of the Regiment. He says that, in Falkenberg’s unit, it is not forbidden to drink — not even on duty. Nor is it being drunk — even on duty. The sin in consuming alcohol is in rendering ones self thereby unfit for duty.
That’s the way I take the sin of being in too much of a hurry. Braking late; following too close; weaving lane-to-lane seeking an apparent “advantage” of a few seconds. Approaching the problem of getting from Point A to Point B as though it were a race and you MUST be in front.
I’ve been working on this for months. Building up lines of argument in my mind as I drive around, watching all the idiots on the road (and they all are). But now, months on, I find I have no more — no input or concern, whichever — to continue. So, in the interests of moving on, I’m closing this off.