Speeding and Car Insurance Quotes…Connect the Dots

April 16th, 2010

Back in the bad old oil embargo days of 1973, the federal government decided that enforcing a top national speed limit of 55 was a good way to conserve gasoline. This law was finally repealed in 1995 and drivers across America rejoiced. Now a recent study by the TomTom GPS people has confirmed what Sammy Hagar always knew, we can’t drive 55. The study claims that the average American driver on an open stretch of interstate tends to go about 70MPH. It may explain why 34 states have raised their top speed limits to 70MPH. This is great news if you routinely drive long freeway distances, as long as it doesn’t embolden you go even faster, because tickets for excessive speeding can really wreak havoc on your car insurance quotes.

Automobile safety advocates are not thrilled about the trend. They maintain that speed kills and point to Federal Highway Administration data showing that 31%of the 37,261 highway fatalities in 2008 could be attributed to speedsters exceeding the posted limits. From the automobile insurance industry’s standpoint, even if a high speed accident doesn’t result in death, it will cause more severe injuries. Claims like that will definitely result in higher car insurance quotes.

On the other side of the 70MPH argument are stats from the U.S. Department of Transportation that show actual fatalities and fatality rates steadily declining as speed limits go up. In fact, the total number of highway deaths in 2009 was the lowest since they started tracking the number back in 1954. Before we collectively pat ourselves on the back for being such great drivers, realize that a lot of the credit goes to advances in technology. Today’s cars are equipped with better, more effective safety equipment and braking systems.

In any event, before you put the pedal to the metal, be aware that even if you aren’t involved in a high speed accident, speeding can be costly. If your state has a point system for traffic violations (and many do), excessive speeding (which can also be cited as reckless driving) will rack them up quickly, possibly resulting in a suspended license and higher car insurance quotes.

Don’t think you can get off the speeding ticket hook just because no limit was posted. Almost every state has a statutory speed limit that defines the maximum speed limit even if no limit is posted. By the way, reckless driving typically carries a significantly higher penalty than merely speeding, and different states assess it differently; some even have different tolerances depending on whether it’s day or night.

Oh, by the way, if you’re thinking about getting a radar detector, check your state laws first. Many states prohibit their use.

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