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How fast is too fast?
Here’s how to tell
By Steve Wallace,
Times Colonist
How
fast is too fast?
How
slow is too slow?
Canadian vehicle speed culture is
well-entrenched and well-defined by regulators, enforcement agents, licensing
authorities and drivers.
Canadians,
by and large, view speed-limit laws as merely a guide rather than an absolute.
How has the attitude developed and
been accepted by virtually everyone in society? Here is my best attempt to
explain it.
Speeding is tolerated from the very
beginning of a new driver’s learning experience.
Driving
examiners in most jurisdictions are told to allow a speed percentage tolerance
on road tests.
A
new driver will only be failed on a road test if a speed of 20 per cent over
the posted speed is reached during the driving test. (60 kilometres per hour in
a 50 km/h zone, for example, or 35 km/h in a 30 km/h school zone.)
A new driver will not be failed for
doing a speed more or less than 20 per cent of the posted speed limit, unless
the practice is consistent throughout the road test, or the lower speed is
deemed to be holding up following traffic.
The police everywhere have a built-in
tolerance for speeders.
Judges
have given them a very clear message when it comes to speed enforcement. They
do not want their courtrooms clogged with marginal speeding-infraction cases.
With
the exception of school and playground zones, there are very few, if any,
single-digit above-the-limit speeding tickets issued.
This
is probably a very good pragmatic practice, given the inaccuracies of
speedometer readings.
Many
drivers are surprised to discover the differences in speedometer readings when
they change from summer to winter tires.
There
have been many instances of faulty speedometer readings on brand-new vehicles.
Highway patrol officers have a
tolerance for speed enforcement. This tolerance is not always the same.
The
above-the-speed-limit allowance on a rainy, snowy or icy road will be much less
than on a clear, dry road in summer.
There
may be situations where going the speed limit, when road conditions are
treacherous, will get the driver a speeding ticket for proceeding at a speed
“too fast for conditions,” particularly when such action results in a crash.
When police set up a radar trap, they
will generally decide among themselves what speed tolerance will be allowed.
Drivers
who go beyond that tolerance, usually about the 20 per cent threshold,
will most certainly get a “prize.”
Despite all of the above, there is
another universal rule of speed, namely: The laws of physics trump the laws of
man every time.
Smart drivers use the speed tolerance
and the laws of physics to their advantage.
They
travel at the “speed of traffic” in order to reduce the number of times they
are overtaken or the instances where they pass other vehicles.
By
reducing the “action” around their vehicle, many professional drivers are able
to drive millions of kilometres without a crash or incident.
Safe and skilful drivers choose a
speed that matches the road and traffic conditions. They will often travel in
an unofficial convoy, letting the lead driver do most of the work.
The average driver can decide on a
safe speed by doing the following.
Choose
a speed that is well within the enforcement tolerance. Count the number of
vehicles that pass you and the number you pass.
When
the ratio of vehicles you pass and those passing you is about the same, you
have reached an acceptable “happy medium.”
There
will most certainly be less action around your vehicle.
When
there are fewer vehicles in close proximity to your vehicle, whatever the
speed, there is less chance of a mishap.
Canadian speed culture involves tolerance — live with it, and use it to your advantage.
Steve Wallace is the owner of
Wallace Driving School on Vancouver Island and in the Central Interior of B.C.
He is the former Western Canadian vice-president of the Driving Schools
Association of the Americas, a registered B.C. teacher and a graduate of the
University of Manitoba.
We Teach Driving Like Your Life
Depends On It
We are
a customer driven company suited to your needs.
Since
1976, Wallace Driving School has been teaching students of all ages to
drive The Wallace Way, with individualized lessons and hands-on
training.
Wallace
Driving School incorporates the latest technologies as well as patience and
personal attention to help get you, and keep you, in the driver’s seat.
Our
experienced driving instructors will assess your needs and abilities and then
adapt your training sessions to your specific learning style.
Call
us today to book your driving lessons or to learn more. For your convenience,
we will pick you up in one of our ecologically friendly hybrid cars for your
driving lessons – at home, school or work!
http://www.wallacedrivingschool.com/how-fast-is-too-fast-heres-how-to-tell/
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