What are the hazards of speeding to traffic safety engineering?
2 Answers
Driving a car at excessive speeds poses the following hazards: 1. Increased reaction distance: When a vehicle travels at 60 km/h, the average person's reaction time from recognizing danger to applying the brakes is approximately 0.7 to 1.0 seconds, covering a reaction distance of about 17 meters (free travel distance). At 120 km/h, the reaction distance increases to about 39 meters (free travel distance), showing a significant rise. 2. Accelerated vehicle wear: High-speed operation intensifies the vehicle's workload and stress, hastening the wear and tear of components. This is particularly detrimental to the tires, leading to jump and skid wear, increased friction temperature, and heightened risks of aging, deformation, and blowouts. 3. Disruption of normal traffic flow: Speeding inevitably leads to frequent overtaking and oncoming traffic situations, increasing the driver's psychological stress and disrupting the normal flow of traffic. If the driver lacks quick reflexes, they may be unable to respond effectively to sudden dangers, losing control of the vehicle. 4. Reduced reaction capability: At high speeds, the driver's focus extends further ahead, narrowing the field of vision. Objects outside the window pass by too quickly for the human eye, which requires about 0.4 seconds to detect a target and 1 second on average to recognize it clearly. This leaves insufficient time to assess and react to hazardous situations. 5. Extended braking distance: As speed increases, the vehicle's braking efficiency decreases, the friction coefficient drops, and the braking distance lengthens, making it harder to stop the vehicle promptly when needed. Additionally, higher speeds amplify vehicle vibrations and jolts, compromising safe driving. 6. Exacerbated accident consequences: The kinetic energy of a moving object is directly proportional to its mass and the square of its velocity. Experiments show that a vehicle impacting a concrete wall at 60 km/h is equivalent to falling from a height of 14 meters (5 stories). At 100 km/h, the impact is comparable to falling from 39 meters (13 stories), with devastating outcomes.
Speeding while driving is really not a good thing. I usually drive quite cautiously, but sometimes I take risks when in a hurry, only to realize later how dangerous it is. As speed increases, the reaction distance grows significantly—a car that could stop within 50 meters might need 70 meters to halt. If a pedestrian suddenly crosses or the car ahead brakes abruptly, there's simply no time to react. Visibility also narrows; at high speeds, you focus only on a small area ahead, overlooking potential threats around you. Even worse, the car becomes harder to control, skidding or even rolling over during turns, drastically increasing the severity of accidents, from minor scratches to fatal outcomes. Learning from this lesson, I've developed the habit of checking the speedometer and avoiding reckless driving. Arriving home safely is what truly matters—being late is always better than ending up in the hospital.
