Speed Kills

     Since I started driving I've been teased for driving too slow. I never understood the need to drive faster than the posted speed, sadly my view is in the minority. At the start of the new year of 2014 the State of Illinois will raise the top speed limit to 70mph. The people wanted this and gave the bill large public support. This change however is not making it's way to the city of Chicago, not yet at least. It will be implemented first in areas where it is safer for high speeds. This apparently doesn't include the expressways and tollways in and around Chicago. Illinois Senator Jim Oberweis is not happy about this, he thinks Chicago should be included right away. He says the voters have spoken and this is what they want. He also says that it's more dangerous to not raise the speed limit because everyone is going 70 mph anyway. He says this will close the gap between drivers going 55mph and those going 70mph. OK now lets take a look at his logic. He wants to raise the speed limit to satisfy speeders? Ill agree with one thing he said, that everyone is already going 70mph, we can agree on that. However to say going faster will be safer is foolishness. In 2012 there were 956 fatalities on Illinois roads, will raising the speed limit decrease these numbers? The way I see it is if drivers are going 70mph when the speed limit is 55, why wouldn't they also drive 90mph when the speed limit is 70? That "gap" that he speaks of will always be there. This "gap" is due to the high amount of law breaking speeders weaving around anyone going slower than themselves. There will always be slow drivers and fast drivers, that's just the way it is. These days people are much more concerned with speed than safety. The human body is not designed to go 55 or 70mph. Most young drivers have never seen what happens to a human body in a high speed crash. When the media shows pictures of car accidents it is always after the scene has been cleaned up and hosed down. I say lower the speed limits, the people who want to speed are going to speed regardless of the posted speed limit.  Why are we in such a hurry anyway?- BDB

Sources -  (Google Images)
http://theexpiredmeter.com/2013/12/advocates-for-70-mph-speed-limits-hope-to-convince-tollway-to-increase-posted-speeds-at-december-board-meeting/

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-27/news/chi-state-releases-map-for-new-70-mph-speed-limit-20131227_1_speed-limit-70-mph-limit-70-mph