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Speeding > Overview
Through our Speed Management program, our goal at Manitoba Public Insurance is to influence attitude and behaviour change in Manitoba motorists through education and increased awareness of the dangers related to speeding and how speed contributes to crashes.
Most people think speeding is driving above the maximum speed limit. But speeding can also refer to travelling too fast for weather, road or traffic conditions – even if you aren’t exceeding the speed limit.
- Speeding is a significant traffic safety problem. In fact, it is one of the most-reported factors associated with crashes.
- Speeders typically fail to adjust their speed to the prevailing conditions including the flow of traffic.
Risk Factors
Few drivers view speeding as an immediate risk to their personal safety; however, speed can be risky business. It:
- Increases Stopping Distance: Speed increases the distance your vehicle travels between the point when you identify and decide on how to deal with an emergency and the point when you actually react. It also increases the distance you need to stop a vehicle once you do react.
- Increases Severity: Speed increases the severity of a crash. The greater the speed, the shorter the reaction time and the greater the risk of death or serious injury.
- Reduces Control: Speed can reduce your ability to steer safely around curves on highways or objects in the roadway.
- Is affected by conditions: Speeding
includes driving too fast for conditions. This means you can be travelling
too fast even if you are not exceeding the speed limit. Be aware that you
need to consider factors such as weather, road surface, road design and
location when driving.
- Weather – rain, snow, wind: these affect road condition and your field of vision, requiring more time and distance for you to stop.
- Road surface – pavement, gravel, ice: road surface will change the time and distance needed to stop.
- Road design – curves: slow down to the recommended speed or lower depending on prevailing weather and road conditions.
- Location – school zone, playground: your speed needs to be reasonable and prudent when driving in these areas.
- Driver condition – your physical and emotional state will affect your ability to drive.
Other Factors
Speeding can also affect you and your vehicle in a variety of other ways:
- Higher speeds reduce the ability of vehicles and safety systems to protect occupants, reducing the effectiveness of automobile systems such as braking, steering and tire traction
- Economic costs:
- Fines – minimum $105
- Increases driver's licence and insurance premiums
- Impacts your Driver Safety Rating level
- Increases fuel cost: Fuel efficiency, litres per kilometre, decreases steadily above 65 km/h. - Passenger cars and light trucks use approximately 50 percent more fuel travelling at 120 km/h than they do at 90 km/h
- Environmental costs: - As speed increases, pollutants increase. From 90 km/h to 110 km/h, there is a 100 percent increase in carbon monoxide emissions, 50 percent increase in hydrocarbons, and 31 percent increase in nitrogen oxides.
