Before you head out this morning, check the road conditions and weather forecast. You never know when it could save your life.
We all know that speed limits are posted for a reason – to give guidance to us about what the safest speed is for us to travel on that road. The speed limits take into account the road conditions (ie. the state of the pavement and how curvy the road is), the type of traffic seen on the road (ie. highway versus high pedestrian area), and various other factors. However, there are two things you need to really know about speed limits.
The speed limit assumes that the weather conditions are good (not raining or snowing, etc) and that it is fully lit outside. This is something everyone learned in the basic Drivers Safety courses. If the weather conditions are poor or if lighting is poor, it is your responsibility to adjust your speed accordingly. What happens when you don’t?
On September 29th, 2014, a 18 year old boy was killed when the car he was riding in crashed. Two other passengers were taken to local hospitals for treatment and the driver was arrested. The reason for the crash? The Georgia State Patrol officials say that the driver was going too fast for conditions, lost control of his vehicle, and the vehicle crashed [source].
So, before you head out on the road, whether it’s before work in the morning or after dinner with friends, check the weather and be mindful of the road conditions and speed limits. There are worse things than getting a ticket.