Tough for NJ drivers, but here’s why we really must slow down

Maybe you remember the great line in “Shawshank Redemption” when Brooks was paroled and society had changed so much that he said, “The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry.”

That’s never been truer than now especially here in New Jersey. So many desperate to make ends meet have us racing to second jobs and doing side hustles. So many desperate to make our kids happy have us juggling drop-offs at football practice and pick-ups at the theater, racing from one to the other. We think nothing of driving too fast because everyone else is doing it too.

Here’s why we really need to slow down.

MarketWatch analyzed data and found just how much speeding is hurting us. Your insurance alone is killing you. New Jersey is 5th highest in the nation for car insurance skyrocketing after a speeding ticket. After only one speeding ticket New Jersey drivers experience an average 33% increase in their full coverage rate. For drivers with minimum liability, it’s still bad; a 24% jump in auto insurance after just one speeding ticket.

Even though money seems more tangible than the idea of being physically injured, I do want to share that over 27% of all fatal accidents were due in part to speeding.

Other reasons to slow down?

You’re truly not saving much time. If you need to travel 30 miles in a 60mph zone it will take you 30 minutes. If you go 12mph over the speed limit you’re only arriving 6 minutes sooner. Do you truly cut it so close for things that you need that 6 minutes? Or are you just sitting there waiting longer for your appointment to start?

You’ll also save on gas. The Environmental Protection Agency says you’ll save 30 cents more per gallon for every 5 mph they go over 50 mph.

You’ll also save on stress. When we speed we are on higher alert. We are having to pay attention to every other car as we pass so many more vehicles.

I know it feels impossible to do in a place like Jersey, but it’s true we’d all be better off if we could speed less.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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