h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Speeding in Pennsylvania - A697719
Author: Jimi X - U53353

If you're planning to drive in excess of the speed limit in Pennsylvania, this little entry may just save you some hassle with the police!

I've been driving around the state for half my life and only received two speeding tickets - both while still in college.



- Jimi X

I can't believe you all drive under the speed limit!

Anyone?!?

Are all speed police male then?

If your intention is to encourage people to speed, I have a problem with this. More speed equals less thinking time in the event of an emergency. It all depends on how you do it though. However, research shows that people who speed intentionally (and most speeding is intentional) have greater accident involvement. It's generally a matter of attitude. Speeders will tend to do other things such as tailgating, which makes the problem of lack of time to react even worse.

Although your entry finishes with 'it's not worth it', I think safety should be more prominent in the entry.

> Are all speed police male then?

I believe I was using the generic pronoun.

And as for the other bit - I'm not actually telling people to go out and drive fast, am I? I'm telling them some tips to avoid arrest if they choose to engage in this illegal behaviour.

But I'll go back and read it again...

There is a line after advising people to stick to the speed limit 'But who wants to do that?' which in my view in tantamount to advising people to speed.

Did you know that more people died because of the internal combustion engine last century than were killed in all the wars put together!! Even at lower speeds, inappropriate speed can be telling. At 35mph, a car which could have stopped in time to avoid hitting (say a pedestrian) will still be doing 30 mph when it hits and will travel for a further 21 feet.

I've never lived there, and I've been cited twice. Both times it was within a mile of the border.

Twice?!?
I've received two citations in the past 17 years. Of course, I know most of the 'tricks' to avoid being pinched. And that's really what I hoped this entry would be about...

So Two-Bit, what did *you* think of this entry from a law enforcement perspective?

Does it encourage people to speed and drive dangerously? Is it offensive to police?

Whadda ya think?

It doesn't bother me a bit. You might add something about turning the dome light on if you're stopped after dark. Decreasing officer paranoia is generally a good thing.

In my opinion, speeding isn't that big a deal. It'll make your accident worse, but except in turns, it isn't a big cause of accidents.

Congrats, Jimi! I scouted, it was accepted, and now it's on it's way. You know the drill.


Mikey

Thanks Mikey!

I wondered who nabbed it!

A car driving 35 mph in normal dry conditions needs 58 feet to stop. If your driving and need to react to a situation, like a pedestrian crossing the roadway, that will add distance to your stopping. Normal reaction time for daylight conditions is 1.6 seconds. This means that if your traveling 35 mph and react in 1.6 seconds, you traveled and additional 82 feet from the time you removed your foot from the accelerator and hit the brakes. Your total stopping distance at 35 mph is now 140 feet.