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Essay on Speed Limits

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Speed Limits

Jim was leaving work late, and he knew that his wife was at home waiting on him. She had prepared a nice meal for their anniversary and was sitting on the couch all alone. As Jim pulled out of the plant and onto newly paved two-lane highway, he noticed a large white sign with the words “speed limit” and the number “50.” It was a thirty minute drive home, and he could easily make up the time he lost at work if he could just drive as fast as he wanted. For the next half hour, however, Jim drove fifty miles per hour, all the while, contemplating why we have speed limits. Why do we have speed limits? What is the point in setting a limit on how fast you can drive your vehicle? Shouldn’t you be able to set your own personal speed …show more content…

For example, in Longview, Texas, the fine for speeding in a non school zone is $4 per mile hour over the posted speed limit plus court costs. These court costs are usually $55 (Municipal). This has proven to be an issue with many Americans who enjoy driving fast, but don’t have the financial means to pay for their actions. There are opposing views that can be taken regarding speed limits. Some people think that the speed limits are fine just where they are and do not need to be changed. Some believe that the speed limits are already too high and wish that they could be set lower. Others believe that the speed limits need to be raised for various reasons, and still some believe that we should abolish the idea of a speed limit. Generally, these views fall into two categories: those that think we should raise or abolish the speed limit and those that think we should lower or keep the speed limit where it is set. Many people in America believe the speed limit is set too low.

They think that it either needs to be raised or done away with. Many of the people that think this way are younger men and women. One of the main reasons that they feel so strongly about speed limits is that they are the ones getting all the speeding tickets. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety did a study and found that “The rate of speeding violations per mile traveled is at least three times as high for drivers 16-19 years old as it is for drivers age

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