Need for Speed
A few days ago, while driving along I-94 just north of Chicago, I suddenly became aware that by going the speed limit, which is posted as 55mph, my vehicle was probably one of the most hazardous impediments on the road. Cars and trucks were passing me as if I was standing still, sometimes veering around me like I was a dislodged barrel in the right-hand lane of the roadway.
Before I go any further, I think it best to explain my propensity for driving at the posted limit. I have a RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid that gets 60 miles on an electric charge before kicking into gasoline use. The slower my speed, the more efficient the electric mileage. I play the game of seeing if I can get away with using zero gas on my extended trips, so I go 55 when that’s the posted legal limit.
The humongous pickup truck that passes me going 85 to 90mph is probably getting somewhere in the range of 10 to 12 miles per gallon of gas, if that. The sedans and SVUs maybe 18mpg at those speeds. I understand that speed can be fun, that driving might be viewed as somewhat of a game as one jockeys for position through traffic. On occasion I look at the passing vehicle wondering if there is a woman in labor in the back seat or if someone with a heart attack is being rushed to the hospital. In those circumstances I could understand being in a bit of a hurry. But I’ve yet to see that as a cause for speeding.
My friend Jerry has gone to a special track a couple of times where he drives a Corvette around a raceway with an experienced driver in the passenger seat. It really does sound like fun. When driving fast there is both a sense of power and an exhilaration in terms of pushing the envelope, a slightly dangerous endeavor that gets the heart pumping faster and the adrenaline flowing. As a teenager I once pushed my 1961 Chevy Impala up to 125mph on an empty stretch of roadway. It was both enormously fun and exceedingly stupid.
But in normal everyday driving, in going from point A to point B, the need for this kind of excitement is both unnecessary and can lead to serious injury for oneself and for others. That’s aside from the wasting of valuable resources and the subsequent pollution of the atmosphere.
Because the majority of cars are going well over the speed limit, I realize that many of these drivers are probably environmentally aware, at least to a degree. They might recycle on a regular basis or be conscious of turning off lights at home or express concern about climate change, and yet they will go 85 mph without giving it a second thought. This type of behavior goes back to my almost constant harangue regarding Mindfulness.
As a point of interest, the difference between going 55mph and 75 to 80mph in terms of gas usage, is that the higher speed is 25% less fuel efficient. Included here are links to Consumer Reports and the U.S. Department of Energy discussing this disparity. This is a huge amount of unnecessary fossil fuel wasted and pumped into our atmosphere when drivers really do not need to get where they are going three minutes faster. These statistics are true for hybrids as well.
When I had a gasoline only car, every time I would step on the accelerator, I would physically feel the burning of fossil fuels to get my auto moving forward. This was not a good thing for my stress levels. I was very aware that this was not an acceptable mode of transportation, so I found a Toyota dealer where I was able to get on the waiting list for the Rav4 Prime. That was four years ago. I currently have 50,000 miles on my car and over the life of the vehicle my gas consumption is averaging around 120mpg.
All of this can come across as self-righteous, but I’m not sure how else to suggest being more mindful while driving. I also know that a fully electric car, powered by a home solar array, would be even better, despite the environmental concerns regarding the minerals needed for constructing the battery. What it comes down to is that there is no perfect solution at this time though there are decisions that can be made that are better than others. I can see that we are moving in the right direction, or at least we were up until about 7 months ago when environmental regulations were gutted and fossil fuels were held up, once again, as the way of the future. Whose future they were referring to remains a mystery.
Ultimately keeping in mind as best we can that every aspect of our lives has an impact on others, the planet, and ourselves is a good thing to strive for. It’s next to impossible to remain mindful about everything, but when we take in the larger picture, such as driving at a reasonable speed, we can change our behavioral patterns for the benefit of all. Something to think about.
I am a fellow “driver the posted speed” driver, and your writing hits home with me! Although I am not an electric car owner, I am aware of my fuel consumption. I had the pleasure of driving on Route 53 (aka the Autobon of the Northwest Suburbs) which is under construction…posted limit is 45 mph during construction for the safety of drivers and workers…As you can imagine, I was not a popular person on the road. I was sure that the other drivers that were passing me were experiencing road rage, and recommending loudly that I check in to a nursing home so that I would no longer be a menace/annoyance on the road. Now, I am not above a little road rage every now and again, but I refused to succumb to the peer pressure and just plodded along…and I was okay with that. It was my way of protest or resistance against the machine. I got to my destination alive, on time and content.
Linda – Thanks for the corroborative message. As we know people don’t really get to their destination faster by driving crazily fast, unless they’re in a hurry to get to the boneyard. The problem with that is they usually take someone else with them.
Love this! I can relate and have often been referred to as an “old lady” when it comes to my driving. As an EV owner/driver, I also am mindful of my driving and the temperature I set the heat or a/c as it ultimately affects the consumption of the vehicles battery. Sadly, I don’t think people care about their own consumption. It both angers me and frustrates me at the same time. I realize not all have the ability to drive an EV or the like, but one can still be mindful of their driving habits/patterns. On more than one occasion I was the recipient/victim of “rolling coal” or excessive black exhaust fuel burning. The concept is that the driver passes my EV (or similar style vehicle), changes lanes to position their vehicle in front of my vehicle, slows down a little and then performs the “rolling coal” act where they burn extra fuel whereby leaving copious amounts of black exhaust in their trail as they race off ahead of me. Not only does this harm the environment, but it impedes my ability to see the road, thus causing me to brake suddenly. Are they showing off or is this some childish a form of a political protest against cleaner energy or specifically the electric vehicles. What boggles my mind is that these people had to modify their engine/exhaust system to burn extra gasoline so they can purposefully leave a trail of thick black smoke which by the way, is also harmful to their engine and shortens the life span of that vehicle. Mind boggling.
Dean – Great addition to this post. There is a huge difference between those who are unconsciously adding to the problem of pollution by driving fast and not really considering their impact and those who are consciously burning more fuel to make an anti-environmental statement. The anti-environmentalists are just plain crazy, angry, and self-destructive people. There was an experiment carried out in a few southern states (Mississippi, Alabama, & Louisiana). where the same products on grocery stores shelves were divided into two categories. The labels were identical except one displayed the “RECYCLABLE” logo and the other did not. The one without the “RECYCLABLE” label outsold the one with by two to one, as if buying something responsibly was an antithesis to Red State mentality. Unfortunately that appears to be humanity’s future.
WOW! Interesting study! I am not that terribly surprised by the results as I sit and think about it.
Yes, yes, yes. I agree. But simultaneously have to say go see Brad Pitt in F1–it’s a fabulous movie about cars going faster than any of us might try on the highway!
At least to me professional racing is vastly different from untrained idiots causing havoc on people’s bloc roadways and risking other people’s lives. I’m waiting for the Brad Pitt movie to show up on Apple TV.
Should I not have bought the Turbo feature? I will only use it for merging, I promise.
You are not a psychotic driver. I’m not worried!
Tobin, how heartening to read the variety of comments made in response to your weekly posts. What more can one do to make a difference, to ignite change than to offer words inviting others to consider their day-to-day experience, in a different light?
I confess that I am the individual you mentioned who was thrilled to be able to safely pilot a new Corvette around a racetrack. It would be easy to go on and on about the experience. I will temper the urge in order to offer comment concerning your story. You posted about the wide spread egregious violation of the speed limits on our highways.
* The concept of “law abiding” and “lawful” is not what it used to be. Laws have proliferated, and are often unenforced, or enforced unevenly. It is quite rare for me to observe anyone pulled over on an interstate (I assume) for speeding. Are laws absolute, equivalent to a universal decree or is our understanding of “law” a function of our way-of-life? Haven’t lawyers have always been hired to “work around” the law?
* As to a reason might one have to drive 80 to 85 mph on Rt 53? I suggest the overwhelming majority dial up their speed to “keep up with traffic,” – if that is a reason. Seems to me very little of our behavior is for any reason. Usually we live reflexively, adapting to circumstances, in this case, to the vehicular velocity informally agreed upon by everyone else on the road, a social circumstance. Before I could articulate words, form sentences, I learned by observation, by imitating others. And since infancy most behavior is to conform to others. Imitation continues. Who wants to be an outsider?
* We have discussed on occasion how paradoxical the human species happens to be. We behave contrary to reason all the while finding comfort that we are an exceptional species on account of our reason. All mammals make mistakes. Homo Sapiens especially motivated by desires concealed from awareness. We ought to see the tragedy this entails. But this escapes us as we are ignorant. Homo sapiens are insatiable and unstable. We have scarce taste for the long term, and many of us believe that life is a zero-sum affair. You belong to the “haves” so to avoid falling into the “have nots.” Pedal to the metal!
* You mention the waste of finite resources that speed entails. Also noted is the waste load that nature deals with, – CO2 emissions. Also degrading our psychological well being is the compression of geography and time that high speed involves. The eyes are able to take in, to appreciate almost nothing. Of necessity one must be focused far ahead at high speeds. The experience of travel is impoverished.
* I suggest your ability to travel according to the posted limit is not only a matter of pragmatism. It is likely, due to many factors, you are a member of a subset of Americans who recognize that humans are not exempt from nature, understanding the future of the planet depends upon our collective behavior at present. The reciprocal support entailed by this communal affiliation, focuses your personal habits, even to your style of driving from A to B.
Let’s keep doing good work!
A great deal to unpack in your reply to this essay. Certainly there is a monkey see, monkey do aspect to driving over the speed limit and I wish those folks would take a moment to think about what they are doing both from a highway safety point of view and with regard to the environmental impact of speeding. But it’s those who weave in and out of traffic, traveling aggressively at high rates of speed apparently just for the sake of driving like someone whose brain has ceased to function. These are the people I believe whose drivers’ license should be suspended for 6 months for a first offense and if repeated, their license should be revoked. There are laws on the books about reckless driving, but the enforcement seems almost nonexistent.
In some of the scofflaws (what an archaic word) of the roadway, I notice the trifecta of dysfunction: Anger, entitlement, and bravado (which is based on low self-esteem). To me, I view it as an illness that remains untreated because we live in a culture that embraces the worst parts of manifest destiny. Hot headed drivers are part of the wild west, don’t tread on me, pry my gun from my cold dead hand, subculture of the so-called American dream. Many people will say, “Boys will be boys” as if erratic, irrational behavior should be a god-given right. I can also pretty much guarantee that these are the same people who will bitch and moan about the high price of gasoline. How ironic!!
I do like your idea of the speeder missing out on the beauty of the landscape as they go whizzing by concentrating on controlling their vehicle rather than taking in the view.
And as for doing good work, it feels much akin to Sisyphus and his rock. That doesn’t mean we don’t try.
It is Sisyphus exactly. Sisyphus could not alter his place in time, but he learned to find nourishment for his spirit in the mineral beauty of his rock. This is what resistance means, to be unbroken in spirit no matter the bleak circumstance.