How fast do you drive?

Do men speed more then women?

How often do you exceed the speed limit? Now, I'm not talking about the 10 km/h or so that you can go over to keep in the flow of the traffic. I'm talking about the 16-30 km/h that is the most popular with speeders.

Statistics recently put together in Alberta show that men tend to speed more then women. The split in that province for speeding convictions is men 71.8% and women 28.2%. Young men between 20 and 21 years of age had the highest rate of involvement, 268 out of 1000. That is more then one in four!

It is only logical that there is a correlation between speed and car crashes. The faster you go, the less time you have to react. The faster you go then the greater the energy of the car has when stopping. In fact 30% of fatal crashes tie in with unsafe speed.

It is obvious that a lot of people take a speed limit sign as a suggestion rather then a rule. It is likely that most people will speed at one time or another. Be aware that in Alberta they are cracking down on speeders. There is now Sheriffs on the highways which supplement the local police force. More than one million tickets were given out between 2004 and 2008.

Insurance advice

There are rewards for not having tickets. Many of the insurance companies give better rates to people who are conviction free. The first ticket can cost you money on your renewal, even if it is a minor speeding ticket. This ticket will stay on your record for three years. If you are an underage driver then tickets will be surchargable. You will pay hundreds of dollars extra just because you did not leave your house in time. Do think about making better choices.

The first thing you do when you encounter fog or bad road conditions is, slow down. Perhaps you want to think about driving within the speed limit as a safety measure. Better to be late then not get home at all!