The Danger of Speeding - What it Costs

January 9, 2023

Driving Safety, Speeding

Black and white photo of a severely damaged police car, rear-ended, with the trunk open and crumpled. The car is parked on a street.

Speeding on the roads is more than getting you from A to B seconds faster. It’s about everyone and everything around you and the serious costs it can have.   Driving safety is something you have direct control of, for the most part. While anyone can come into the side of you while you’re parked in a bay, you are the one putting pressure on the gas when it comes to being on the road. When you hit the gas too much, you’re not just going past the speed limit; that extra mph will cost.   At Dealership Autoplex Collision Center, we see so many cars rolling into our shop needing preventable work. So, we thought we’d put together a list of everything you need to think about when you consider pushing a little harder on the gas pedal.  
  1. It Can Cost Lives
  When we say “it can cost lives”, there’s the obvious and the unobvious. If you’re going at high speeds, you could find yourself unprepared to slow enough to prevent a fatal accident for you, your passengers and pedestrians. Even if you do slow, the injuries sustained from a car crash following a lack of driving safety can be life-changing (and not for the better).   Finally, there’s the mental impact that so many of us forget about or think ourselves too strong to be affected by. When a collision happens, everyone involved will change in one way or another. And you’ll be the person carrying the blame just for wanting to go a little faster.  
  1. It Can Cost Your License
  When you’re caught speeding, you could lose your license. The cops are on the street to prevent serious accidents, promote driving safety and help keep the flow of traffic moving at an effective pace for the state. If you’re threatening that, the cops have the right to pull you over, fine you and revoke your license.   Here in Texas, the law states that if you have over 4 speeding violations in a 12-month period, your license could be suspended.  
  1. It Can Cost Your Insurance Premium
  Just one speeding ticket in the state of Texas could land you with an insurance premium rise of up to 50%. While the average is 30%, it’ll depend on the speeding violation, your car and the insurance company you’ve chosen.   Then there are the medical insurance premiums. One of the reasons these may rise is if there has been a claim in the previous year. If you’re speeding and not concerned about driving safety, you could cause injury to yourself, your passengers or pedestrians who will all claim against your medical insurance provider.   So, even if you don’t consider the injury impact of driving, take a closer look at whether or not you want to - or even can - afford the costs of speeding when it comes to your insurance.  
  1. It Can Cost Your Bank Account in Fines
  If you’re caught speeding, the police department may issue you a fine based on how many miles over the limit you drove. They’ll usually range between $130 and $300 but this can be impacted on the zone (such as speeding in a construction or school zone) or if there was an accident. Here are Houston’s fines from 2022:   a.    $224 for being over the limit by 1-5mph b.    $234 for being over the limit by 6-9mph c.    $259 for being over the limit by 10-14mph d.    $284 for being over the limit by 15-19mph e.    $309 for being over the limit by 20-29mph f.      There is an undefined amount for speeding more than 30mph over the limit  
  1. It Can Cost Your Car
  Not only does speeding take more gas, but it also wears down parts of your vehicle much quicker, too. As you go faster, it takes more acceleration power and more brake power, both of which will be the components to wear fastest.   It’s the extra stress on these components that create a domino effect of parts that slam into one another. When you hit the gas, the pistons hit the connecting rods which then slam the crankshaft. This triggers the transmission which impacts the axles and so on. Then, when you need to slow, you’re adding more stress onto the brake pads, wearing them at an accelerated rate.   So, for bank account safety, you need to know about driving safety.   When you do speed, you’ll need the best technicians and mechanics to help bring your car back to its former glory. Whether you need collision repair following an impact or a higher maintenance schedule because you're hitting the gas pedal harder. Your ASE-certified technicians are here at Dealership Autoplex Collision Center.   Contact the team at (972) 242-0092, browse our website or come directly to us at our shop in Carrollton, TX.   These 7 Dangers of Speeding Are Not Worth the Risk The Steps to Take When You’ve Totaled Your Car 45 Tips for Safe Driving in Snowy and Icy Weather

Damaged black SUV in an auto repair shop with the front end crushed and hood bent up.

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White car with a cracked windshield and heavy damage to the front-left side from a collision

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