Higher crash speeds reduce the ability of vehicles, restraint systems, and roadway hardware such as guardrails, barriers, and impact attenuators to protect occupants. When the object is left to roll or skid down the higher, more inclined ramp to the surface, this higher potential energy can be converted into correspondingly higher kinetic energy. In fact, it can be more dangerous to drive slower than the designated speed limit than to keep your vehicle’s speed at the limit. A large majority of the drivers consider speed as a very important problem for road safety. Crash severity increases by the square of the speed so that, when speed increases from 40 to 60 mph, speed goes up 50% while the energy released in a crash more than doubles. On the other hand, lower gear ratios allow your vehicle’s engine to run more economically to maintain a given speed; hence, better fuel economy and higher top speeds. This is the benefit of a big crawl ratio: it not only multiplies your engine torque, but it allows your engine to actually produce more power by keeping it high in the rev range at low vehicle speeds. Advertisement The ideal cruising speed for most cars and trucks is about 50 to 55 miles per … More than 80% of the European drivers state that driving too fast is often, very often or always a contributory factor in road accidents . In contrast, high-speed collisions occur when a vehicle travels in excess of 30 miles per hour. Needless to say, going faster might get you home /work in little as 5-6 minutes faster. At the same time, many drivers exceed the posted speed limits. The new Ford Mustang is offered with a 10-speed automatic transmission, and so is the new F-150 and Lexus LC500. Yes - the higher the RPMs- the harder the motor is working/using more gas. The higher the speed, the more ground you will cover during both your reaction time and the actual braking time of your vehicle. The main things to know: Generally, the higher in the alphabet a tire is rated, the better it will manage heat and faster speeds. High-speed Collisions. Higher gear ratios (lower numerical values) mean the engine runs faster to achieve a given top speed; thus, better acceleration/torque and high fuel economy. There’s an exception for the H rating; read on for why. When a car is traveling at high speeds, drivers are less likely to have control of their vehicle and take corrective actions to prevent an accident. It forces your engine work harder by pumping and using more fuel, and forces the pistons and other moving parts to work at a higher speed than is optimal. Each letter in the speed rating represents a maximum speed based on a standard chart. The impact speed of Car 1 in our example is about 8.2 metres per second, so the impact lasts only about 0.024 seconds. These accidents often occur on highways, freeways, and other high-speed routes. Speed choice: why do drivers exceed the speed limit? The time taken for this is about the time it takes for the car to travel a distance equal to Sam's thickness—about 20 centimetres. Your actual speed capacity may be less than a tire’s rating. Thats why most cars have an overdrive, to reduce the RPMs. Automotive Fleet published a recent article that describes the concept of speed and its consequences using the example of a car driving off a 12-story building. The car, however, very rapidly increases Sam's speed from zero to the impact speed of the vehicle. You should reduce your speed by 1/3 on wet roads and by 1/2 or more on snow packed roads (i.e., if you would normally be traveling at a speed of 60 mph on dry pavement, then on a wet road you should reduce your speed to 40 mph, and on a snow-packed road you should reduce your speed to 30 mph). Same time, many drivers exceed the posted speed limits faster might get you home /work little! 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