How to drive faster but safer.
On average, there is somewhere around 30,000 fatalities on the road, in the U.S, each year. All of the rules, regulations, and restrictions put forward in regards to driving are to try and lower that number. The speed limit is the most annoying of those rules, but it’s there for a good reason. If you are going to break it, you must understand the risks for yourself and everyone else on the road near you, and then how to properly minimize them. If you are the only who thinks you’re a safe driver, than you probably aren’t one. Keep reading.
1. Driver training
I believe the biggest problem with driving in the U.S is how we’re trained. Growing up in Massachusetts, most teens opt to take a driving course involving a few classroom sessions, and twelve hours of on-road time.
And guess what. We never even went on the highway. Major red flag.
Luckily I had parents that were more invested in my safety than my half-asleep driving instructor and they were responsible for my highway driving education, until I had enough awareness to self-teach.
In many driving schools, new drivers are expected to familiarize themselves with road signs, traffic laws, and basic vehicle maneuvering such as 3-point turns and parallel parking. All fine things to learn. BUT where is the high-speed driving requirement? What about loss-of-traction situations? Understeer? Oversteer? What about simply changing a tire or checking your oil & brakes? If these experiences are all unfamiliar to you, stop reading and go learn about them. I would not recommend that you exceed the speed limit.
Let’s say you do have a basic understanding of how vehicles work and someone has taken you on a brisk Sunday morning rip on an empty highway. If driving fast is something that is starting to become addictive and nothing seems to stop you, I’d at least get some more experience from the professionals before you get into trouble. Consider taking a weekend course at a high-performance driving school such as Bondurant or Skip Barber. They offer lessons in all aspects of driving, from safety courses to full on racing progams. Seriously, check them out.
If you’re not in the financial position to hop into one of Bondurant’s Hellcat Widebody’s, then find a local karting track! (one more serious than those aimed at family’s.) I grew up karting at Pioneer Valley Indoor Karting, in Hatfield, MA. They were a great way to learn car control at speeds that felt fast, but actually weren’t.
If you’re just skimming, here are the basic rules you really should know:
1. Drive in the right lane, but pass only on the left.
2. Do not tailgate under any circumstances. You’ll always be at fault.
3. Do not “chill” in the left lane. It’s annoying for people trying to properly pass you.
4. Do not weave through traffic. That’s purely reckless.
5. Do not have unnecessary distractions while driving fast. No music, no phones, and no talking.
2. YOUR CAR’S CAPABILITIES
Knowing every inch of your car is very important if you plan on going anywhere near triple digit speeds. Here are some things you should be aware of before driving.
- BRAKES. Most importantly, you need to figure out how far it will take you to stop if something goes wrong… So what condition are your brakes in? Take a look at your brake pads. There should be at minimum roughly 6mm of pad left. Refer to this diagram to find out where they are:
- TIRES. All tires are not created equal. Like shoes, typically the more expensive they are, the higher quality they’ll be. Check your tread depth before going on a drive! (Tip: stick a penny in one of the treads. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, replace the tires.) Also know what type of tyre is on your vehicle. Summer tires will provide the highest level of grip and therefore the shortest stopping distance. However, they’re not great in the rain and hydroplanning could be likely. All-season’s will be perfectly fine for a brisk rip but they might get squirrily at higher speeds. Don’t even think about any top speed runs with snow tires. They’re made of a softer rubber suited for lower temperatures and will not provide adequate stability at speed. They also usually have a much lower speed rating than other types, so exceeding that speed could cause a dangerous situation.
- SUSPENSION COMPONENTS. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with your suspension if your car is kept in good shape. If you live in the Northeast like I used to, keep a constant eye out for rust developing near your ball joints, steering linkage, and control arms. Also check to see that no fluid is leaking from your struts. Refer to the diagram below to locate those parts.
- STEERING. Abnormalities you feel through the steering wheel will be the best way to tell if any of the parts listed above are failing. If you can drive at highway speeds, let go of the steering wheel briefly and if it jiggles or shakes, or the car starts to veer towards one direction, have it looked at.
- PUBLISHED TOP SPEED. I have never reached the published top speed of any car I have driven, and neither should you, unless mabye you’re on a long, straight race track. BUT you should absolutely look up the top speed of your car before attempting to drive fast. There is a high chance it is much lower than the highest number on your speedometer. I also say this because although a little Golf GTI can hit 155mph without wincing, it doesn’t mean your overpriced Jeep Wrangler with off-road tires can do that. The manufacture’s published top speed limit is the fastest the car is safely designed to travel, assuming every other factor is perfect. It rarely is, unless you’re on a closed circuit, so don’t push it.
3. ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS
Once you’ve realized how absurdly busy the roads always seem to be, I would urge you to keep any potential speeding limited to quiet stretches of highway or canyon roads. The only thing worse than harming yourself is harming others in the process, so you can minimize the later risk by obeying the speed limit in residential and congested areas.
Once you’ve found an open stretch of road, do a little scouting before you give it a full send. I would encourage you to select a location that you are very familiar with. Remember, a pothole or deer at 120mph could kill you. If you live in the L.A area like me, I’d recommend checking out Angeles Crest or Mulholland Highway in the early hours of the morning.
4. LAW ENFORCEMENT
Police presence is arguably the biggest speed deterent. A quick note about this before we continue: if you get pulled over for speeding, in the officer’s mind, it really doesn’t matter how trained you are or not- it just matters that you broke the law. Don’t get frustrated or argue, it’s just one of the consequences.
- Speed Enforcement Methods: There are quite a few ways an officer can measure your speed and you must understand all of them and how they work before attempting to evade them. First and most common among local agencies is radar. It sends a signal that bounces off your car and back to the device, giving the officer your speed. This method does not require a line-of-sight connection with you so be aware that an officer can be hiding and still catch you. The second and most effective method is laser, also known as “LIDAR.” From a stationary position, (often the median) an officer will point a laser gun directly at your vehicle prompting an instant result. It’s extremely accurate and extremely hard to avoid. The other method worth mentioning is pacing. This will be the most obvious way your speed can be measured as it involves the officer catching up to you, matching your speed, and then pulling you over. A good sense of awareness on your part will defeat this method.
“The best tool to avoid a traffic stop is your eyes. Look further down the road.”
- Countermeasures: Any technology is only as smart as the person using it. Don’t buy a radar detector expecting to be invincible. Don’t rely on Waze to spot every speed trap for you. Successfully avoiding a speeding ticket requires a careful balance or visual awareness and countermeasure usage. The best free tool I can recommend is Waze. The app is simply brillant for gaining awareness of road hazards and speed traps ahead. Additionally, living in a state where radar speed detection is prevalent, I decided to invest in a radar detector. Assuming it’s legal to own one in your state, a detector will pick up those radar signals before the signals pick up your speed. It gives you a chance to slow down before reaching the speed trap. (Tip: keep in mind most officers don’t drive around with their radar on. Don’t be disappointed if your detector doesn’t pick up every single police car.) Okay but what about laser jammers? In my opinion it is a bit overkill considering they’re illegal in most states. They also usually require professional installation. These essentially create an infrared bubble around your car that will diffuse the laser beam until you have time to slow down. I have never used them and have been just fine with the Waze/detector combination. Just in case you’re interested though, I’ll leave links to the detectors and jammers that I’d recommend.
- Budget- Escort Radar X80 Radar/Laser Detector, $299 https://www.escortradar.com/products/escort-x80
- Best- Escort Radar MAX 360C Radar Detector, $649 https://www.escortradar.com/products/escort_max_360c
- Laser Avoidance- LaserVeil G5 stealth coating, $97 https://www.radarbusters.com/Laser-Veil-G5-6-Stealth-Coating-Review-p/veil.htm
- Laser Jammers- Escort Radar Laser Shifters, $849 https://www.escortradar.com/collections/laser-shifters
5. THE VERDICT
I’m sure it’s pretty clear that the easiest thing to do is just not to speed. But it’s one of those things everyone ends up doing anyways and I would at least hope you’re well prepared for the experience and the potential consequences. I would also highly recommend that you watch this video, as it sums up this subject nicely.
Thanks for reading!