worst drivers in the world. But he states that this can all be fixed, “Through intensive driver-education programs, stringent licensing criteria, and public-service announcement campaigns, we can learn to drive more proficiently.” (Knutson 621) Lastly, Knutson concludes that we, as drivers should stand together to “fight to regain our freedom behind the wheel” (Knutson 623). “Free us from our speed slavery once and for all” (qtd. In Csere, “Free”). Although Knutson has presented very great points throughout his article that actually made me think twice about disagreeing with him, I don’t think it is enough for us to change the national speed limit. Doing so, can become very dangerous for Americans. Speed limits are designed because of the very reason that increasing our speed can lead to more fatalities. I disagree with Knutson’s argument to remove our national speed limit because I believe that speed does kill, Americans are not properly educated and trained, and everyday driving should not be viewed as “fun”. One may say that speeding does not kill. This opinion can be viewed in two different ways. Knutson has clearly pointed out that it is not the speed that will kill a person. “Driving fast, however, is not a hazard; speed combined with incompetence, alcohol, or hazardous conditions is dangerous.” But I disagree because no matter what, we need to always take into consideration the driver and the drivers surrounding. For example, we have no control of the weather. In a state like Hawaii we are likely to only experience rain and high winds, but there are many other states that experience icy roads, snow and fog. While some drivers will slow down and take safety precautions, I have driven alongside drivers that don’t care about the hazardous weather conditions. With that being said, if people are able to legally reach speeds as high as 80mph or higher, combined with bad weather, it can result in more car accidents. Although someone can die in a car accident at lower legal speeds, the result of a higher illegal speed will be a lot worse. The impact of a car hitting another car, pedestrian, or other things on the side of the road (ex. Road signs, road railings) can result in a definite death when reaching higher speeds. Also, we should not say that it is okay for a drunk driver or a person with road rage to be able to speed even faster than our states already allows us too. Knutson also says that, “The belief that a “no speed limit” highway system would result in widespread carnage appears to be based more on fear than fact” (Knutson 621). In my opinion it is okay to be fearful of death, this is why we have rules in hopes to prevent deaths. I don’t think that we should base safety precautions like speed limits off of a proven fact. Many people, even possibly Knutson could argue that people will speed no matter the speed limit, and I agree with that. But let’s not “allow” people to reach higher speeds legally, and let’s not allow the possibility of more deaths. While I believe that speed does kill, I also believe that Americans are not properly trained/ educated to even reach higher speeds. Americans are some of the worst drivers in the world. “During a drive around any city in this country, one is bound to witness numerous displays of behind-the-wheel carelessness (Knutson 620). This could possibly be because the little amount of education that they have that is considered “enough” to legally obtain a driver’s license in the U.S. Knutson stated in his article that those who are opposed to lifting the speed limits say, “that our driver-education programs do not sufficiently prepare drivers to operate vehicles and that obtaining a driver’s license in most states is comically easy; therefore, lifting the speed limit would be irresponsible” (Knutson 619). This is a great reason to prove why we should not get rid of speed limits. In Hawaii we have legal drivers as young as 16 years old, “kids” that can barely even make smart or rational decisions. In order to obtain my driver’s license I memorized the permit book at the time of my test and practiced the route to take my driver’s license. My point is, it is pretty easy to get a license but still not understand the rules of the road, or no how to drive safely on high speed roads. Knutson points out himself that, “Speed limit advocates also argue that American drivers do not possess the skill or capacity to drive at autobahn speeds” (Knutson 619). With that being said, although Knutson can suggest that there are remedies to fix this problem, like having Americans get more training. It does not mean that drivers, especially drivers that have been driving for a long period of time will want to go back to driver’s education programs to get further educated/ trained. I agree with Knutson that Americans should be more educated about the road and rules, as well as having longer training programs before given a license. But I just don’t think that most American drivers will go back to driving programs just to raise or get rid of a speed limit that is designed to protect us. As of today, Americans lack the knowledge for our speed limits to be lifted. With that being said, I think it is too dangerous of risk to take. Lastly, driving should not be viewed as something fun or enjoyable. I take driving serious, and I’d like to hope that most people do as well. Driving is very important because it allows a person to drive to and from important places like work, stores, hospitals, etc. Knutson continuously points out how driving should be enjoyable in his opinion. “There is one lucid and persuasive argument for abolishing interstate speed limits: Driving fast is pure, unadulterated, rip-snortin’ fun.” He goes on to explain his experience in Germany, reaching speeds as high as 120mph and driving all types of cars. But this is Knutson’s opinion as a man that enjoys the adrenaline rush and overall experience. I do not believe that the opinion of a man having fun is enough to say that because of how he felt the U.S. should abolish their speed limits. Our safety on the road should not be compared to someone wanting to have fun driving fast. In conclusion, author Brent Knutson has presented a great article with an argument that I’m sure many people will support and agree with.
As for myself, I don’t think it is enough to change or lift the U.S speed limits because I believe that speed does kill, Americans are not properly educated and trained, and everyday driving should not be viewed as “fun”. Driving is very serious because it can result in deaths. While the United States already deals with many speed related fatalities every day, I don’t think that getting rid of our speed limits or raising it to a higher speed will lower the rates of car accidents/deaths. Although the “stringent safety requirements imposed by the Department of Transportation for vehicles sold in the United States ensure that our cars and trucks are the safest in the world” (Knutson 621) It does not mean that the person getting behind the wheel is the safest person, and for that reason we have speed limits to protect our lives the best way it possibly
can.