The laws of physics apply to everyone, even an excellent driver in a high-performance vehicle. The faster you drive, the greater the risk of an accident and the more severe that accident is likely to be.
The faster a vehicle is moving, the more information the brain receives. However, the brain can only process a certain amount of information at any given time, which means that at 100 km/h, it has to eliminate a large amount of peripheral information. The field of vision therefore decreases as speed increases.
Someone who is driving very fast may not see the little girl who is about to cross the street to retrieve her ball, nor the car that suddenly enters the intersection.
The greater the speed, the longer the braking distance.
The stopping distance more than doubles between 30 and 50 km/h, and nearly triples between 50 and 100 km/h.
The faster you are moving, the harder it becomes to avoid obstacles. Driving more slowly makes it easier to avoid a cyclist who suddenly turns onto the road, for example. When driving faster, the possibility of avoiding the cyclist is reduced.
Driving fast increases the risk of losing control of your vehicle, especially in a curve. The risk of skidding is greater at high speeds.
In an accident, a vehicle stops abruptly and passengers who are not buckled in are thrust violently towards a point of impact (steering wheel, windshield, dashboard or another passenger). Even for those passengers who are buckled in, the speed at which the vehicle was travelling has a direct impact on the severity of the collision.
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Last update: June 2, 2022
