The speed established by the new road code represents some limited values, maximum or minimum, that we are forced to respect every time we are driving inside localities or outside them, on national or European freeways, highways or districts.

The maximum speed is established according to various factors, generally known by most drivers. This is why the speeding should be carefully chosen by every traffic participant. Important influences on speed are determined by:

The infrastructure of the road:

It is known the fact that on a road full of hollows, even if the speed is raised at 80 km/h on that sector of road, you won’t be able to drive at that speed because your car will suffer serious damages, and your trip will become a real nightmare, no matter how good are your car clampers. At the same time you will be considered a danger for the other drivers and for the pedestrians because of the low efficiency of your maneuver.

Weather condition:

The weather condition has a strong effect on the driving skills. On bad weather condition, with no clear visibility or slippery road with low adherence of the tires, the speed should be at a limit that will allow a driving act without danger, which will allow you to observe obstacles and unpredictable situation in time or to avoid them.

Technical condition of the car:  

The following example is enlightening. Driving a car with high speed and used tires, even if the speed imposed by the law is respected, could generate serious accidents because of the lack of adherence of the tires, increasing the distance of retardation.

Weight and gauge of the motor vehicle:

If you use a motor vehicle with a big gauge or loaded at its maximum capacity, the consequences in case of an accident could be even more serious, if you are driving with the maximum allow speed. For this big motor vehicles the consequence of an accident could be more serious because the impulse registered at the impact represents the product between the weight and speed of the car.

Psychic and physical limits of the driver:

The necessary time for observing a danger and making a right choice is generally invariable, being somewhere between 0.8 sec. (for the fast ones) and 1.4 sec. (for those with lower reflexes). Increasing the driving speed, the maneuvers or dodges take a longer period of time, the retardation distance is increasing and so is the possibility of an accident. All this is even more possible if the car has an inadequate speed in curves or the driver suddenly tries to avoid some obstacles. For elder people, those in an advanced state of tiredness this time of reaction is longer with slower reflex. The same thing happens to the ones under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Other influences: 

According to age, gender, state of mind, abilities and reaction when spotting a danger of an accident, the speed must be carefully chosen by every driver. The temper is a factor of influence in crises situation. Driving with high speed leads to high quantities of adrenaline, which goes into your blood and acts as an inebriety, often leading to absence of mind and slows down the reflexes. This is the so called “speeding drunkenness”.

Driving a car with high performances, for some drivers is synonym with exceeding the legal limits of speed. If the speed is increased so is the distance of retardation and the necessary time for making a quick decision, existing the possibility of not being able to make the necessary maneuvers for avoiding the danger. In curves or crossings with low visibility, low lateral visibility, driving with a high speed becomes very dangerous. In all this cases decreasing the speed and driving according to the road condition is obligatory.

This tendency of driving with high speed is also present when driving on highways or national roads. Few know that once the speed increases the contact surface of the tires with the ground is decreasing. If at 60 km/h the contact surface of the tires with the ground is about a palm, when the speed reaches 110-120 km/h, this surface is three or four times smaller, putting in danger the maneuvers and the driving act because of the low adherence with the ground. Drive your car according to the road conditions, weather and your own psychic and psychical limits.