23. Habitual speeding is seen as an addiction

By Tom O'Connell

One of the original meanings of the word "speed" was "power." A century ago, if I had more horses pulling my carriage I was more powerful than you. And in our times if I  have more horsepower in my car I can speed by you and leave you in the dust.

The desire for power through speed is a rampant obsessive-compulsive behavior in our society, and can be described as addiction. We go for fast foods, fast cars, and fast relationships. We chase instant gratification, instant success, and instant access. And we speed up our metabolism with caffeine, cigarettes, chocolate, and other stimulants.

In a recent radio news report I learned that in a survey of drivers a decade or so ago the number one fear was being involved in an accident with a drunken driver. But now the number one fear is getting involved with a rageful driver. There is an increasing amount of tailgating, with headlights flashing the message "Get out of my way!" This is about power and self-centeredness, which are among the hallmarks of addiction.

Are speeders addicted? Let's see if alcoholic traits also apply to speeders. An  alcoholic drinks to relieve tension; the speeder responds to inner pressure. The alcoholic deals with feelings by drinking; the speeder vents emotions behind the wheel. The drinker is preoccupied with the fluid; the speeder is preoccupied with rushing. The alcoholic is irritated and rationalizes when her drinking is discussed; likewise with the speeder. Drinking frequency increases over time; so does the frequency of speeding. There's an urgency about drinking; it's similar with speeding. The alcoholic demonstrates grandiose and aggressive behavior, and so does the speeder. The alcoholic has unreasonable resentments, and the speeder does too. Finally, the alcoholic's thinking is impaired, i.e. not sane. The speeder's behavior is not sane either. It's unbalanced.

Now let's apply the five Cs of addiction: craving, compulsion, loss of control despite efforts to control, and continuing the behavior in spite of life-damaging consequences. The driver in a hurry craves the adrenaline rush and the tension relief that comes with speed, and even though he is endangering his own life and the lives of others, he feels compelled to pass in no-passing zones, race around blind corners, damage the peace of mind of others, and threaten their well-being. The speeder loses control of her ability to slow down, attracting speeding tickets and causing accidents, yet she continues the behavior despite the penalties and the risks.

This high risk activity fits in with addictive behavior. Interestingly, research shows that risk-taking tendencies in young people predict addictive behavior later on. The risk-taker who goes to extremes reflects an inner discomfort that leads to habit-forming behaviors designed to bring temporary relief. But those behaviors, in the form of addictions, damage the quality of life of the addict and the people in the addict's life.

Habitual speeders are addicts, and I believe we should look at them in the same way we have learned to look at other addicts. They are sick people, with an addictive disease, and are mentally impaired. So they need our compassion and our help. But they also need to be responsible enough to treat their condition so they can improve the quality of their own lives, and become less of a threat to the rest of us. Speeders need to learn to choose peace and unselfishness instead of excitement and arrogant self-centeredness. They certainly need to learn the value of the slogan "Easy does it." Or at least the slogan Jonathan Swift put on his coat-of-arms: "Festina lente." It's Latin for "Hurry slowly."

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