I was driving on the highway where the speed limit is 65 miles an hour. I was driving at 70 miles an hour, just going with the flow and following the pace of all the cars around me. None of the cars around were driving below the speed limit. There was a police officer in between those cars. He emerged from the frontage road. Initially, he was going around 60 miles an hour. I and most cars around passed him, and then suddenly he slammed on the throttle, speeding up to around 75 miles an hour.
I witnessed something I had never seen before. When the cop passed lots of cars and found an empty space on the highway, he turned on his sirens and started swerving from left to right, occupying all three lanes. It was as if he was signaling everybody, all of the cars around, to slow down and respect the speed limit. It was bizarre.
And that made me think… Why are speed limits so low? Why not just raise them? Nobody is respecting them anyway, right? Is everyone wrong? Or are the speed limits too low?
Speed limits are not going to prevent people from crashing. These speed limits were put in place probably decades ago, and haven’t been raised since. In fact, they lower them every year, which is ridiculous because cars are made safer every year. Vehicle sensors and technology are constantly improving.
You know what would really reduce accidents? Training people how to drive. Investing in teaching drivers how to drive properly. When I went to get my driver’s license, both in the US and in Mexico, they just asked me to grab a car, turn it on, put on your seatbelt, drive around a block to see if I stopped or not, and then park in a space the size of a school bus. Then they issued my license. Come on. Really? Is that all?
If my dad wouldn’t have taken the time to teach me all the rules, I would be a menace on the streets. Like a lot of people are.
How do we expect people to be a self-aware, safe, and respectful driver with such a basic test? The solution is not lowering speed limits. That’s like trying to solve a leak in your roof by placing buckets around the house to catch the dripping water.
The solution is teaching people how to drive properly before they receive a driver’s license. Because not everyone has parents that are willing or able to teach them.
The Yogis, with their theory of right action (dharma), understand that lawmakers tend to be slower to catch up with the changes in society's thinking. Even though the laws of a particular country reflect the collective ethical ideals of the people, these ideals evolve faster than the laws themselves.
Consequently, the laws are often slightly behind in reflecting public opinion and people's sense of what's right and wrong. The fact that all cars are going faster doesn’t mean they are wrong; it means the speed limit needs an update. It means the laws have to catch up with the collective consciousness.
The next time you're driving around, notice the speed of cars in relation to the speed limit. Reflect on how, in order to keep moving forward as a society, we have to do our part in pushing lawmakers to catch up with the collective consciousness. To solve the roots of problems, not just cover the symptoms. Only then will the laws start to really reflect the minds of the average citizen.
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