Personal Ethics

In our last class we played a game, sort of. A game frequently has the purpose of amusement, however this was more of an activity in which we listed our values and then got to see how other students ranked their values. 

Despite things I disliked much more being on the list I put driving the speed limit as my lowest priority ethically. This is because, in some ways, I feel that driving the speed limit has fewer ethical issues surrounding it. Yet, that is not really true. 

We have speed limits in order to protect drivers on the road. Obeying speed limits is a safety issue. What human has the right to randomly take away the safety of another just to get to their destination a little faster? Also, there is the issue of fuel economy and protecting our environment by driving speeds that best conserve fuel, and so consume less fuel, taking more time to release the same amount of fossil fuel emissions into the environment (there is of course, a catalytic converter in newer cars for that purpose, but is it 100% effective?). Another reason people encourage driving the speed limit is simply because it is law. 

Laws are not always correct. Furthermore most laws tell us what not to do, are prohibitory, not tell us what to do. Don't speed. Don't use fireworks that meet these specifications. Don't kill. Don't steal. Don't extort/blackmail. Fewer laws tell us to do something (and those that pop into my head at the moment are : Do pay taxes). These laws can be flawed. Just because something is a law does not mean it should, ethically, be absolutely obeyed. It is not at the top of the thinking pyramid. Law and Order is not the ultimate means of thinking rationally. (I cannot recall from high school which philosopher I am drawing off of. Oops.)

Ultimately my problem with saying to "drive at speed limit" is the highway system. In America if you drive at the speed the highways declare you're going to run into problems so many times. When traffic is backed up driving at the speed limit would not be safe---you'd be just ramming your vehicle into others, as there would be nowhere to go. More to the point of the argument, and less literally, if you drive at only 55 mph on most highways you are actually dangerous to all of the other drivers who are speeding. It is not safe. Laws are made to protect---if following the law is more dangerous than not...which should we do? 

I normally follow speed limits. I drive at 20 mph in school zones. I drive at the speed limit in cities. On the highways I drive at the speed of traffic. Safety is most important in this, not obeying the law, as far as I have determined for  myself. Now if everybody could be convinced to drive at the speed limit, then I'd oblige. It would be safe, and I would even be safer---no risk of being pulled over by a grouchy cop. 

--Jessica