DefensiveDriving.com and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

I recently came across an article out of California and it brought me back to that famous scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off where the parking garage attendants took an epic joy ride in Cameron’s fathers’ vintage Ferrari.

In,  what I am sure was a classic, seemed like a good idea at the time moment,  two employees of Pacific BMW in Glendale, California, a tire changer and valet driver, decided to take a brand new 1 Series M Coupe, out for a little spin.   Apparently, they were not as smart as the garage attendants, as they decided to tape their little adventure and proceeded to post it on YouTube.   Needless to say, both men were fired and now have been convicted of several misdemeanors.

What was troubling to me, was the speed at which they were traveling in the video and where they were speeding.   The video clearly shows it is a residential area and they were traveling at dangerous speeds.   This could have ended up a lot worse for both men.

Most drivers are apathetic when it comes to speed limits, despite the facts that speed is one of the main factors in automotive fatalities.   In fact, in a recently released study by the Governors’ Highway Safety Association, over 10,000 people lost their lives in accidents involving excessive speed and fatalities related to excessive speed represented 31% of the overall traffic fatality rate.   While traffic fatalities related to seat belt usage and drinking and driving both declined, traffic fatalities related to speed increased by over 7% since 2000.   A copy of the study can be found here.

Speed is a topic DefensiveDriving.com’s driver safety and defensive driving courses cover extensively.  In an era when states are raising speed limits and where drivers do not really view speeding as a criminal activity, the numbers indicate we are more and more at risk because of speeding and we should probably not take such a cavalier attitude towards speeding.

DefensiveDriving.com’s online driver safety programs are designed to assist with point reduction and ticket dismissal, however, we really think all drivers, regardless of whether or not they have a ticket for speeding, need to take sometime to refresh their own driving skills and knowledge, to understand the very real risks associated with excessive speed.   Our approved defensive driving courses are a good place to start.

Below – the video the two you men probably wish they had never made.  WARNING – THIS VIDEO CONTAINS UNEDITED FOOTAGE AND THEIR IS LANGUAGE SOME MIGHT FIND OFFENSIVE.

Remember, plan and leave earlier, slow down, your life and the lives of others, depend on it.