The Intuitive Nature of Speed Limits
Many developing countries do not have speed limits established
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Can you imagine roads without speed limits? I cannot only imagine it; I have lived it in Ghana.
A couple of years ago, my friend’s grandmother, who was loved by everyone in the neighborhood, was involved in an accident caused by a driver speeding through our area. At 82 years old, she was strong and healthy, despite having some trouble with her eyesight. She made it a point to attend chapel every morning at 5 AM and had done so many times. Unfortunately, that day turned out differently when a speeding driver struck her.
When I was younger, I had a dog that I cherished. After I left home for university, I received some sad news about my dog being involved in an accident with a car that was speeding through our neighborhood.
Recently, I spent three years in Ghana with my daughter, and I walked her to school every day. I was often shocked to see drivers speeding through the school zone, oblivious to the risk they posed to the schoolchildren. There were no road signs to remind them of the speed limits, and many drivers in developing countries may not have the same education about traffic rules.
Though my daughter and I have returned to the States, her 76-year-old grandmother remains in Ghana, still taking evening walks in the neighborhood. I worry about the schoolchildren and the dogs.
A majority of road accidents are attributed to speeding. It is estimated that 1.4 million people die from road crashes globally, with most of these being the youth, and people from developing countries. At the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra (Ghana), road traffic accidents accounted for 62% of deaths in the casualty unit of the emergency department. That statistic is terrifying; it puts everyone at risk — grandmas, children, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, people with disabilities and dogs.
Unfortunately, many developing countries do not have speed limits established as we do in America. Even in the United States, where speed limits are posted everywhere, speed-related accidents still occur annually. In 2022, speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities, resulting in 12,151 deaths — an average of over 33 lives lost per day. The total number of fatal motor vehicle crashes attributed to speeding was 10,922.
In Ghana, the maximum speed limit on highways is 90 km/h, except for the Accra-Tema motorway, which has a limit of 100 km/h. However, the speed limit is reduced to 50 km/h in settlements and drops to 30 km/h and 20 km/h in specific areas. The challenge is that if you don’t research these numbers, there’s no way to know them. Road limits are not posted as they are in the United States.
So, what do you do when you drive in a developing country with inadequate road signs?
You rely on your intuition.
According to Chris Anderson Psy.D, “Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately without having to use conscious reasoning. Some people also refer to this phenomenon as an instinctive or gut feeling.”
Scientists think that our unconscious mind works much faster than our conscious mind. This means that without us even realizing it, our unconscious mind quickly looks at what’s happening around us and compares it to our past experiences, what we know, and patterns we’ve seen before. This analysis helps us make guesses about what might happen next or what conclusions we should draw.
Intuition serves as a guidance system. It informs us what to do, where to go, and even at what speed to drive. However, tapping into this inner wisdom requires a connection to our spirit, which houses our intuitive knowledge. It requires us to be spiritually aware.
When you are spiritually aware of your surroundings while driving, speeding becomes nearly impossible. You may exceed the speed limit momentarily, but you will soon catch yourself. Your intuition will alert you if you are paying attention. I practice this every day and it feels as though I intuitively know the appropriate speed for every environment.
When you drive and see houses surrounding you, it’s a residential area and you instinctively know there’s a good chance that a child or a dog may run into the road or that a grandmother may be crossing the street to go to church in the morning.
When surrounded by shopping centers, you understand that you can drive a bit faster than in a residential area, but not as fast as you would on a tree-lined road because people are close.
In wooded areas, it’s unlikely that children or grandmothers will walk into the street, so you might drive a bit faster than in a neighborhood or near shops.
When you find yourself on a highway, with no homes or shops in sight, you can safely increase your speed compared to driving in residential or shopping areas.
When we tap into our intuitive sense while driving, we instinctively slow down in school zones and neighborhoods because of schoolchildren, grandmas/grandpas, and dogs. Even squirrels and deer and every other animal. We slow down for people. In work zones, we become more aware of the workers on the road and reduce our speed out of respect for their safety. It’s a natural response; you simply won’t speed through those areas.
Nowadays, I rely heavily on my intuition when driving, checking road signs afterward for confirmation, and I’m often surprised at how accurate my intuition is. Driving with my intuition helps me avoid unnecessary speeding tickets.
The worst (and last) speeding ticket I ever received was in 2017, and I can’t deny it was reckless driving — I was clocked at 82 mph in a 55 mph zone. If you were to ask me what happened, I would tell you that my mind wandered for just a moment, and that was the very second I passed a police officer. However, my wandering mind is no excuse for such a dangerous speed. When I regained my awareness, I was shocked at how fast I had been driving. At that time in my life, I was dealing with a lot of personal challenges, which affected my focus and diminished my connection to my intuition. But now, with my intuition guiding me, I am committed to ensuring that such an incident never happens again.
As I reflect on my experiences, I realize that while speed limits are crucial for safety, the ability to gauge our surroundings and adjust our behavior accordingly is equally important.
To my fellow Africans in developing countries, I want to emphasize that just because speed limits are not posted does not mean they don’t exist. There is always an implicit speed limit, and ignoring it can have dire consequences, including loss of life. Driving in environments without clear speed limits or road signs demands more than just caution; it calls for a heightened awareness of our surroundings and an understanding of the unspoken rules of the road. While the lack of formal regulations may be out of our control, our intuition can often fill the gaps left by inadequate road signs. Driving where road signs may be few and far between, let us not underestimate the power of our intuition. They are a vital tool in our driving repertoire, guiding us to make safer choices for ourselves and those around us.
And to drivers everywhere else in the world, this serves as a reminder to slow down and prioritize safety. It’s better to arrive a few minutes late than not at all. Let’s all commit to driving with awareness and consideration for those around us. By tapping into our intuition, we can navigate the roads with a greater sense of safety and responsibility.
