 What sin?
Eric,
You hit on the rationalism that too many drivers accept. Sure, I've gone over the posted speed limit - too many times. So does everyone. At some point every driver violates traffic law regardless of how careful they are. On a superficial level it would seem that none of us should be critical of other drivers, else we would be hypocrites, or as you said in your post only those without sin should throw the first stone.
Such logic fails in a number of ways. First, driving at a reasonable speed (close to the posted speed limit) isn't a matter of sin. It's a matter of safety and law. Second, if you can justify speeding then test the logic of that justification by applying it to another traffic regulation. For instance, let's say you justify speeding because you think you are a superior driver, with superior reflexes, and a superior car - wouldn't that logic also apply to running stop signs? Or red lights? If you can justify speeding then you can justify violating any other traffic law. Would you condone or praise someone who repeatedly, and intentionally runs red lights? Yet, look at the number of drivers who repeatedly and intentionally speed. Usually, when we run a stop sign it's an accident, but the number of people speeding isn't.
This flaunting of traffic law might be nothing more than a juvenile rebelliousness, but it costs us in 16,000 deaths each and every year. The costs are horrendous and we pay for the least of it with high insurance premiums. People like to think of all these deaths as nothing more than "accidents", but most often an accident is nothing more that doing the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place with someone else doing the same. The synchronicity of an accident isn't frequent, and unfortunately that lets drivers develop bad driving habits. Slow down and live!
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