Speeding REALLY a sin?

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I recently checked in on a thread where the originator was asking if it was a sin to speed in emergency situations. Most of the responders seemed to be answering yes. This TOTALLY surprised me!!! Maybe I am dense, but is speeding REALLY a sin??? I mean, how does going 70 in a 65 zone offend GOD? Suggestions? Answers? Help?
 
Hi there,

Civil authorities have the right to make laws which we must obey. Only if they are just laws. It may be a small sin if you are not going too much over, or maybe no sin at all. If you can honestly say you are not putting yours or anyones elses safety at risk, then I don’t believe it’s a sin. And in an emergency you can speed, but be careful not to put anyone in danger. The police accept that you can speed in an emergency , and will probably escort you to the hospital. I am an Australian and in a recent high profile case a man was doing 160kmh in a 110 kmh zone. He told the judge his bentley was made to travel at 160kmh. This was the safest speed for this car. And the judge agreed. Perhaps you can learn something from that story too.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon14.gif

Yours in Jesus, Mary and Joseph

John
 
I have a lead foot. I used to save my “driving sins” for a priest who went to school in Italy. He was a worse driver than I am.

All sins are relational by nature. It is always sinful to be rude or reckless. Not rude or reckless? Not a sin. Drive 70 in one state in a fit car on empty roads and it is safe, legal and moral. Three miles down the road in another state it is sinful? Common sense tells you it is not.

Want to fight? After a certain age some folks don’t belong driving. Every time they get in the car they risk murder and it is allways a serious selfish mortal sin.
 
well, it’s a law… your not supposed to do it, your aware that your breaking a law, and you do it anyway… i’d say yes…

now add to that you kill the father, mother, child,…etc because of your disregard of the law… you could probably make a case for it being mortal… :eek:

i don’t know, what do you think? :cool:
 
Since when is everything legal also moral and everything illegal immoral?

Abortion is good? Go to Las Vegas and visit the bunny ranch is OK? Spend my pension on the slots?

All moral & legal?
 
space ghost:
well, it’s a law… your not supposed to do it, your aware that your breaking a law, and you do it anyway… i’d say yes…

now add to that you kill the father, mother, child,…etc because of your disregard of the law… you could probably make a case for it being mortal… :eek:

i don’t know, what do you think? :cool:
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I don’t know what I think. All I know is ever since I read this other thread with all these people saying speeding was a sin, I’ve had a guilty conscious. That’s why I figured I’d post the question.
 
I’ll actually speed to make it to confession before it closes.

How is that for hypocrisy?
 
Read your Catechism. Paragraphs 1897-1927, 2238-2243, and 2290.
 
What is sinful is disobeying a legitimate authority. The government has the legitimate authority to regulate traffic on public roads, so we have a moral obligation to obey those laws. If, however, a government goes outside its legitimate authority, then there is no obligation to obey, and there may be an obligation to disobey. For example, if a government passed a law forbidding the celebration of Mass, we would be obligated to disobey that law and attend Mass on Sundays and holy days anyway. Disobeying the law in this case would, of course, not be a sin.
 
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NM2:
What is sinful is disobeying a legitimate authority.
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So to is endangering lives (your own included).
 
Ah, just ask the next cop that stops you. According to Police Theology, going less than 5mph over the limit is less than venial.
 
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tkdnick:
I don’t know what I think. All I know is ever since I read this other thread with all these people saying speeding was a sin, I’ve had a guilty conscious. That’s why I figured I’d post the question.
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At first I thought no way is it a sin. However when you think that speeding can kill, then perhaps it is.
 
The issue RE sin & safety is this:

The 85% rule.

If you do a traffic study on any given road you will learn that 15% driver are driving too fast for conditions. The other 85% are just fine. The 85th percentile is the proper and safe speed limit from a safety point of view. But they don’t then post the speed limit at the safe and proper limit.

We have to have roads safe for cell phone users who also drive, those who eat lunch and drive, those over 85 who can’t see, hear and have no reflex’s left, women who put on eye makeup in traffic and don’t forget the drunks.

Don’t forget writing tickets is a major industry. It finances schools, police departments and the local JP.

So they set the speed limit not at 85 percentile but at 50 percentile knowing they are guaranteeing a steady income stream of those who KNOW that the speed limit is bogus because they ignore it every day without ill effect.

And the question is: Is ignoring an inane law written and enforced by ethically impaired highway brigands sinful?
 
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Buford:
And the question is: Is ignoring an inane law written and enforced by ethically impaired highway brigands sinful?
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If the law was passed by a legitimate authority, within its legitimate sphere, and is not immoral of itself, yes. Because neither you nor I have the authority or right to declare a law “inane” - we are not laws unto ourselves, permitted to ignore any particular legitimate law just because we don’t like it. Such an attitude is another example of the “It’s all about me” mentality that’s led to the problems rampant in our secular culture today.
 
I find it difficult to accept that going 58 in a 55 is a sin. Going 65 in a 55 might be a venial sin. Going 85 in a 55 is probably a mortal sin.

There are worse things than going a few mile per hour over the speed limit. For example, people who talk on cell phones while driving should be hanged.
 
In China it is an inane law to enforce the one child law by forced abortion.

Miscegenation & slavery laws in the USA were inane.

Partial birth abortion laws in USA are inane.

Slavery laws in the USA were inane.

65 mph maybe quick in LA or downtown Philly but in the middle of NM or Iowa it is a sleep at the wheel.

One of the gifts of Holy Spirit is common sense.

The French laws prohibiting children from wearing a Crucifix are inane. The anti-clerical laws in Mexico and France are inane.

Higher than the law of man is Natural Law and the dignity of each human soul.

Ever visit traffic court? See the house wives, school teachers and other desperados? If they are bad folks I am proud to be counted in their number.
 
Well, I don’t think it’s a “sin” all the time. If your doing 100 in a 35 then maybe, but for instance, I live in Boston. Try safely doing the speed limit here. You do the speed limit and you put yourself in danger, follow traffic laws to the T and you put yourself in danger. Yellow lights mean speed up, the second a light turns green you bang a left, etc. But I certainly only do the speed limit in school zones.
 
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Buford:
I have a lead foot. I used to save my “driving sins” for a priest who went to school in Italy. He was a worse driver than I am.

All sins are relational by nature. It is always sinful to be rude or reckless. Not rude or reckless? Not a sin. Drive 70 in one state in a fit car on empty roads and it is safe, legal and moral. Three miles down the road in another state it is sinful? Common sense tells you it is not.

Want to fight? After a certain age some folks don’t belong driving. Every time they get in the car they risk murder and it is allways a serious selfish mortal sin.
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Hi,
I have never had any trouble with old age drivers. The only thing they seem to do that upsets everyone is driving too slow and carefully. However, perhaps we should impose very strict rules on younger drivers? They are terrors on the road, and always seem to be in accidents! Of course, older drivers should be frequently tested. And here in Australia, they are.

Yours in Jesus, Mary and Joseph

John
 
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Buford:
In China it is an inane law to enforce the one child law by forced abortion.
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The problem is it’s immoral, not “inane”.
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Buford:
Partial birth abortion laws in USA are inane.

Slavery laws in the USA were inane.
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Again, they’re immoral, not “inane”. Calling them inane (“foolish”) trivializes the gross immorality of these therefore illegitimate laws.
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Buford:
65 mph maybe quick in LA or downtown Philly but in the middle of NM or Iowa it is a sleep at the wheel.
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Equating speeding laws with laws allowing abortion and slavery is inane.
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Buford:
One of the gifts of Holy Spirit is common sense.
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Yes, and common sense tells us that disobeying immoral, illegitimate laws is not the same thing as disobeying legitimate, morally neutral laws. If you don’t like a given speed limit law, work to get it changed, but obey it in the meantime. Otherwise, don’t complain about speeding tickets - you deserve them.
 
Sometimes it may be a sin not to speed (tongue in cheek). REally. The law is promulgated for the good of society. If everyone is going 70 or 75 in a 60, then I would argue you better keep up as you run the risk of causing an accident (which speed limit laws are meant to prevent) by going slower.
 
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