Hearts of the City

A rotating panel of experts from the worlds of philosophy, psychology and religion offer their perspective on the dilemmas that come with living in Southern California.

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Today’s question: The speed limit has been raised to 65 mph on some freeways. For many drivers that means the “real” limit is 70 mph or higher, despite warnings from the California Highway Patrol. Aside from the law, what ethical standard guides you when you come up against a speed limit?

Richard J. Mouw

President of Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena

“Speed limits test the consciences of even the most morally scrupulous among us. When laws regularly impose inconveniences, they can feel quite arbitrary. And when everyone, including the police officer, takes it for granted that the officially prescribed limit is only a rough approximation of what is expected rather than a strict requirement, it is the conscientious driver who is put at a disadvantage. This is why the authorities have a special obligation to be both reasonable in setting the limits and consistent in enforcing them. But even this is not enough unless we all reflect more deeply on what it means to respect those regulations--even inconvenient ones--that promote the common good.”

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Sharon Presley

Executive director of Resources for Independent Thinking, Oakland

“The standard I’d like to see used is individual responsibility guided by a realistic, objective assessment of what is reasonable and appropriate for the prevailing conditions, taking into account one’s actual skills and mental and physical condition at the time--even if this means driving slower than the limit. Instead, many people either drive in a fog of inattention guided by no apparent standards at all or are impelled by self-indulgent fantasies about what hotshot drivers they are, so it’s OK to drive hellbent for leather any time they want. The most relevant law is not the legal speed limit, but the laws of physics, especially the ones about how fast moving objects can stop!”

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The Rev. Ignacio Castuera

Senior pastor Hollywood United Methodist Church

“The ethical value informing speed limit decisions is connected with basic issues of life and death. What is the maximum speed at which one can drive and still affirm and protect all life? The emphasis is on all life, because ethical circles of concern must reach to the farthest possible limits, including the longest possible timeline. So it’s not a question of whether the driver is directly threatening any life or limb, but whether one’s speeding will accelerate the degradation of the environment, the exhaustion of nonrenewable fuels, the security of future generations, etc.”