Q:
Is driving over the speed limit an issur deoreisa?
A:
Yes. I’ll tell you what the Gemara says in some places: למה לי קרא סברא היא – we don’t need a possuk to tell us something if we can figure it out with our own logic; the gemara says if it’s a sevara it’s mideoreisa. Don’t we know that המוציא מחברו עליו הראיה is only a sevara – there’s no possuk for that – and still it’s one of the yesodos of halachah.
Now, driving more than the speed limit means first of all it will cost you money if you get a fine. It’s common sense that you shouldn’t do something that will cause you to pay a fine. The fine for speeding is expensive.
And secondly, who knows what can happen, chalilah. Once you’re speeding anything can happen. And so, anybody who is reckless in driving, he’s a choteh, a choteh gamur. And he’s held responsible even if nothing happened. Because he risked his life and other people’s lives so he’s held responsible even if nothing happened.
TAPE #E-147 (July 1998)
