Because usually position is a function of time rather than the other way around. Changes in time result in changes in location. Changes in location do not cause changes in time.
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independent
The independent variable, in this case time, is on the horizontal axis of a speed graph.
On a distance vs. time graph, time is usually the independent variable presented on the X axis in the Cartesian Coordinate System. The dependent variable would be distance, and would be presented on the Y axis.
The slope of a line on a position vs. time graph would represent the a velocity of the object being described.
The independent variable is the (x) axis or horizontal part of a graph. The dependant is the vertical (y) axis. The independent variable can change but the dependant can't, such as x=nightly sleep time and y=hours in 1 day.