If you’ve got the need for speed, you may be upping the chances of a fatal accident.
Many drivers — both young and old — enjoy going fast. There is nothing quite like hitting the open road and hitting the gas. Across the United States, speed limits have been raised on highways, freeways and turnpikes, allowing drivers to legally exceed 70 miles per hour on some of our busiest roadways. While these increased speed limits can help us get to where we are going faster, it may also be a contributing factor in more serious traffic accidents.
According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), as speed limits have increased across the county, so have traffic-related fatalities. Their study found that increases in speed limits have caused 33,000 fatalities related to accidents in the United States. In 2013 alone, higher speed limits led to 1,900 deaths.
In the past, states were restricted by the National Maximum Speed Limit, which capped the speed limit at 55 miles per hour if states wanted to gain access to federal highway funds. The basis for this law was not safety, but concern about the availability of gasoline. Nevertheless, this law decreased the number of fatal traffic accidents — and its repeal has led to a corresponding increase in deaths due to accidents.
Today, many states have speed limits that far exceed 55 miles per hour. At least eleven states have speed limits in place that are 75 miles per hour or higher, while many other states have speed limits of 70 on their major roadways. 65 tends to be one of the lower speed limits when it comes to turnpikes, freeways, parkways and highways.
While speed limits might just seem like a way to slow you down or to hand out more speeding tickets, they do have a purpose. Speed limits protect everyone — drivers, passengers pedestrians and bicyclists. They are designated after an evaluation of the road in question. How many businesses and homes are there? Are there stop lights or stop signs? Will other vehicles need to exit on or off the road? By considering all of these factors, traffic safety engineers can come up with a speed limit that helps to keep everyone safe.
But far too many people disregard speed limits, assuming that they won’t get pulled over if they are 5 to 10 miles per hour over the posted maximum. While they may not get a ticket, they could cause a serious or even fatal accident. High-speed accidents are more likely to cause grave injuries, including traumatic brain injury, paralysis, spinal cord injuries, amputations, fractures, internal bleeding, and even death.
So what can we do about this problem? The most important thing that you can do as a driver is to make safe choices. Do not exceed the speed limit, particularly if it is already high. You should also be aware of the other drivers on the road around you. A driver going 70 miles per hour or faster cannot correct and prevent problems like they could if the car was going slower. Drive defensively so that you can avoid accidents with speeding drivers whenever possible.
If you have been hurt in an accident involving a speeding driver, the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker is here to help. We will fight for your right to compensation, and do what it takes to show that it was the negligence or recklessness of the speeding driver that caused your injuries. Contact our office today at 800-333-0000 or info@larryhparker.com to schedule a free initial consultation. We never charge a fee unless we recover money for you!
