We’ve all experienced the frustration and anxiety that comes with running late. When you’re behind the wheel, it can be tempting to break the speed limit to get to your destination on time.
However, excessive speed is among the top three causes of car accidents in the United States. When you drive too fast, you put yourself and others at serious risk of injury or death. If you have been the victim of a car accident caused by someone exceeding the speed limit, don’t delay contacting Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney Rand Spear to discuss your case — you may be entitled to compensation.
Quick Facts About Speeding
Speeding is something most people do fairly often, even if they don’t admit it. Understandably, it can be easy to drive 35 or 40 miles per hour when you’re in a 25 mph zone. Either your foot gets a little heavy, or maybe you lose track of just how fast you’re going.
While low-speed car wrecks can be just as dangerous as those that occur at faster speeds, there’s no getting around the fact that driving at high speeds puts you at an exponentially higher risk of being involved in a catastrophic crash.
Here are some facts about speeding, including a few things you may not have known about the second-leading cause of all car accidents.
- 41 Million Speeding Tickets – Each year, police issue more than 41 million speeding tickets.
- 112,328 People – Every single day in the United States, about 112,328 people receive a speeding ticket.
- Causes 30 Percent of All Crashes – Excessive speed is responsible for nearly one-third of all traffic crashes in the country.
- Nearly 10,000 Fatalities – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding claims almost 10,000 lives each year.
- $40 Billion – In addition to the high personal cost, speeding is also a major economic cost. The NHTSA states that speeding costs society around $40 billion annually.
- The Color Myth May Not Be a Myth – You may have heard that certain colors of cars received more speeding tickets and wondered if it was true. According to data, there may be truth in this statement. Some statistics say that white cars get the most speeding tickets, followed by red vehicles.
- Top States for Speeding Violations – When it comes to speeding tickets, not all states are created equal. The top five states for the most speeding violations include Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, California, and Texas. It’s probably not surprising that many of these states have either a large population, large numbers of highways, or both.
- Men Receive More Speeding Tickets – Men receive far more speeding tickets than women, with men receiving 1.2 million speeding tickets, compared to 718,000 speeding tickets for women.
Why Is Speeding So Dangerous?
While the answer may sound obvious, there’s a lot more to speeding than just driving faster than the posted speed limit. Engaging in excessive speed can impact you and your surroundings in a lot more ways than you might realize.
Speeding Isn’t Just About Breaking the Speed Limit
For example, a police officer might stop you for speeding even if you weren’t going faster than the posted speed limit. Why? An officer has the authority to pull a motorist over if they were driving too fast for the conditions at the time. For example, if someone is driving too fast in a snowstorm or heavy rain, that person could be a danger on the road and be given a ticket for speeding and possibly reckless driving.
Speeding Hurts the Environment
Additionally, speeding is quite bad for the environment. Ford Motor Company estimates that driving at 65 miles per hour consumes around 15 percent more fuel than taking the same car at 55 miles per hour. Whenever you use more fuel, your vehicle releases more carbon dioxide into the air. Assuming everyone does this, that’s a lot of pollution getting thrown into the atmosphere.
Speeding Takes a Toll on Your Reaction Time
Speeding also wreaks havoc on your reaction time. The faster you go, the less time you have to make corrections. For example, if you start to drift into another lane and attempt to jerk the wheel to correct yourself, you could overcompensate and lose control of your car and crash. You also have a higher risk of flipping your vehicle if you crash at a high speed.
Your Body Can’t Handle the Forces of a High-Speed Crash
Cars today are being made with innovative safety features that society could only dream about in previous decades. However, there is only so much car manufacturers can do to protect a vehicle’s occupants in the event of a crash. The faster you strike an object, the harsher the force is on your body. Cars may have evolved, but the human body has remained the same.
The Faster You Go, the Harder it is to Stop
The faster you travel, the more time you need to stop. For example, every time you double your speed, your braking distance needed quadruples. A vehicle traveling at 55 miles per hour needs around six seconds to brake to a complete stop. A car can end up traveling about 302 feet in that amount of time, which is longer than a football field.
If you have been the victim of a motor vehicle accident caused by someone who was exceeding the speed limit, it’s important to speak to Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Rand Spear about your case.
Media Contact:
Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney Rand Spear
(T): 215-985-2424
***ATTORNEY ADVERTISING***
Prior results cannot and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future case. Recoveries always depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case, the injuries suffered, damages incurred, and the responsibility of those involved. This article is not to be considered advise, only the execution of the contingency agreement with this law firm will constitute an attorney-client relationship. The contents of this article are for general information only. If you would like to pursue a claim, please contact an attorney immediately to discuss your specific facts and circumstances regarding your claim. Some cases accepted by this law firm may be referred to or worked on by other lawyers, depending on the area of practice and specifics of a particular case.
Call or text (215) 985-2424 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
