If you become involved in a traffic collision, you could face serious injuries, financial strain, mental trauma and other hardships. Additionally, the likelihood of devastating consequences increases when motor vehicle collisions take place at high speeds. Every year, an unacceptable number of traffic accidents occur as a result of drivers ignoring speed limits, and these accidents are especially upsetting because of how preventable they are.
Drivers should take a closer look at statistics on speed-related accidents as well as risk factors associated with these crashes.
Speeding plays a role in many fatal traffic accidents
Data published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that speeding played a role in 26% of all traffic accident fatalities throughout 2019. In fact, more than 9,400 people lost their lives in speed-related traffic collisions in 2019, and many more suffered serious injuries.
There are various reasons why speeding causes so many fatal accidents. First, protective equipment becomes less effective when accidents occur at high speeds, and drivers are more likely to lose control of their vehicles. It is also harder for drivers to stop or avoid other vehicles when speeding.
Speeding occurs for many different reasons
Some drivers speed because of road rage, while others do not want to miss a meeting or show up late for work. Sometimes, drivers have a false sense of anonymity behind the wheel, believing that they will not face consequences for driving too fast. However, there is no excuse for reckless behavior that threatens lives and causes significant injuries, and speeding drivers cannot get away scot-free following an accident.