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Speeding Accidents
Speed and Interstate Car Accidents
Our nation's cavalier attitude about speed is wreaking havoc on our roads.There is evidence that the nationwide divergence from the 55 mph speed limit has increased the number of fatal accidents involving speed since the mid-1980s.
- In states where speed limits increased to 65 mph, 15 to 20 percent more deaths were reported on rural interstates; more than 400 lives lost each year are blamed on the higher speed limits.
- By 2003, a total of 29 states, including Florida, had increased Interstate speed limits to 70 mph or higher.
- By 2020, 18 states had limits over 75 with Texas topping out at 85 miles per hour on some interstates!
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Nationwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration blames speeding for about one-third of all fatal accidents – or more than 10,000 deaths a year. That ranks speeding right up there with drunk driving as the most common cause of serious and fatal car accidents in Southwest Florida.Yet, from state lawmakers to the driver of the passenger car in front of you, or attitudes do little to reflect this risk. At the start of 2014, lawmakers sent a measure to Gov. Rick Scott's desk to raise the state's highway speed limits from 70 mph to 75 mph. The measure also would have raised the speed limit on rural divided highways from 65 mph to 70 mph and increased maximum speed on other roads to 65 mph. Fortunately, the measure was vetoed but will undoubtedly rise again.
At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, our Fort Myers car accident lawyers have the knowledge and resources necessary to assemble a team capable of proving your case and protecting the rights of you and your family after a serious or fatal traffic collision.
An independent collision review may be necessary. Unfortunately, investigators at the scene have limited time and limited resources. Yet proving speed was a factor in your crash can have a significant impact when it comes to proving liability and arguing damages.
We all know, of course, that speeding is dangerous. But the laws of physics best highlight the risk: When speed increases from 40 mph to 60 mph, the force of a crash more than doubles. In fact, your risk of being involved in a fatal accident doubles for every 10 mph over 55 mph a vehicle is traveling at the time of the crash.
In all, speed-related car accidents cost society an incredible $76,000 a minute, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Additionally, the National Safety Council reports that speed is involved in more than one-fourth of all work zone accidents.
Yet individual drivers remain dismissive of the risks. For instance, a recent edition of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's Traffic Safety Culture Index, which measures driver attitudes regarding driving risks and dangerous behavior, again found speeding to be one of the most socially acceptable traffic violations.
Nearly half of all drivers admitted to traveling 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway within the last month. Nearly half of all drivers also admitted to driving at least 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street in the last month.
At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, we will conduct a thorough review of your case to uncover all of the causes of your collision, identify responsible parties, and determine the best course of action.
800-646-1210 – Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner – Focused on Justice
