Would to be surprised to find that speeding is a major factor in many crashes in Virginia and across the nation? Of course not. Exceeding the posted speed limit, especially when the limit is over 50 mph, accounts for a large number of car, truck and motorcycle accidents that end in serious injury or loss of life. As personal injury attorneys we can attest to the dangers of speeding. Too many of our clients have been hit by a driver or trucker who is driving too fast for conditions (DTFFC) or exceeding the posted speed limit (EPSL).
The data below has been made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and represents crash data from their Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Highlights from the data include:
- In fatal crashes nationwide 55 percent of all speeding related crashes were due to EPSL. 45 percent were due to DTFFC.
- Speeding-related crashes that were due to DTFFC were more likely to have occurred on roads with higher speed limits (50 + mph) as compared to other crashes.
- December to March account for the bulk of DTFFC accidents. This is due to the fact that road surfaces are often snowy, slushy, icy, slippery and/or wet.
- Speeding-related accidents were more likely to have occurred on the curved sections of the road and on non-intersection stretches of roads.
Nearly everyone is guilty of driving over the posted limit from time to time. However, we urge you to take the statistics above to heart and attempt to obey the traffic laws that have been put in place to keep us all safe.
You have been hurt in an accident and are facing mounting medical bills, loss of wages and a long recovery. Fighting the insurance company, even your own, can be a losing battle. For a free consultation please contact your Virginia Beach accident attorney at Tavss Fletcher. Your life is waiting. Please contact a lawyer today.