One of the most common contributing factors to deadly car accidents is speed. The faster a vehicle is traveling, the harder it is for that vehicle to stop and avoid a crash. The faster a vehicle is traveling, the more likely it is that fatal or catastrophic injuries will occur. While the focus has previously been on increasing education about the issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is asking for more.
Past Educational Options Were Not Successful
According to the NHTSA, the previous educational options used have not been successful enough in reducing speeding and speeding-related accidents. As a result, they encourage the direction of more resources to speed management measures. They said that there is plenty of evidence that education has not been successful in dealing with any traffic safety issues, including drunk driving and seat belt use, and that drivers already know that speeding is dangerous.
Evidence That Drivers Know Speeding is Dangerous
There is plenty of evidence of the fact that drivers are well aware that speeding is dangerous. In fact, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety complicated a Safety Culture Index in 2018 and found that most drivers believe that driving 15 miles over the speed limit on highways and ten miles over the speed limit on city streets is very dangerous or extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, nearly as many drivers admitted to having sped that much in the past 30 days.
Technology Could Help Significantly
Those in the know claim that there are technological answers that already exist. For example, they encourage the use of automated enforcement such as speed cameras. They also encourage car manufacturers and designers to use intelligent speed adaption that can alert drivers if they are going too fast or even automatically slow them down.
The experts also point to things that law enforcement can do. For example, they encourage them to set safe speed limits, to use traffic-calming techniques, and to be more consistent about enforcing posted speed limits in their regions.
Speeding is a Serious Issue
The fact of the matter is that more than one in four traffic fatalities in the last 30 years involved speeding. Experts believe strongly that if steps were taken to lower speeds – and those steps were successful – lives could be saved. The question of course remains: What will really be done? People can raise awareness in their communities and find options that work for them.
If you have been involved in a car accident involving speeding, or have lost a loved one in a speeding-related accident, we urge you to contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation. We are ready to help you find the best way forward.
