Speeding is a major contributing factor in Missouri car accidents: according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speed-related traffic accidents cost the nation more than $40 billion every year. Here at home, in 2010, 324 Missourians were killed and 12,200 were injured in speed-related accidents.
Our Poplar Bluff car accident lawyers understand that speed-related car accidents are completely preventable: more drivers just need to develop responsible habits while behind the wheel. Many of us are likely guilty of speeding from time to time, and it's easy to develop a dangerously cavalier attitude about driving faster than the speed limit permits. We would all do well to remember that speed-related traffic accidents can cause injuries that are considerably more severe, even when occupants are wearing seat belts at the moment of impact.
Speed-Related Car Accident Facts:
• In a high-speed crash, a passenger vehicle can be subjected to forces so severe that the vehicle can't withstand the force of the crash and maintain survival space for occupants.
• Likewise, as crash speeds get very high, restraint systems such as airbags and safety belts cannot adequately protect occupants from severe injury.
• Impact in a traffic accident can result in irreversible brain damage, eye, facial and jaw injuries, neck and spinal injuries (which can lead to paralysis) and physical disability.
In a Journal of Safety Research article ("Why drivers speed: The speeding perception inventory"), the authors discuss the different "predisposing, enabling and reinforcing" factors that cause speeding. In their research, they were able to narrow the list to 5:
• Ego-gratification (more male drivers than female drivers)
• Risk taking (more young drivers than older drivers)
• Time pressures (more older drivers than young drivers; more women than men)
• Disdain of driving (more women than men)
• Inattention (more young drivers than older drivers; more women than men)
It's important for drivers to remember that speed limits are posted to keep you safe, not to slow you down or make you late. Drivers should also remember that speed limits are posted for driving in ideal, dry weather conditions. When weather and road conditions are poor, drivers should alter their driving habits and speed to accommodate for the newly-presented dangers.
Taking a simple safety precaution (like keeping a close eye on your speed) can help to reduce the number of fatal car accidents on our Missouri roadways every year. Safer roadways start with you.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a speed-related car accident in Poplar Bluff, Kennett, Perryville or elsewhere in Southeast Missouri, contact the lawyers at Aaron Sachs & Associates for a free initial consultation: call 1-888-777-AUTO.
More Blog Entries:
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Nationwide, Southeast Missouri Car Accident Lawyer Blog, March 5, 2012
Highway Patrol Releases Current Fatality Statistics for Southeast Missouri, Southeast Missouri Car Accident Lawyer Blog, February 29, 2012
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