The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that automobile accidents in the United States occur every 10 seconds. Another sad fact is that in every 12 minutes, someone in our country dies in a car accident.
There are many causes for a car accident. These causes include distracted driving, driving under the influence and reckless driving. However, speeding is the most common cause. Speeding refers to driving faster than the speed limit or driving too fast for conditions.
In this post, we’ll explain how speed contributes to car accidents and what can be done to avoid car accidents caused by speeding.
How Speeds Lead to a Car Accident
It is a proven fact that the faster the speed of a car is, the longer it takes for it to come to a complete stop. Although cars are becoming more advanced and are equipped with better braking systems like the ABS (anti-lock braking system), drivers still find it difficult to avoid crashes caused by speeding.
While driving a vehicle at a high speed, a driver may suddenly notice the car in front of them suddenly apply breaks. However, since they were speeding, they aren’t able to stop their vehicle on time. As a result, they crash into the car in front of them. Since the speed of the car is high, the impact of the collision is huge and the parties involved in the accident get gravely injured.
Although people can get a monetary compensation for the personal injuries sustained in an automobile accident, there isn’t any compensation for the pain they suffer afterward. They may also become disabled as a result of an injury sustained in a car accident or even die.
The human brain takes time to process information, decide whether to react or not and then finally take an action. At higher speeds, the time to process information and react to sudden changes is greatly reduced, which makes it harder for the driver to stop the vehicle on time.
At a high speed, drivers can also lose control while turning their vehicle or when overtaking the car in front.
Most people would probably agree that traveling at 100 mph on a road where the speed limit is 80 mph is dangerous and can lead to an accident. However, one should note that speeding isn’t just about exceeding the limit posted on the road signs. It also refers to driving too fast for certain road conditions. Conditions like bad weather including snow, rain, or fog and oil spills on the road can even make driving at the permitted speed limit dangerous. It is easy to collide into another vehicle in such conditions. Therefore, drivers should travel slower than the posted limit in poor road conditions to reduce the risk of an accident.
How to Avoid Accidents Caused by Speeding
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found in their study that the risk of suffering an injury in a car accident is lower for motorists that travel at or below median speed when compared with those who drive at higher speeds.
Most drivers exceed the speed limit and break the law. Some get away with it while others get a ticket or experience a horrible traffic accident. It is hard to resist the temptation to exceed the speed limit, but one should resist it for their sake as well as others on the road. Few ways drivers can control their speed and avoid accidents are highlighted in the discussion below.
Drivers should follow the three-second rule to control their speed and avoid rear-end collisions. This technique is effective for drivers who usually travel too fast and aren’t unable to stop their car when the driver in front of them suddenly hits the break.
Here’s how the three-second rule works: First, the driver should pick out a stationary object in the distance while they are driving. The stationary object could be a telephone pole, a parked car or any other object that isn’t moving. Then, they should note when the vehicle in front of them passes that stationary object. As the vehicle passes the pole or parked car, the driver should start counting.
If the driver’s vehicle passes the stationary object before they’ve counted out three seconds, it means that they are too close to the car in front of them. The driver should slow down and count to three in the same way again to ensure that they are maintaining a safe distance from the car in front. However, the driver should be careful not to let this exercise distract them.
Many people drive faster when they are running late. Therefore, people who usually run late should set their morning alarm 20 minutes earlier from the norm. If they leave earlier, they’ll have more time to reach their destination. Thus, they will drive safely and won’t exceed the speed limit.
This will also help drivers prepare for bad driving conditions. Drivers need more driving time if it is snowing, raining heavily or the roads are icy. These conditions increase the likelihood of accidents even when drivers are not speeding. If the driver is in a hurry and the weather or/and road conditions are not suitable for driving, absolute disaster would be hard to prevent.
Drive Safely and Prevent Unecessary Injuries
In a nutshell, the faster a person drives, the more likely they are to crash into another vehicle, object or person on the road, off-roader or both. There is a greater risk of suffering serious injuries or even dying because of speeding. Drivers shouldn’t travel at high speeds and should reduce their speed when the driving conditions are less than perfect.
If a car accident occurs and the parties suffer an injury, they can get a monetary compensation for their losses. They should contact a car accident attorney to help them get their monetary compensation in such a scenario.
