By admin on March 14, 2012 -
Speeding is a major factor in one out of every three serious auto accidents, according to a recent news article in USA Today. Unfortunately, many U.S. states have not responded to the risks posed by speeding in a sufficiently aggressive manner to reduce the number of injuries or auto accidents caused each year.
In 2005, states joined forces to address the rising number of speed-related deaths on U.S. roads. While different states offered different ideas for solving the problem, few have actually taken action since that time. Seven states lowered speed limits on at least some of their roads, and two more states increased the price of fines for speeding.
However, speeding – defined either as driving faster than the posted speed limit and/or driving too fast for conditions – killed over 10,000 U.S. drivers, passengers, and pedestrians in 2010 alone.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) provides support for states that want to lower their annual number of speeding-related deaths. According to the GHSA, 35 states have recently sought grants and other funding to increase patrols and buy new equipment to crack down on speeding. Only fourteen states currently allow automatic speed-monitoring cameras; the others must rely on old-fashioned police patrol work, often augmented by 21st-century speed-monitoring technology.
At Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S., our dedicated and passionate Washington speeding accident attorneys strive for outstanding results in each case we handle, so that our clients and their families can focus on healing and moving forward after a speeding-related accident. To discuss your situation with us, call our office today at (888) 228-3860 for a free, confidential consultation.
By admin on August 15, 2011 -
When it comes to driving, the term “speeding” can refer equally to two different situations: when the driver is driving faster than the posted speed limit, or when the driver is driving “too fast for conditions,” or too fast to control the vehicle on snow, ice, wet roads, damaged pavement, or in low visibility conditions such as fog or steep hills. Although federal data collection has typically categorized these two different kinds of “speeding” together, a recent study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that it’s important to distinguish between them in order to understand how death- or injury-causing accidents occur.
For instance, the study found that, in speeding accidents that cause death, 55 percent were caused by a driver exceeding the posted speed limit, while 45 percent were caused by a driver going too fast for conditions. In injury crashes, however, only 26 percent of the accidents were caused by a driver exceeding the posted speed limit, while 74 percent were caused by a driver going too fast for conditions.
The NHTSA researchers also found that, in crashes that caused injuries, drivers “going too fast for conditions” were almost always speeding on roads where the posted speed limit was 55 miles per hour or above, indicating that a higher posted speed limit might encourage some drivers to drive faster than they can do safely.
Speeding is a major cause of car accidents, especially among younger drivers. If you or someone you love has been injured in a crash with a speeding or otherwise negligent driver, the experienced Washington speeding accident lawyers at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help. Call us today at 888-228-3860 for a free and confidential consultation.
