Experienced Law Firm for Car ACcidents
For various causes, serious and deadly traffic accidents occur in Colorado Springs and across the state. However, almost all road accidents are avoidable, and certain driving actions cause more collisions than others. Speeding is still the biggest cause of fatal crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A similar pattern may be seen in Colorado Springs and across the state.
In Colorado Springs, Harris County, and Colorado, speeding is the leading cause of deadly and non-fatal traffic crashes. Even though everyone understands the consequences of speeding, many continue to make bad decisions behind the wheel, putting others in danger of accidents, injuries, and even death.
If you have been injured in a speeding-related collision in Colorado Springs or Harris County, Colorado law allows you to sue the negligent motorist who caused your injuries. Contacting an expert attorney who can assist you in recovering damages is in your best interests. We give the following comprehensive overview of speeding-related traffic crashes in Colorado Springs until you have the opportunity to talk with a lawyer.
We’ll look at the consequences of speeding, why some drivers refuse to slow down and drive properly, Colorado speeding laws and fines, and frequent serious injuries linked with speeding-related accidents in the sections below.
WHAT MAKES SPEEDING DANGEROUS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
From science class in elementary school, if you remember, force times mass equals acceleration (F=ma). Simply said, the heavier an item is or, the quicker it travels, the more strong the impact when it collides with anything. High speeds may lead to dangerous collisions.
A semi-truck rushing along one of Colorado Springs’ numerous freeways poses a substantial danger of injure to anyone engaged in a traffic collision. These are the most violent crashes, often resulting in fatal injuries.
Each year, more than 100,000 speed-related collisions occur on Colorado highways, with about 2,000 happening in Harris County and the Greater Colorado Springs regions. It has major ramifications beyond the death and devastation that speeding may bring.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns of the dangers of speeding, which include:
WHEN YOU LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR CAR, IT’S CALLED “LOSING CONTROL OF YOUR CAR.”
Drivers who are reckless in their desire to show off their speed risk losing control of their cars. A driver’s ability to respond swiftly to traffic or a road danger is hampered, if not impossible, by excessive speed. It’s also tough to handle a car when you’re rushing through turns and curves like a NASCAR driver. Drivers risk creating a major or deadly accident in any of these conditions.
THE SECURITY FEATURES AREN’T WORKING.
Car manufacturers devote a significant amount of time and money to developing safety systems that prevent or lessen injuries in the case of a car accident. Manufacturers test their cars using crash dummies, smashing them against a brick wall at different speeds to observe what happens.
According to research, speeding impairs the efficacy of seat belts and airbags, making it more likely for a driver or passenger to suffer severe or fatal injuries in the event of a crash.
THERE ISN’T ENOUGH TIME TO STOP.
Perception distance, response time, and braking distance are the three components of total stopping distance in traffic. If you simply consider braking distance or the time it takes a car to come to a full stop from the moment the driver presses the brake pedal, it takes an average car moving 65 miles per hour, nearly one football field to come to a complete stop.
A loaded truck requires at least 200 more feet to come to a full stop at the same speed. As speed rises, these distances get longer. Even if speeders spot a problem or traffic block ahead on one of Colorado Springs’ key routes, it won’t matter if they haven’t given themselves enough space and time to prevent an accident.
BANK ACCOUNTS ARE DRAINED.
It may be quite costly when speeding causes an accident or leads to a conviction. You may be able to save money by driving slowly. As previously stated, speeding causes more serious crashes. Increased severity translates to more property damage, more medical costs, and more time off work to recuperate from injuries.
Accidents may be costly regardless of the circumstances, and speeding expenses simply add to them. Even if speeders have the proper car insurance and merely pay a deductible, causing an accident will result in higher rates.
CONSUMES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF GAS
Drivers still consume massive amounts of fuel when speeding, regardless of whether the economic or environmental impact is the most important factor. Increased fuel consumption increases both the cost of operation and the carbon impact of a car. They are consuming more gas while speeding, regardless of the reason, which can be costly.
WHAT DRIVES SPEEDING MOTORISTS?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conducted significant research into why individuals speed. Understanding why people speed may help officials figure out how to make roadways safer.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) cannot pinpoint the exact causes of speeding, but they have discovered that certain situations are frequently associated with speeding. The following are some of the motivating factors:
TRAFFIC JAMS
One of the most prominent causes that motivate individuals to speed is slowed and halted traffic. Speeding entails more than just exceeding the posted speed limit. Even if you’re driving within the official speed limit, driving too quickly for the circumstances might be considered speeding. Speeders may attempt to weave in and out of traffic in congested areas. In other circumstances, cars may be slowed and then slam on the brakes after they have passed through the slowdown. During rush hour in Colorado Springs, there is notorious traffic congestion. The worst traffic congestion is usually seen between US-59 and I-25, near the Galleria Mall.
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OTHERS
Everyone has a busy life, and having children adds even more responsibilities to the mix, whether you’re single or married. Speeding may be done for many reasons, regardless of one’s circumstances. Some drivers may opt to speed because they overslept or missed an exit. Some drivers may just be chronically late for everything, necessitating the purchase of an alarm clock.
Some people are motivated to speed to make up time if they are late for an appointment, commitment, business meeting, or other function. Speeders are often on their way to work, dropping off children, driving to a performance, attending a lunch meeting, delivering their children to the dentist, and a variety of other events that need punctuality.
Even knowing they might cause an accident, late individuals continue to accelerate, placing everyone in their path in danger of damage.
ARE YOU FEELING LONELY?
For some drivers, driving alone in a car creates a sense of anonymity and separation from others. Have you ever glanced over and seen someone in their car picking their nose? Some drivers accelerate because the same sensations compel them to carelessly scratch their noses while driving. These drivers are not under any social pressure to follow the rules or the law. They know they’ll probably never see the people they’re sharing the road with again, so they don’t care who sees what they’re doing. Speeding, unfortunately, causes far more accidents than picking one’s nose.
IGNORANCE OF THE LAW AND OTHERS
Some people are simply unconcerned about other people’s safety. These folks care little, if at all, about the safety of other drivers and are unconcerned about following the laws of the road. They believe that laws do not apply to them, and they do not consider the consequences of their reckless spending on others.
Although speeding is less common than others, it is perhaps the most injureful. Speeders who have little respect for the law or the safety of others often speed, endangering other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians every time they get behind the wheel.
COLORADO SPRINGS SPEEDING LAWS AND VIOLATIONS
Colorado Springs Police and Colorado Peace Officers often issue citations when individuals exceed the stated speed limit. On the other hand, speeding may relate to driving excessively quickly for the road, weather, or traffic circumstances.
Drivers in Colorado are prohibited from driving at speeds “higher than is reasonable and sensible” given the surrounding environment. To prevent accidents with people or other cars, drivers must assess both present and prospective threats.
This broad statute allows law enforcement authorities to issue speeding tickets in any situation when they believe the driver’s speed is excessive in light of the circumstances. Even if they are going below the official speed limit, drivers might obtain a speeding citation.
Drivers must slow down when they encounter the following situations: Approaching railroad crossings and junctions.
Nearing the summit of a slope. Driving on winding roads There are pedestrians around. There is a lot of traffic.
There are poor road conditions.
There are bad weather conditions.
Speeding charges may come with various consequences, ranging from fines to a suspended or revoked driver’s license. Excessive speeders—those who exceed the speed limit by more than 20 miles per hour—often suffer the heaviest penalties and may also get a ticket for dangerous driving.
When speeding causes property damage or physical injury, the penalties are usually more severe. If you cause a deadly accident, you may be charged with criminal vehicular manslaughter, which carries a prison sentence if you are convicted.
SPEEDING-RELATED COLLISIONS CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES
Speeding is a injureful habit or driving behavior, not merely a injureless habit. Speeding causes more serious injuries, many of which are potentially fatal. Following a speeding- related accident, accident victims may suffer from the following serious injuries:
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES (TBI) ARE A KIND OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI)
If someone bangs their head on a window, the dashboard, or a seat, the impact of a speeding- related collision may produce an indirect blow to the head as well as blunt force damage.
Traumatic brain damage may occur in any circumstance (TBI).
When the brain moves around within the skull, mild concussions occur. These injuries may heal rapidly in certain cases, but they can also cause long-term brain damage.
TBIs that are more severe may result in mortality at any point in a person’s life following an accident. Victims may experience various life issues with their cognitive and motor skills, depending on the part of the brain where the injury happened. In the worst-case scenarios, speeding-related accidents result in irreversible brain injury, leaving victims in a vegetative condition.
INJURIES TO THE SPINAL CORD
Victims of speeding-related accidents are in danger of suffering immediate spinal cord damage, which may be fatal in certain situations. When the spinal cord is bruised or torn, it is considered an acute injury, whether partly or totally.
These injuries may cause temporary or permanent paralysis in parts of the body or the whole body. The injury’s placement along the spinal column will determine the precise loss of bodily function. Spinal cord injuries in the neck prevent most signals from the brain to the rest of the body due to the neck’s proximity to the brain.
The respiratory function of a person is also affected by this region. These serious injuries may need the use of a ventilator, and the afflicted person may never be able to breathe
normally again. Those who survive a spinal cord injury will need expensive treatment and rehabilitation for the rest of their lives; those who sustain spinal cord damage in their upper back or neck will most likely require a wheelchair.
INTERNAL WOUNDS
Internal injuries are prevalent in speed-related traffic accidents due to the high force involved. Because internal injuries are not visible, accident victims may not realize the full extent of the injure right once. Accidents force bodies to move in strange ways and may also be pinned.
A cracked rib, which seems to be innocuous, maybe quite injureful. Like debris from a car accident, broken ribs may pierce crucial organs. Punctured lungs may also occur in accident victims, causing them to fill with fluid. During a speeding-related collision, the kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, and other organs may be at risk. Those who do not seek medical help right after an accident have little chance of surviving.
You would have rights if a speeding motorist in Colorado Springs caused an accident that resulted in significant injuries or the death of a loved one. As quickly as possible, contact a car accident lawyer in Colorado Springs.