Speeding Causes a lot of Car Accidents in Colorado Springs & Denver

Written by Jeremy D. Earle, JD

May 24, 2023

Speeding Car Accident Attorneys in Colorado Springs

A fast motorist is accused of killing a person in a collision on an HOV lane ramp along I-25 in Denver. The collision happened in the afternoon, when the driver of a BMW X5 reportedly blew a red light while speeding down the motorway and collided head-on with a Toyota Avalon. A female front-seat passenger in the Avalon died at the scene because she was not wearing a seat belt. According to the woman’s brother-in-law, she was on her way to the bus terminal to pick up her 45-year-old husband when the tragedy happened. The Jaguar’s 81-year-old male driver was seriously hurt in the collision and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. His passenger was seriously hurt as well.

Speeding, which is defined as exceeding the official speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions of the road, is a serious issue on American highways, with over 9,000 people killed in 2018. According to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, this accounts for nearly a quarter of all traffic-related fatalities in the United States. According to figures from Colorado Springs, 2,245 persons were wounded or died in speeding-related accidents in 2016. If you or a loved one has died as a result of a speed-related accident in Colorado Springs, you may be entitled for wrongful death compensation. More information regarding the procedure of getting this sort of compensation may be obtained from an experienced car accident attorney.

THE RISKS OF RUNNING TOO FAST

Speeding not only impairs your ability to retain car control, but it also increases the degree of injuries and car damage in the event of an accident. According to Popular Mechanics, the problem with speeding is basic math: two cars are moving in the same direction, one at 70 mph and the other at 100 mph.

When both drivers see an impending barrier, they slam on their brakes at the same moment. The car going at 70 mph comes to a halt just short of the impediment, while the car travelling at 100 mph collides with it.

The cause behind this is due to a lack of energy. The kinetic energy of a car going at 100 miles per hour is more than double that of a car travelling at 70 miles per hour. The slower driving car was able to come to a halt, while the faster moving car had not even slowed to 70 mph by the time it collided with the item.

The following are some of the issues that speeding causes:

To get to a safe halt, you’ll need to go a longer distance. The distance necessary to stop is determined not just by speed, but also by the car’s size, braking capability, and weather

 

conditions. The bigger the car, the quicker it travels, and the wetter the road, the greater the stopping distance required.

There is less time to detect a hazard and respond by braking. The first step in coming to a safe halt is to recognise the hazard. The driver must then take action. Third, the braking system of the car must be in good functioning condition and react correctly.

The car’s protective measures, such as seat belts and airbags, are less effective. At regular driving speeds, a car’s protection measures are supposed to work correctly. Because the bigger the impact in an accident, the faster the car’s speed, these features may not work as intended.

Accidents involving rollovers. Due to their high centre of gravity and limited ability to control the car at greater speeds, top-heavy cars, such as trucks, vans, and SUVs, are particularly vulnerable to rollover accidents on bends while speeding.

Costs in terms of money Speeding increases the likelihood of receiving traffic penalties, paying higher insurance rates, and incurring legal fees if an accident occurs.

The societal cost. Accidents injure society as a whole because speeding-related injuries require money to cure and result in lost productivity.

WHY DO PEOPLE DRIVE SO FAST?

The majority of individuals are aware that speeding is hazardous. So, what motivates them to do it? Drivers speed for a variety of reasons, including:

I’m running behind schedule. One of the most frequent reasons given by drivers for speeding is that they were running late for school, work, or another commitment.

Distractions. Distractions when driving divert your attention away from safe driving. Controlling one’s speed is one part of safe driving that is often overlooked owing to distractions.

There is a lot of traffic. You’d assume that a congested roadway would lead people to slow down rather than accelerate up. However, traffic congestion is one of the most common causes of aggressive driving, such as speeding.

Drivers get enraged by traffic and try to move through it as quickly as possible by changing lanes or rushing through junctions. Remember that speeding entails not only exceeding the official speed limit, but also exceeding the speed limit for the circumstances, which includes traffic.

Taking calculated risks. It is especially tempting for teenage male drivers with friends in the car to seek excitement by driving quickly.

 

Anonymity. The driver is anonymous in the relative privacy of a car. For some drivers, anonymity allows them to engage in unsafe actions that they would normally shun in circumstances with family and friends.

Impaired by alcohol. Drunk driving jeopardizes several of the abilities required for safe car operation, including the capacity to manage speed and make sound judgments.

Driving when tired. Fatigue has a similar effect on driving as alcohol impairment in that a tired driver may have difficulty managing speed or exercising sound judgement, as well as being prone to distractions.

Ignorance of people and the law. The concept of disobeying the rules appeals to certain individuals. These people often speed or engage in other dangerous activities without thinking about the consequences of their actions.

A SPEEDER IN PORTRAIT AND THE SCENE OF A SPEED-RELATED ACCIDENT

While anybody may exceed the official speed limit, there are certain persons who are more inclined to do so, as well as particular areas and times when speed-related accidents are more common. The Federal Highway Administration did significant investigation into these tendencies and came up with the following findings:

THE SPEEDER IS…

Is almost always a man. Males of all ages are more likely than females to cause these sorts of accidents as a result of speeding.

Is usually under the age of 25. Younger male drivers make up the majority of those involved in fatal speed-related collisions. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one-third of male drivers aged 15 to 20 who were involved in fatal motor car accidents were speeding at the time of the collision in 2017.

Is routinely caught driving when inebriated. According to a data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 37 percent of drivers involved in speed-related accidents in 2017 were under the influence of alcohol.

Has a history of being ticketed for speeding or having his licence suspended. A quarter of all drivers involved in speed-related collisions had a past history of traffic violations and/or licence suspensions, according to the study.

Is often preoccupied at the moment of a collision. Texting or other mobile phone usage, conversing with passengers, or any number of other driver distractions may have taken his attention away from the work at hand.

 

THE SETTING…

Is often dark. At night, there are more speed-related collisions, especially between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m.

Usually, it’s the weekend.

Summer is the most common season. Speeding-related accidents are more likely to occur during the summer months and during the holiday season.

Is commonly seen in a portion of the road with a bend. Speeding-related accidents are more common on curving portions of the road than on straight sections.

Is most prevalent on a small route with a higher stated speed limit.

SPEEDING AND TEEN DRIVERS

According to AAA, speeding is one of the most dangerous errors committed by juvenile drivers. Teen drivers’ inexperience is already a problem, with car accidents being the biggest cause of mortality among minors in the United States. Teenagers are more likely than any other age group to be involved in an car accident.

In a poll, almost half of juvenile drivers said driving 15 miles per hour above the speed limit was acceptable. In a residential location, almost the same number of kids in the study thought it was appropriate to drive 10 miles per hour above the speed limit.

With each additional juvenile passenger in the car, the danger of speeding and accidents rises for young drivers. Excessive speed is involved in half of all fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers with three or more passengers, according to some experts, who believe that society should treat speeding as dangerous as alcohol-impaired or distracted driving for teenagers and devote the same attention to preventing it.

One of the problems with adolescent speeding is that it isn’t usually an act of recklessness, but rather a sign of inexperience. Teens often struggle with determining the proper following distance as well as how to control their accelerator and brakes in stop-and-go traffic.

IF A LOVED ONE WAS KILLED IN A SPEED-RELATED CRASH, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

If a loved one died in a speed-related accident, you’re probably dealing with unexpected sorrow as well as unexpected costs. A wrongful death lawsuit may be able to help you get the money you need to offset those costs. A wrongful death lawsuit may be brought by the deceased’s family members, including the deceased’s:

a domestic partner or a spouse;

 

Children;

If the dead’s children are also deceased, the deceased’s grandchildren;

Other small children who owed at least half of their maintenance to the dead; and Parents of a minor kid who has died.

Funeral and burial costs, money that the dead would have earned had they lived, and loss of companionship – the love, affection, and pleasure lost as a result of losing a loved one – are all damages that you may be able to collect in a wrongful death claim.

Wrongful death actions are frequently combined with survival actions, which entail obtaining compensation for the deceased’s estate for damages incurred after the accident but before death, such as medical expenses related to their final injury and the victim’s pain and suffering as a result of their injuries.

Punitive damages may be awarded in specific circumstances when the at-fault party’s carelessness and recklessness were excessive.

IF YOU WERE INJURED IN A SPEED-RELATED CRASH, CONTACT WARRIOR CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS

Many more people are seriously injured in a speed-related collision for every person who is killed. You may be entitled to compensation if you were injured by a speeding motorist via an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit. Obtaining a payment from the at-fault driver’s insurance company should be your first priority.

An expert attorney can assist you in filing this insurance claim as well as negotiating a settlement that adequately compensates you for your injuries and the death of a loved one. If you do not get a settlement within two years of the accident, your attorney may initiate a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf. You may be able to get compensation for the following losses in this sort of lawsuit:

Medical charges; Damage to property; Wages have been lost;

Future earning capability loss if you are unable to work after your accident; and

Mental agony, deformity, humiliation, emotional pain, and loss of pleasure of life are examples of non-economic damages.

 

Your lawyer will assess the worth of your case, as well as any potential sources of responsibility and insurance resources that you may pursue in order to get the maximum amount of compensation possible. An expert car accident lawyer can speak with you about your accident and explain the legal options open to you in your case.

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