Speeding Causes at Least 17% of Fatal Car Accidents in Colorado

Written by Jeremy D. Earle, JD

June 13, 2023

Speeding Accident Lawyer in Colorado Springs

On our nation’s roads and highways, fatal traffic accidents occur for several causes, but certain driving habits cause more accidents than others. Several state and federal transportation authorities and safety organizations constantly invest in traffic crash research. Understanding how and why they happen may aid in the prevention of future accidents and save lives.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding is still the leading cause of fatal accidents in more than 25% of cases each year. Was speeding while driving is a choice—one that can lead to thousands of avoidable deaths each year.

We delve into why speeding causes more fatalities, why drivers speed, the laws and penalties associated with speeding, common fatal injuries caused by speeding-related crashes, and what recourse you have if you lose a loved one as a result of a careless driver’s choice to speed in the sections below.

Contact our auto accident lawyers right away if you have any concerns or questions about your specific situation.

We are a nationwide legal practice headquartered in Colorado Springs with locations around the United States. We also collaborate with associate law firms in most states that share our commitment to quality and concentration.

We may assist you no matter where you are, so call or email our team of car accident lawyers right now. We’re available for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 719-300- 1100, or you may CONTACT US NOW to submit your case for evaluation by CLICKING HERE.

SPEEDING CAUSES MORE FATALITIES THAN OTHER CAR ACCIDENT CAUSES

Newton’s Second Law of Motion, which outlines the link between force, mass, and acceleration with the formula F=MA, is one of the first physics lessons we learn in elementary school (force equals mass times acceleration.) The most hazardous and deadly traffic accidents include enormous mass or fast acceleration, and they entail the highest force upon impact.

 

Speeding drivers increase the acceleration component of the formula, resulting in more force upon contact, resulting in more severe injuries and deaths.

Heavy trucks, which may weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, are extremely hazardous when truck drivers speed. When their massive mass—at least 20 times that of a passenger car—combines with their high speed, they become very deadly.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding has several negative repercussions, including:

CAR CONTROL IS LOST

Drivers who speed make it more difficult to manage their cars, particularly if they come across a road danger or another motorist driving erratically. Excessive speed also makes it more difficult to navigate bends safely.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT’S EFFICACY HAS DETERIORATED

Seat belts and airbags are significantly less likely to prevent injure or death at greater speeds.

The stopping distance has been increased. The greater the stopping distance required to avoid other cars and dangers, the quicker the car is driving.

HIGH-COST COLLISIONS

Speeding leads to more serious crashes, which result in greater property damage, higher medical bills, and more time off work for injury rehabilitation.

Excessive fuel usage. Speeding necessitates the use of more fuel, making it a costly option. Typical Speeding Infractions

Speeding rules differ depending on where you are driving. Despite this, most states have two sorts of speeding regulations or a single statute covering both forms of speeding.

Speeding may refer to a variety of things, including: Going faster than the posted speed limit, or

Going too quickly for the conditions

According to Colorado law, drivers “may not drive a car at speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the circumstances and about actual and potential hazards then existing; and shall control the speed of the car as necessary to avoid colliding with another person or car that is on or entering the highway in compliance with the law and the duty of each person to use due care.”

 

“No person shall drive a car on a highway within this state at speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and potential hazards then existing, having due regard for traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and the condition of the weather, and in no event at speed over the maximum speeds established by this Chapter or regulation of the department made under it,” according to Louisiana law.

“No person shall drive a car upon a highway at speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, traffic on, and the surface and width of the highway, and in no event at a speed that endangers the safety of persons or property,” according to Colorado statutes.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS ARE LAID OUT IN COLORADO LAW

These wide speeding regulations illustrate that law enforcement officers have the authority to issue a ticket in any instance when they believe a car is traveling faster than the conditions allow, regardless of the stated speed limit.

An car accident victim may also find it difficult to establish that another motorist was traveling too fast for the circumstances. They’ll claim they were driving under the legal speed limit, but your car accident lawyer can show that they were speeding according to the circumstances.

While some state rules are more specific than others, the following are examples of instances when drivers are often required to slow down:

Approaching a crossroads Coming up to a railroad crossing Getting close to the peak of a hill

When driving on curving and/or tight roads When there are pedestrians around

When there is a lot of traffic

When road or weather circumstances necessitate a slower pace

Law enforcement may issue several speeding-related violations, each with its own set of sanctions, such as fines and license suspension. Speeding in construction zones may result in quadruple penalties in several jurisdictions.

 

Those who speed excessively, which is commonly defined as exceeding the set speed limit by more than 20 mph, risk greater fines and may even obtain a careless or reckless driving ticket, particularly if they have violated other traffic laws.

When property damage or bodily injury happens due to speeding, penalties and fines often escalate. When reckless drivers speed and kill another driver or occupant, they may be charged with felony vehicular manslaughter.

Do not confuse criminal charges with the legal help you need. A criminal case seeks to impose fines, probation, or possibly prison time on a speeding motorist. However, like a wounded accident victim, this case is of little use to you. Instead, you should seek compensation in civil court, and you should do it with the assistance of a reputable car accident attorney.

COLLISIONS CAUSED BY SPEEDING RESULT IN FATALITIES.

Speeding causes more serious accidents, which sometimes result in catastrophic and fatal injuries for victims. In speed-related accidents, pedestrians, motorbikes, and bicycles are the biggest danger of death.

Even if victims do not perish due to the hit, they may succumb to catastrophic injuries. Wrongful death lawsuits may arise due to these sad events, and surviving families should consult with a car accident lawyer to learn more about their possibilities.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME INSTANCES OF POTENTIALLY FATAL INJURIES.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are a kind of traumatic brain injury (TBIs)

TBIs are caused by the impact of an car collision, which delivers a shock or blows to the head and direct, blunt force trauma. When compared to severe TBIs, traumatic brain injuries diagnosed as concussions have milder symptoms at first.

Following a stressful experience, some individuals mistake their symptoms for typical confusion or disorientation. On the other hand, many minor brain injuries may have long- term detrimental repercussions on a victim’s life.

At any time in a victim’s life, severe TBIs may result in lasting disability or even death. Complications can lead to death soon after an accident, while a severe TBI can shorten a victim’s life span and lead to death a few years later. The most serious TBIs result in a blood clot or brain hemorrhage.

The following symptoms may suggest life-threatening difficulties if you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury in a car accident:

An escalating headache

 

Frequent vomiting Speech that is slurred Inability to get out of bed

Pupils that are abnormally and irregularly sized Convulsions

Seizures Consciousness loss

Anyone who has suffered a TBI as a result of a car accident needs the assistance of a car accident lawyer who is familiar with the nature and severity of all forms of brain injuries.

INJURIES TO THE SPINAL CORD (SCIS)

Acute spinal cord injuries, which may occasionally be fatal, concern victims of high-speed motor car accidents. The level of damage caused by a spinal cord injury is determined by where the cord was bruised, torn, or severed. In general, the more severe the damage to the spinal column, the worse the symptoms and the greater the risk of death.

A spinal cord injury affecting the first five cervical vertebrae of the neck, for example, impairs a person’s respiratory muscles and capacity to breathe. Such injuries are often deadly or need the use of a ventilator for the rest of a victim’s life.

Knowing that this sort of damage might have been avoided if the motorist had not been speeding simply adds to the physical and mental suffering that comes with it.

Spinal cord injuries might result in lifetime losses increasing year after year. Victims must ensure that they get the aid of a qualified car accident attorney who is experienced in handling such complicated and high-value cases.

ORGAN INJURIES AND INTERNAL BLEEDING

Being involved in a speed-related traffic collision or similar major contact may result in various injuries, including internal bleeding and organ damage. A strong collision may pin, distort, or hurl car passengers about, inflicting serious and perhaps deadly injuries.

Broken ribs may puncture organs, and accident debris can impale sufferers and produce puncture wounds. In-car accidents, punctured lungs are frequent, causing them to fill with fluid and necessitating immediate trauma treatment.

 

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is another common internal injury in high-impact motor accidents. When the stomach is crushed in an accident, the aorta, the primary blood artery transporting blood to the heart, ruptures.

Kidney failure, liver damage, a burst spleen, and a range of other potentially catastrophic internal injuries may all occur due to traffic accidents. When victims of car accidents suffer internal injuries and do not seek medical help right once, death is frequently a possibility.

Because you can’t see internal injuries with your eyes, it’s difficult for insurance companies or juries to fully comprehend the implications of your life-threatening organ damage. You need a car accident lawyer who can prove everything that happened to you and get you the maximum compensation you deserve.

AMPUTATION AFTER A TRAUMATIC INJURY

A traumatic amputation happens when a body part is severed due to the impact and force of a traffic accident. When an event results in a total traumatic amputation, patients may survive, and physicians may even be able to surgically reattach the bodily part if emergency responders act promptly. On the other hand, amputation might result in significant bleeding, shock, and infection.

Accident victims who are lucky enough to obtain prompt and competent medical care have a good chance of surviving. In other cases, failure to manage bleeding, shock, or infection may result in death, either jointly or independently. Even survivors may be left without a vital limb for the rest of their lives or may lose the complete use and mobility of a reattached limb.

Amputation is a severe injury that results in severe financial losses. Allow our car accident legal office to defend your rights after a traumatic injury.

FACTORS THAT INCREASE THE RISK OF SPEEDING

Because speeding is the leading cause of fatal accidents, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) invests a significant amount of time and money researching why individuals speed.

Although it’s difficult to pinpoint the specific reasons why individuals speed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified four major risk factors:

A lot of people. One of the most prominent causes linked to speeding and other aggressive driving behaviors is traffic congestion.

You’re running late. Drivers with busy schedules are often forced to race between locations, making up lost time by speeding. Those who are regularly late for work, school, activities, meetings, and appointments are in the same boat.

 

A sense of anonymity. Because of their cars’ safety, some drivers experience a sensation of isolation from the outside world. This fosters feelings of liberation from societal standards, such as adhering to driving restrictions.

Drivers who think they are anonymous are unconcerned about speeding and other aggressive driving behaviors because they believe they will never encounter the people who observed their bad conduct again.

Complete disregard for the law and other people’s safety. Some inattentive drivers accelerate because it’s second nature to them. They don’t feel speeding regulations apply to them, and they’re unconcerned about whether their decisions behind the wheel could injure or kill other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, or others.

Your accident claim and financial recovery should be unaffected by the cause for the driver’s speeding. Injured accident victims are entitled to compensation if the motorist was breaking the law and following the road rules.

AFTER A FATAL ACCIDENT CAUSED BY SPEEDING, RECOVERING COMPENSATION

In many circumstances, losing a loved one in a deadly accident devastates remaining family members emotionally and financially. Contacting a knowledgeable car accident lawyer with wrongful death expertise can assist you in dealing with the consequences of your loss. You may be able to seek compensation for your losses depending on your connection to the dead. A skilled attorney will usually provide free, no-obligation consultations to analyze a case and establish a viable claim.

You may be able to recover numerous sorts of damages if you file a wrongful death lawsuit and the insurance company or the court determines in your favor.

Although each state differs differently, the following are some of the most typical damages that a court may award surviving family members after a deadly speeding accident:

Those who were reliant on the dead may experience a loss of support and assistance. A spouse’s loss of companionship

Emotional anguish and suffering for a spouse and/or minor children, parents who have lost a minor kid, and parents of an adult child

Minors have lost parental company, direction, and teaching.

Medical expenditures for any survivor who paid them from the time of the traffic accident to the time of death, including hospital stays, ambulance services, surgery, radiography, and medicines.

 

Burial and burial fees for any surviving who could pay for them.

Just when someone is killed in an accident does not absolve the fast motorist of responsibility. Family members should discuss their choices with a caring car accident attorney.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT AN EXPERIENCED AUTO ACCIDENT LAWYER NOW.

Accidents caused by excessive speed may be life-changing occurrences, as you may suffer catastrophic injuries or lose a loved one. When another motorist is to blame for the accident, you don’t have to go through emotional and financial suffering. Hire an expert accident attorney who can help you collect the compensation you deserve so you can focus on dealing with your injuries and losses.

If you have been injured or a loved one has died due to a speeding accident, please contact us right once. Most will provide a free consultation and operate on a contingency basis, so there will be no out-of-pocket expenses for you.

Free Consultation

NO FEE UNLESS WE WIN

You May Also Like…