Speeding is a Factor in High Percentage of Fatal Accidents

Written by Jeremy D. Earle, JD

April 18, 2023

Best Car Accident Attorneys in Colorado Springs

According to the Colorado Springs Herald, speeding drivers killed more drivers, passengers, and motorcyclists in Colorado Springs in 2020 than at any point in the previous three years, according to the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition. The rise in deadly accidents was attributed to fewer cars on the road during the epidemic and drivers who took advantage of the streets’ relative emptiness to drive rapidly.

The number of fatal accidents due to speeding has reduced in recent years throughout the country. Speeding has been a factor in about one-third of all traffic deaths in the United States for more than two decades. Speeding was a factor in around 26% of all traffic deaths in the United States just before the pandemic started. It was a factor in the similar proportion of fatal accidents in Massachusetts.

If you were hurt or a loved one died due to a speeding driver’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. An expert car accident attorney may explain this legal procedure. They are aware of the severity of injuries caused by speeding and the amount of money you will need to recover from your accident.

WHY ARE SPEEDING COLLISIONS SO RISKY?

Driving faster than the official speed limit and driving faster than is safe for the weather or traffic circumstances is referred to as speeding. Speeding presents dangers that may result in serious or even deadly injuries.

The following are some of the dangers:

An increased chance that the driver will lose control of their car

A reduction in the effectiveness of the car’s protective equipment, such as the steel frame, airbags, and seat belts

A reduction in the amount of time a driver has to detect danger and respond by pressing the brakes.

A reduction in other drivers’ ability to gauge speed and safely estimate a safe distance to maintain from others

An increase in the amount of space a car needs to come to a safe stop An increase in the intensity of the accident, resulting in more serious injuries

 

Increases in insurance premiums, the time and personnel required by local governments to react to accidents caused by speeding or to hunt down and charge drivers who exceed the speed limit, uninsured healthcare expenses, and lost productivity all contribute to a $40 billion yearly cost to society.

TENDENCIES TO BE FASTER

Certain populations are more prone to speeding. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) data, a speeder is more likely to be:

MALE

Male drivers of all ages are far more prone to speed than female drivers. At the time of the accident, 26-30% of all male drivers under the age of 35 who were involved in a fatal accident were speeding. In any age category, the proportion of female drivers involved in fatal speed-related accidents was not more than 18 per cent.

YOUNG

Drivers under the age of 25 are more likely to be involved in deadly speeding accidents. Speeding was shown to be the cause of death in 33% of men and 18% of girls in the 15- to 24-year-old age group involved in fatal accidents. This is the age group with the greatest number of fatal speeding accidents.

REPEAT OFFENDERS

Drivers who have been involved in fatal collisions often have a criminal record. More than a quarter had been ticketed for speeding, and almost a quarter had their driver’s license suspended or revoked in the past. One out of every five drivers engaged in a fatal collision had been in another accident.

IMPAIRED BY ALCOHOL

Impaired by alcohol, drivers lose the abilities they need to drive safely, such as the ability to regulate their speed, brake successfully, and apply sound judgement. At the time of the accident, 37% of all drivers involved in speed-related collisions were under the influence of alcohol.

DRIVING LATE AT NIGHT OR ON WEEKENDS

Speeding is more prevalent at night, especially on weekends. Speed plays a role in almost 66 per cent of all fatal accidents that occur between midnight and 2:59 a.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings.

 

WHY DO PEOPLE DRIVE SO FAST?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding is a sort of aggressive driving conduct.

People speed to

Get out of congested regions. Jumping from lane to lane and driving swiftly to get ahead of the crowd is a common tactic used by speeders to get through crowded road areas.

They are late for work, school, or a scheduled appointment.

Because of the car’s anonymity, which might lead to some drivers taking unwarranted risks merely because no one can see them.

Because of a lack of concern for people and the law. Some individuals just drive fast because that’s how they’ve always done it, and they don’t think about the hazards they’re putting others in.

SPEEDING-RELATED INJURIES

Speeding increases the severity of an car collision, resulting in more severe injuries, as previously stated. Traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, for example, may create secondary impairments in other sections of the body and result in lifelong disability.

Broken bones

Soft tissue injuries are other ailments that are regularly seen in car accidents caused by speed.

Internal injuries, such as injury to the lungs, spleen, or kidneys Damage to the vertebrae and discs of the spine

Cuts and abrasions that might result in major scarring or deformity due to chemicals used in the car or heat or flames caused by the accident

SPEEDING ACCIDENT CLAIMS IN COLORADO SPRINGS

If you were injured in a Colorado Springs car accident caused by a speeding motorist, you have three years to bring a case in Massachusetts.

Demonstrating Liability

 

You must typically establish that the speeding motorist in your instance was careless to hold them legally accountable for the expenses and consequences of your injuries.

Plaintiffs establish negligence by demonstrating that the defendant owes them a duty of care. The steps that a reasonable person would take in comparable circumstances to safeguard others from being hurt by his or her conduct are referred to as duty of care. A Colorado Springs motorist owes other road users the duty of care to operate his or her car safely and lawfully, which includes not speeding.

The defendant’s duty of care was violated. The driver’s activities that were contradictory to the due duty of care are referred to as a breach.

The breach resulted in the accident, which led to your injuries and the expenditures and damages you experienced due to the breach. You must show that your injuries and costs were caused by speeding.

DAMAGES RECOVERIES

Car accident victims in Massachusetts are entitled to seek both economic and non-economic damages. To recover damages, you must get compensation for the costs of your injury’s economic and non-economic injurys.

Medical expenditures, such as the cost of treatment, surgery, hospitalisation, ambulance service, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and medical equipment such as prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, or crutches, for which you may be awarded in a Colorado Springs speeding case

Loss of future earning capacity if your injury results in permanent disabilities that prevent you from earning in the same capacity as you did before the accident

The cost of repairing or replacing the car you were driving at the time of the accident

Physical pain and suffering

Loss of pleasure of life if your disability prohibits you from participating in activities and events that you previously loved.

Punitive damages, granted to punish the offender rather than pay a plaintiff for any particular expenditure or consequence, may be recovered in certain Colorado Springs speeding claims. Punitive damages are only granted where the court determines that the defendant behaved with malice, willfulness, wantonness, recklessness, or gross negligence.

SPEEDING ACCIDENTS IN COLORADO SPRINGS: WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIMS

 

If you have lost a spouse, child, or parent in a Colorado Springs car accident caused by a speeding motorist, you may be able to file a wrongful death case to seek compensation for your loss. A wrongful death case is brought in civil court, just like any other lawsuit, and the statute of limitations is three years from the date of death. The claim is filed by the executor or administrator of the dead person’s estate, and any settlement or award is split among family members.

In a wrongful death speeding accident lawsuit in Colorado Springs, you may be able to obtain the following damages:

Loss of services, protection, care, assistance, companionship, comfort, guidance, counsel, or advice provided by the decedent

Reasonable funeral and burial expenses incurred by the decedent’s family

Mental and emotional anguish, pain, and suffering incurred by family members of the deceased as a result of the loss

A CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY CAN ASSIST YOU

A speeding driver may alter your life forever in a moment, leaving you with a lasting disability, constant pain, and the inability to earn the same amount of money as before your injuries. You may lose a loved member in a speeding accident and suffer your injuries and consequences.

An expert Colorado Springs car accident lawyer can assist you with the following:

A case valuation based on the actual expenses and impacts of your injury, including those you will likely face in the future

Identification of all potential sources of liability in your case and all insurance resources that can be accessed to provide you compensation—insurance pays nearly all claims.

Negotiation with the at-fault party’s insurance carrier on your behalf to get a reasonable settlement offer

JEREMY D. EARLE, JD, IS A LAWYER WHO SPECIALISES IN CAR ACCIDENTS.

All documentation required to launch a case is filed on time, and you are represented throughout the process.

Assistance in gathering and organising evidence and witness testimony that will be used to support your case in court.

 

Advice on the advantages and disadvantages of accepting or rejecting any given settlement.

With speeding accounting for more than a quarter of all accidents in Colorado Springs, it’s important to understand how to compensate for the injuries resulting from speeding accidents. On the other hand, car accident lawsuits are often perplexing and packed with legal jargon and processes that are difficult to comprehend without legal knowledge.

After an accident caused by a speeding motorist, a skilled accident attorney can assist you in determining your legal alternatives for recovering compensation.

Warrior Car Accident Lawyers

1902 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 100

Colorado Springs, CO 80904

719-300-1100

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