The best way to curb speeding sometimes lies in enforcement, rather than relying on individuals to monitor themselves.
Speeding is one of the prevailing factors in traffic crashes and serious car accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Serious car accidents affect victims, the perpetrators, and society for years after the event; our car accident attorneys have helped clients who suffered from head trauma, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and other life-altering effects gain justice, but the damage done in split seconds is often irreversible.
In 2005, the cost of crash-related deaths and injuries among drivers and passengers was $70 billion, decreasing to $40.4 billion in 2010; these costs include medical care, treatment, rehabilitation, and lost productivity, repo
rts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2009, more than 2.3 million adult drivers/passengers were treated in emergency departments as a result of motor vehicle crashes. In 2010, speeding was a contributing factor in 31% of all fatal crashes, or 10,395 people lost in speeding-related crashes.
Never a Good Reason to Speed
At such a high cost, why do people continue to speed? “Focus on Safety, a Practical Guide to Automated Enforcement,” a report from the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, shows that people speed and run red lights because:
• They’re in a hurry.
• They’re inattentive to their driving.
• They don’t take traffic laws seriously; they don’t think the laws apply to them.
• They don’t view their driving behavior as dangerous.
• They don’t expect to get caught.
• Some or all of the above.
None of these reasons are important enough to rationalize completely changing lives in the span of seconds. Speeding is dangerous because it reduces the driver’s ability to steer safely around obstacles or sudden changes on the road. Speeding extends the distance needed to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle travels while a driver reacts to a dangerous situation, not to mention increasing the severity of the crash if it occurs.
Ways to Curb Speeding:
Speed limits were determined according to the road environments and location such as school zones and road construction sites. Speeding is a habitual behavior; unfortunately, drivers do not always exercise self-control on the roads. The best way to curb speeding sometimes lies in enforcement, rather than relying on individuals to monitor themselves. These include:
• Automatic Speed Enforcement/Speed Enforcement Camera Systems
• Police High Visibility Enforcement coupled with Media attention
• Speed monitors and regulators for commercial vehicles
• Road environment engineering
