Photo of legal professionals at Gammon McFall & Villarreal

At Your Side When Life Changes

The dangers of driving too fast

On Behalf of | Apr 1, 2018 | Blog, Firm News |

Speeding is a major cause of motor vehicle collisions, but many drivers in Georgia do not take the behavior seriously, and may even refer to the posted speed limit as a joke. However, death is a common outcome for victims of speeding accidents. People who tend to speed and disregard posted speeds could find themselves struggling to deal with the physical, emotional and economic aftermath. 

Most car accidents involving excessive speeds are preventable. The following information explains the dangers of speeding. 

How speed affects car accidents 

The World Health Organization explains that the higher the speed, the greater the risk of injury. One of the major reasons that speeding is so dangerous is that, not only does the vehicle require more time to stop, the driver has less time to process the information around him or her and react. A vehicle moving at 30 mph takes roughly 40 feet to come to a stop. Going just 1 mph faster can increase the risk of an injury crash by about 4 percent. If vehicles collide with an impact speed of 50 mph, the chances of death are 20 times higher than they would be at 15 mph. 

Factors that affect safe speeds 

Engineers and other professionals determine speed limits based on a number of factors, including road design and conditions such as the quality of the surface and the layout. In addition, traffic and the surroundings can affect safe speeds. The posted limit is for optimal conditions. At night, during inclement weather and in heavy traffic, the safe speed may be much lower. So, even though a driver may not be exceeding the limit, he or she could still be driving at an inappropriate speed that puts everyone nearby at risk.

Unfortunately, many drivers do not realize how dangerous and life-threatening their driving choices are until they crash.