Speeding joins drunk driving and distracted driving as the leading causes of serious and fatal traffic accidents nationwide, according to the National Safety Council.
Boston Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman and our entire staff encourage you to review safe driving habits with your family as the summer travel season gets underway. Our Safe Driving Series previously examined the dangers of drunk driving, aggressive driving and distracted driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that speeding was a cause of one-third of all fatal traffic accidents in 2008, leading to the death of 11,674 motorists. When combined with the 1 in 3 motorists who are killed in drunk driving accidents, those statistics mean that two-thirds of all traffic fatalities in the United States involve either speeding or an intoxicated driver.
A study conducted in 2000 found that speed-related crashes cost an estimated $40.4 billion. That’s $76,865 per minute — or $1,281 per second.
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely or avoid objects in the road, increases the distance a vehicle requires to come to a stop, and shortens the amount of time a driver has to react to a dangerous condition.
In 2008, speed was a factor in 97 of 363 fatal Massachusetts traffic accidents.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation wants you to take safe driving seriously. To put your risk in perspective:
What are the Odds?
Being attacked by a bear: 1 in 36 million.
Being attacked by a shark: 1 in 11.5 million.
Dying of a bee sting: 1 in 5.33 million.
Dying in a tornado: 1 in 5 million.
Being struck by lightning: 1 in 240,000.
Being bit by a poisonous snake: 1 in 37,250.
Being killed in a car accident: 1 in 84.
Do yourself and other motorists on the road a favor this summer and slow down. Being late is always better than being in an accident.
If you have been injured in a Boston car accident or an accident elsewhere in Massachusetts, contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.