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Speed Kills
Approximately twenty-six percent of all car accident fatalities happened during accidents involving speeding drivers in 2019. Slightly more than 9,000 individuals died in car accidents involving speeding drivers in 2019. Drivers who speed are less likely to have the time or the ability to slow down or come to a complete stop. Collisions are more likely to occur because the force of impact rises as the speed of each vehicle increases. Speeding drivers put their own and others’ lives at risk of serious bodily injury and death.
Allowing drivers to operate vehicles at excessive speeds increases the rate of fatalities caused by car accidents. Many drivers exceed the posted speed limit, and raising speed limits can increase the rate at which drivers operate their vehicles. Fatal car accidents and overall driver speed increase as speed limits are increased.
Law enforcement officers who are vigilant about speeding can help reduce overall driver speeds. Speed cameras posted at intersections and other areas can help reduce the total number of car accidents. Law enforcement officers also measure speed with radar and other devices.
Speeding Dangers
One important factor in car accidents is the rate of speed at which the vehicles were traveling. Excessive speeds can increase the force of impact involved in a car accident, potentially resulting in serious bodily injuries. Speeding affects the risk of car accidents and injuries in four ways.
First, automobiles traveling at high speeds cover a greater distance from the moment a driver notices an emergency to the time when the driver responds to it. Second, speeding increases the total distance required to stop an automobile after the driver applies the brakes.
Third, speed heightens the risk of a steering motion resulting in a total loss of control of the automobile. Fourth, speeding increases the total energy released during a car accident. If a car strikes an object at 60 miles per hour rather than 40 miles per hour, the kinetic energy increases by 120%. A difference in speed of 20 miles per hour can have devastating consequences for those involved in car accidents.
During severe collisions, an automobile cannot withstand the intense force of the impact, while drivers and passengers are subject to serious bodily injury and death. Cars may be traveling at such high speeds that seatbelts and airbags cannot protect individuals inside the car from sustaining severe injuries in the event of an impact.
Impact reduction tools, safety systems, and crash prevention devices, such as bollards, are not fail-safe mechanisms for reducing the severity of high-speed car accidents. As drivers travel at higher speeds, the likelihood increases that the occupants inside these vehicles will acquire limited protection from safety devices.
Individual researchers have suggested that the greatest danger during car accidents is the variation in speed. The majority of this research occurred during the 1960s. Analysts found that automobiles traveling slower and faster than the average speed had higher rates of traffic accidents. Research studies conducted during this period suggested that speeding drivers were more likely to be involved in serious car accidents.
Speed variation is a crucial component in analyzing car data. However, many studies have shown that reductions in speed variation lead to fewer car accidents. Speed is an important element in car accidents involving serious bodily injury and death. Although speed variation is an important element for researchers, speed itself is more likely to give rise to a car accident involving serious bodily injury and death.
Automobiles slow down when they turn and merge. Other vehicles traveling at higher speeds increase the risk of an accident when they make turns or begin to merge. However, a large number of car accidents involving fatalities are single-vehicle accidents that have no relation to speed variation.
Numbers And Data
Approximately 9,500 fatalities occurred during car accidents involving a speeding vehicle in 2019. These fatalities account for 26% of all car accidents in 2019. Speeding is defined as driving too fast for the current conditions or driving faster than the posted speed limit. Across a nationwide sample of car accident data, research shows that speeding contributes to a substantial portion of traffic accidents, with higher rates in crashes involving serious injuries or fatalities.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the economic cost of car accidents involving speeding vehicles is tens of billions of dollars annually. Drivers speed on various types of roads. Roughly 20% of traffic failed to drive within the speed limit on freeways and interstates during 2015. These drivers drove at least 10 miles per hour or more over the speed limit.
Many drivers also exceed the speed limit on less congested roadways in urban areas. They fail to stay within posted speed limits. Research indicates that speeding violations are common on various types of roadways, with rates varying by location and road type. As speeding becomes more common, car accidents are more likely to occur.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a survey of drivers in 2019. The foundation discovered that approximately 50% of all drivers stated they had exceeded posted speed limits on highways by 15 miles per hour. Nearly 40% of drivers surveyed stated that they drove 10 miles over the speed limit in a residential area.
Drivers Who Speed
Younger male drivers are more likely to speed than older male drivers and female drivers. Overall, younger drivers of both genders speed more frequently than older drivers. Car accidents involving young drivers are more likely to be caused by speeding. One research study conducted in California discovered that drivers aged 16 to 19 have significantly more speeding-related incidents per mile driven than drivers over 30.
Further studies indicate that drivers aged 16 to 20 have elevated rates of speed-related crash involvement, according to traffic safety surveys. Younger drivers had by far the highest number of car accidents involving speeding among drivers from all age groups.
Similar patterns are evident in car accidents that result in fatalities. According to traffic safety data, male drivers are involved in speed-related fatal accidents at a higher rate than female drivers. As drivers get older, they are less likely to be involved in fatal car accidents involving speeding.
Posted Speed Limits
The first laws regarding speed limits in the United States were instituted in 1901. The states have traditionally been responsible for establishing their speed limits. The national speed limit during the 1970s and 1980s was 55 miles per hour nationwide. In 1995, this regulation was repealed, and speed limits have generally increased throughout the country.
Approximately 20 U.S. states have posted speed limits of 70 miles per hour. Eleven states have set their speed limits at 75 miles per hour. In eight states, particular sections of the interstate highway system have speed limits of 80 miles per hour. An approximately 40-mile section of State Highway 130 in Texas had an 85 mph speed limit in October 2012.
Different Types Of Roads And Speed Limits In The United States
Each state has its own speed limits for every type of road. These roads include undivided highways, interstate highways, and divided highways. Land use laws are also influential when legislators determine the speed limits to set in specific parts of a state. School zones often have lower speed limits due to statutes that govern the speed limits in these areas. State agencies and local agencies may determine that a particular area may have a lower speed limit than the one set by state law. Public safety is an important component of laws related to speed limits.
The number of pedestrians near a road or highway is also an important factor that must be considered when determining speed limits. Additionally, a history of past car accidents is a crucial factor that can influence the speed limit set for a particular area. Roadway design features, the physical environment, and land use regulations are also important things to consider when setting speed limits. The 85th percentile speed is also relevant to determining the speed limit for a particular area. Planners can determine the proper speed limit for a specific region by looking at the speed at which 85% of automobiles move during moderate traffic conditions.
Those who support the 85th percentile speed limit propose that it lowers the need for law enforcement. Additionally, supporters argue that the 85th percentile speed limit reduces car accidents by lowering overall speeds and reducing speed variations. Some research studies have demonstrated that 85th percentile limits on rural highways increased over time. Speed limits may increase, thereby raising the 85th percentile limit figure. Some critics of the 85th percentile speed limit argue that it will continue to expand and grow as speed limits are raised.
Speed Limits And Occupant Safety
Policymakers interested in traffic safety sought to investigate the consequences of increasing and reducing speed limits. The repeal of the national speed limit allowed these individuals to gather data regarding speed limits and car accidents.
The 1973 oil crisis prompted the United States Congress to establish a national speed limit. The Department of Transportation determined which states obtained funds based on the adoption of the national optimum speed limit. Those states that did not comply were not granted funding through the Department of Transportation. Before 1973, many rural highways and interstates had speed limits ranging from 65 to 75 miles per hour. Many rural roads had posted speed limits of 70 miles per hour. Urban streets, highways, and freeways typically had an optimum speed limit of 55 miles per hour.
Every state in the United States had established a 55 miles per hour optimum speed limit. In 1987, the oil shortage had abated, and the United States Congress permitted individual states to increase speed limits in rural areas to 65 miles per hour.
In 1995, the United States Congress repealed the optimum speed limit when it passed the National Highway System Designation Act. Individual states were granted the authority to set their own speed limits. A majority of states raised speed limits in both urban and rural areas.
Traffic safety was influenced by the national optimum speed limit that was originally created to conserve oil use among consumers in the United States. According to the National Research Council, traffic fatalities were reduced by 4,000 in 1974 due to the national optimum speed limit.
However, drivers began operating their vehicles at higher rates of speed after the national optimum speed limit was repealed in 1995. In one year, speed limits on three freeways near urban areas in Texas were increased from 55 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour.
In California, some freeways had speed limit increases from 55 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour. The percentage of drivers who operated their vehicles at speeds greater than 70 miles per hour increased to 41%. Driver speeds continued to increase as speed limits rose to 75 miles per hour and 80 miles per hour.
Traffic deaths also rose as speed limits increased. In 1987, states raised posted speed limits to 65 miles per hour. After this speed limit increase, traffic fatalities on rural highways increased by 30%. Approximately two-thirds of this overall increase in traffic deaths was due to the raised speed limits and higher rates of travel.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a study that scrutinized the overall effects of speed limit increases. When the speed limit was raised by five miles per hour, an eight percent increase in traffic deaths on freeways and interstates occurred. Fatality rates increased by three percent on other streets and roads. Furthermore, the study indicated that increases in speed limits were estimated to have resulted in 37,000 additional traffic fatalities over a 25-year period.
Speed Limit Enforcement Methods
Law enforcement officers across the United States use different methods to enforce posted speed limits. Radar devices, LIDAR devices, VASCAR, and aerial speed measurement are some of the tools law enforcement agencies use to reduce speeding. Also, installing cameras in urban areas has been found to be an effective method of enforcing speed limits in areas where traffic lanes and intersections contain numerous automobiles.
Speed limit enforcement is an integral part of public safety. Law enforcement agencies can utilize novel speed limit enforcement methods to reduce the number of annual car accidents. Also, these methods allow state agencies to gather valuable data regarding traffic flow and speed limit enforcement.
Law Enforcement Officers Measure Speeds Using Speed Detection Devices
The primary method law enforcement officers use to detect speeding automobiles is radar. Individual officers hold radar devices in the direction of an automobile to send an electromagnetic field and detect the return electromagnetic signal reflected from the vehicle. The signal detected by a law enforcement officer shifts depending on the relationship between the automobile signal and the original signal from a radar device.
Law enforcement officers use radar because it is an accurate method of determining the speed of a moving vehicle. Identifying specific vehicles in congested traffic can be difficult, and some individuals use radar detectors to help them avoid being pulled over for speeding.
Light detection and ranging, or LIDAR devices, are also employed by law enforcement officers to determine the speeds of moving automobiles. Laser devices use a calculation involving time and distance to reveal the speed of an object. A beam of light strikes an object and measures the amount of time required for it to acquire the reflected light. The speed of light is constant, and the time it takes the light to return from the object can determine the speed of a moving automobile. Unlike radar devices, lasers can pick out particular automobiles in congested traffic.
VASCAR is an acronym that means Visual Average Speed Calculator and Recorder. A portable computer system calculates the speed of a vehicle based on the time it takes the vehicle to travel a specific distance.
One important feature of VASCAR is its ability to measure speed over a longer distance than radar. Law enforcement officers use VASCAR to have a more specific measurement of a vehicle’s speed. VASCAR can be used from patrol cars following a particular automobile. Also, VASCAR can determine the speed of a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. Law enforcement officers find VASCAR a precise method of measuring the speed of a vehicle.
Aerial speed measurement is another tool for determining the speed of a vehicle. Law enforcement officers in small aircraft determine the speed of a vehicle based on the amount of time it takes the plane to move between two or more markings on the ground. Officers on the roads, highways, and interstates pull drivers over and issue citations for speeding.
Although it is more expensive than other methods of vehicle speed detection, aerial speed measurement can produce accurate speed measurements and permit officers to focus on vehicles traveling at extremely high rates of speed.
Speed Cameras
Speed cameras are unique among speed detection devices. Law enforcement officers do not need to oversee speed cameras. Cities often use speed cameras to enforce speed limits by taking photographs of the license plates of individual automobiles.
The majority of speed cameras measure vehicles in a single place without moving. Speed cameras are fixed, and these devices typically use detectors or radars on the road surface to detect the speed of an automobile. Small cameras may be installed in unmarked patrol cars that use lasers or radars to detect the speed of a vehicle. Many communities require that some cameras be operated by a law enforcement officer. Photos of speeding vehicles are recorded, and the location, time, date, and speed of the vehicle are recorded.
Newer developments in speed detection technology enable speed cameras to measure speeds over specific distances. Two more cameras are placed at specific points and record images of vehicles passing the cameras. License plate detection technology is used to identify vehicles and calculate the average speed between two points. Photographs and time-stamped images are used to prove that a driver was speeding. The United Kingdom and Australia use two-point speed cameras to enforce speed limits.
Speed detection cameras are not activated unless they detect an automobile moving faster than the speed limit. The average speed is 10 to 11 miles per hour over the speed limit. School zones and other regulated areas may feature lower speed thresholds.
Speed enforcement devices can lower incidents of speeding on many different types of roads and streets. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety performed studies of cameras in three different areas, including Maryland, Arizona, and the District of Columbia. These studies determined that the number of drivers who were speeding by 10 miles per hour decreased by 70%, 88%, and 82%, respectively, approximately six months after the cameras were installed.
One speed enforcement device study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Montgomery County, Maryland, discovered that seven and a half years after the speed cameras were installed, the area saw overall speeds reduced by 10%. Also, the study found a 62% reduction in vehicles traveling 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.
In 2010, the Cochrane Collaboration produced a review of 35 research studies from different countries around the world. Research leaders determined that covert, mobile, and fixed-speed cameras lowered average vehicle speeds from 1% to 15%. The number of vehicles driving above the posted speed limits was reduced by 14% to 65%.
The use of speed cameras in urban and rural areas has been shown to reduce car accidents. Research studies examined by the Cochrane Collaboration discovered overall reductions in car accidents involving serious bodily injury and fatalities due to the installation of speed cameras. The trend over time is that roads, highways, and interstates become safer after speed cameras are incorporated in a specific geographic area.
In 2020, speed cameras had been installed in approximately 155 communities in the United States. The use of speed cameras has expanded since they were installed in Arizona in 1987.
Trends Regarding Speed Cameras In Cities Across The United States
Car accidents involving fatalities increased during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although fewer people were driving during this period, the number of car accident fatalities rose. Many drivers who were traveling on roads and highways during the COVID-19 global pandemic sped more often and ignored posted speed limits.
Speed cameras are just one component of the automated enforcement technology strategy cities and states use to reduce speeding in their communities. One of the common forms of speed cameras is those found at red lights and at intersections. Automated enforcement technologies reduce contact between law enforcement officers and the general public. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, these technologies were viewed as viable methods of reducing the transmission of COVID-19.
Speed cameras improve public safety, and approximately 350 cities, towns, and counties in the United States use red light cameras. If the camera detects running a red light, the traffic summons is sent to the automobile owner’s registered address. A photograph is taken, and law enforcement officers confirm that a driver committed a traffic violation.
U.S. Communities Using Speed Cameras
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that speed cameras are utilized by multiple states and the District of Columbia for both red light and speed limit enforcement. Law enforcement resources can be used to reduce crime in other areas of a community due to the implementation of speed cameras. These devices enable law enforcement agencies to utilize their resources more efficiently by reducing the need for excessive time and money spent on issuing traffic citations.
Automated Enforcement And State Laws
Drivers who were questioned during telephone surveys expressed support for speed camera programs. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety surveyed approximately 900 drivers in 2014 in Montgomery County, Maryland. The survey discovered that nearly 62% of drivers approved of speed cameras in residential areas.
In 2018, drivers 16 and older responded to a survey, and 47% expressed approval of speed cameras being installed in residential neighborhoods.
Surveys taken by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the District of Columbia in 2012 revealed that residents approved of the speed cameras used since 2001. Approximately 88% of residents stated that automobile speeding was a danger to their health and safety. The vast majority of residents in the District of Columbia support the use of speed cameras.
Drivers surveyed in Scottsdale, Arizona, approved the use of speed camera systems on freeways in urban areas. After these speed cameras were installed, a larger percentage of survey respondents expressed approval of speed cameras.
Guides published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, AAA, and the Governors Highway Safety Association provide guidance on implementing automatic speed camera detection systems. Public support is important for these systems to be as effective as possible.
Intelligent Speed Assistance
Intelligent speed adaptation, or intelligent speed assistance, is an internal system that informs the driver of their speed and whether it exceeds the posted speed limit. Intelligent speed assistance programs coordinate with GPS systems connected to sensors that examine posted speed limit signs.
Intelligent speed assistance programs have different mechanisms for controlling driver influence regarding speeding. The less sophisticated systems simply alert drivers about their speeding. Other systems have resistant gas pedals that make it difficult for drivers to depress the gas pedal and increase their speed. Sophisticated systems restrict the flow of gasoline to an automobile’s engine. The driver can depress the gas pedal, but the automobile cannot exceed the posted speed limit. Many of these systems are automatic, and some have manual controls. Safe drivers are also eligible for insurance discounts for not exceeding the posted speed limit.
These automated safety systems reduce instances of speeding and reckless driving. A research study examined Swedish drivers using intelligent speed assistance systems. The research team found a marked reduction in overall speeding.
Research studies in the United States indicate that a financial benefit conferred on drivers for staying below the posted speed limit is effective at reducing speeding. Additionally, researchers in Europe have observed a decrease in speeding after implementing intelligent speed assistance programs.
Digital maps and GPS coordinates may pose challenges during inclement weather or at high altitudes. The software for these programs must also be updated regularly to remain functional. The European Parliament approved a law in 2019 that will mandate all new automobiles sold in Europe to have intelligent speed assistance programs beginning in 2022. These devices can enhance driver safety, improve road safety for pedestrians, and decrease the number of accidents resulting in serious bodily injury or death.
Contact A California Car Accident Attorney For Speed-Related Cases
Contact Arash Law at (888) 488-1391 to schedule a free initial consultation. We have offered legal assistance and represented numerous clients in personal injury cases. Our team of car accident attorneys in California can represent clients in San Francisco, Riverside, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sherman Oaks, and throughout the state.
