Delaware car accident lawyers explain why & how to stay safe on the road
When highway speed limits are increased, more car accidents and serious injuries occur, according to a recent study about the effect of changing the speed limits on the number of motor vehicle accidents.
“Our study analyzed before-and-after data on a dozen roadways that raised or lowered posted speed limits and found no one-size-fits-all answer regarding the impact of these changes,” said Dr. David Yang, president and executive director of the AAA Foundation, which conducted the study. “However, it is critical to consider the safety implications when local transportation authorities contemplate making changes with posted speed limits.”
What exactly did traffic safety researchers discover? How common are speeding accidents nationwide? And how bad is the problem in Delaware? Our Delaware car accident attorneys at Gill, Welsh, and Chamberlain, P.A. have the answers to these questions and more information below.
Higher speed limits = more car accidents
The nationwide study focused on six highways where officials raised the speed limit, along with six highways where the speed limits were lowered. AAA researchers found:
· The number of car accidents increased on two of the highways where speed limits were raised.
· All six highways where speed limits were lowered had fewer accidents.
· Driving times on all 12 highways remained virtually the same.
“It is critical to consider the safety implications when local transportation authorities contemplate making changes to posted speed limits,” said Diana Gugliotta, Director of Public Affairs at AAA Northeast.
How common are speeding accidents?
Speeding-related accidents have become increasingly common in recent years. For the third year in a row, car accident deaths due to speeding drivers increased in 2021. Specifically, speeding-related crashes took the lives of 12,330 people in 2021, according to the National Safety Council.
That number in 2021 works out to 29 percent of all car accident deaths due simply to speeding. And while the percentage of speeding-related deaths did decrease slightly to 27 percent of all accidents in 2022, those figures are still significantly higher than in years past, traffic safety officials noted.
How bad are speeding accidents in Delaware?
Like many states, speeding continues to be a serious cause of collisions in Delaware. In 2021, speeding-related accidents claimed the lives of 46 people in Delaware, the highest speeding-related death toll in the state in a decade, according to car accident data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In addition, the 2021 death toll due to speeding in Delaware accounted for 33.8 of all motor vehicle accident fatalities, which is significantly higher than the national average. This is why drivers in Delaware need to be vigilant about speeding and avoiding collisions with speeding drivers.
What makes speeding so dangerous?
Drivers who go too fast make the roads more dangerous for everyone for several reasons:
· Speeding drivers have less time to slow down and avoid a collision.
· When vehicles go faster, they have more force when they crash into another vehicle, resulting in more damage and more severe injuries.
· Speeding drivers often engage in other dangerous driving activities, including texting while driving and drunk driving.
Why should I hire a Delaware car accident attorney?
Don’t simply assume you will be fairly compensated for your car accident just because a speeding driver in Delaware crashed into your car. In many cases, car accident claims quickly turn into complicated legal cases. Often, this is because insurance companies would rather do everything they can to pay you as little as possible or nothing at all.
Our Delaware car accident lawyers Gill, Welsh, and Chamberlain, P.A. can help you every step of the way. We know the law and understand how the legal system works here. That’s why we have such a strong track record of success.
Get the Delaware law firm that gets results. Contact us and schedule a free case evaluation with a car accident attorney you can count on in a crisis. We work on a contingency fee basis. That means you only have to pay us if we win a financial settlement or verdict for you.