When you look at fatal car accident statistics, it’s clear that speed is a big issue. According to some reports, speed was a contributing factor in roughly 29% of all fatal car accidents. It may not have been the only factor—such as if a driver was distracted or intoxicated—but it definitely played a role.
The issue is that speed makes injuries more severe. Imagine a head-on collision at just 10 miles an hour, as two people drive down a dirt road in a rural area. Odds are they won’t be injured at all. But imagine the exact same head-on collision, except this time it involves a wrong-way driver on the interstate. Both vehicles are traveling at 70 miles an hour, for a combined impact speed of 140 miles an hour. Fatal injuries are very likely.
An increase in energy
The thing to remember about car crashes is that energy from the accident is transferred into the people in the vehicles. The amount of energy in that accident is determined by just a few factors: Namely, the mass of the vehicles and the speed at which they’re traveling.
As such, increasing the speed increases the amount of energy. This can cause greater physical trauma to the occupants. It also means that certain safety systems may not be as effective. A crumple zone can dissipate most energy in a low-speed collision, for instance. But in a high-speed crash, the crumple zone may quickly be obliterated, and the impact will directly affect the passengers inside the car.
If you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a speeding driver—especially if those injuries are severe or if a loved one passed away—you need to take the time to look into your legal options.
