In New York and across the United States, traffic fatalities have escalated over the past several years. This has been attributed to several factors, including a growing number of motorists and distracted driving and walking due to smartphone use. However, the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that the main factor in this growing number of deaths is speed.
The NTSB noted that speeding is killing Americans in car crashes across the country. In 112,580 traffic deaths between 2005 and 2014, speeding was considered to be the primary factor,. That number constitutes 31 percent of all traffic fatalities during these years. Almost the same number of people were killed by drunk drivers during that period. The NTSB report states that drunk driving and speeding share some common characteristics and risks, as both enhance the probability of crashes as well as the potential for death or serious injury.
In the report, the NTSB urges tougher penalties for speeding, more similar to those for driving under the influence. While DUI convictions can lead to losing the privilege to drive, a driver can accumulate a significant number of speeding tickets before facing any serious penalties. In addition, the NTSB pointed out that there has been a strong public education campaign about drunk driving such that the behavior is now stigmatized, which is not the case with speeding.
When people are seriously injured in a car accident due to another driver’s excessive speed, it can be difficult to recover from both the physical injury and the ongoing medical bills, lost wages and other damages. A personal injury lawyer can work with an accident victim to pursue compensation for these and other losses, either through a settlement with the at-fault motorist’s insurer or through a lawsuit.