Spurred by a recent spike in the number of people being killed in car accidents caused directly by speeding motorists, the federal administration is taking long awaited action. It is launching a nationwide campaign that specifically targets drivers who may be at risk of driving at reckless speeds.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced that it would launch a nationwide traffic safety campaign titled Speeding Wrecks Lives. The campaign will run across the country and will target motorists between the ages of 18 and 44, a demographic that the agency believes is much more likely to be at risk of driving at high speeds.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driving at high speeds is entirely preventable. It has also been recently linked to a spike in the number of auto accident deaths recorded around the country. There has been a very specific increase in the number of speeding related car accidents both in 2020 and 2021. The spike has been alarming enough for the federal administration to take notice.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that in 2020, as many as 29 % of all auto accidents were caused by speeding. According to the federal administration in 2020, speeding contributed to as many as 11,258 deaths. There was a 17% increase in the number of speeding related car accident deaths compared to 2019. A vast majority of speeding related auto accidents that occurred on interstate roads accounted for approximately 87% of speeding related deaths. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of auto accident deaths caused by speeding occurred in construction work zones. Speed is also very often linked to drunk driving and 37% of car accident deaths in 2020 were caused by drivers who were speeding and also driving under the influence at the time.
The agency has also released a 30 second commercial to launch the campaign on YouTube. The commercial shows three different types of speeding related accidents – one at high speeds, another at moderately high speeds and the last one at really high speeds. In all three cases, the motorist ends up striking a tree, a wall and a pedestrian. The message is clear – you don’t have to be driving at very high speeds to cause damage in a speeding related accident. Even speeds that are just a few miles per hour above the speed limit can be serious enough to cause injuries and damage.
A campaign like this has been long overdue. While auto accident deaths in all types of categories are up, it is the increase in speeding related deaths that is a specific area of concern because speeding is so often seen together with other rash behaviors like aggressive driving, reckless driving and drunk driving.
The Atlanta car crash attorneys at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and determine if you have legal options to a claim for damages.   You may be eligible for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other types of damages.  Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case.