What Costs Society $44,193 a minute?

From the National Highway Transporation Safety Administration:

Think Fast...
What costs society $44,193 a minute?

Answer: Check your speedometer as you drive home!
Exceeding the posted limit or driving too fast for conditions is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. Speed is a factor in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes. Speed-related crashes cost society more than $23 billion a year.

Too few drivers view speeding as an immediate risk to their personal safety or the safety of others. Yet, speeding reduces a driver's ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, and it extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in emergency situations.

Crash severity increases with the speed of the vehicle at impact. Inversely, the effectiveness of restraint devices like air bags and safety belts, and vehicular construction features such as crumple zones and side member beams decline as impact speed increases.

The probability of death, disfigurement, or debilitating injury grows with higher speed at impact. Such consequences double for every 10 mph over 50 mph that a vehicle travels.

Many drivers don't consider this. They slow their speed in residential areas, or when the weather turns bad. To them, a few miles an hour over the posted speed limit is an acceptable risk. Their excuse -- other drivers do it. They believe the worst that can happen to them is to receive a speeding ticket.
Drivers like this are wrong. Maybe even dead wrong, because driving too fast for conditions or exceeding the posted speed limit can kill you.


Consider These Speed-Related Facts

Rural roads account for over 60 percent of all speed-related fatal crashes. Sixty six percent of speed-related crashes involved a single vehicle. Sixty percent of all speed- related fatal crashes occurred at night (6 pm to 6 am). Drivers involved in speed-related fatal crashes are more likely to have a history of traffic violations.
On average, 1,000 Americans are killed every month in speed-related crashes.

Youth and Speeding

Of all drivers aged 15-24 years of age involved in fatal crashes, 32 percent were speeding.

Of drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes, 38 percent of the male and 24 percent of the female drivers were speeding.

Economic and Environmental Costs of $peeding

Fuel consumption increases steadily above 45 mph with passenger cars and light trucks using approximately 50 percent more fuel traveling at 75 mph than they do at 55 mph.

Let's be careful out there!
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For additional information contact:

Alan L. Morton
MORTON LAW OFFICES, CHARTERED
1005 North Eighth Street
Post Office Box 420
Boise, ID 83701-0420
Telephone: 208.344.5555
Toll Free: 866.946.1669 (866.WIN.1.NOW)
Facsimile: 208.342.2509
Email: amorton@mortonlawyers.com
Website: www.mortonlawyers.com