Speeding is one of the most prevalent and most dangerous forms of reckless driving. The National Safety Council (NSC) says that although people cite speeding as a threat to their safety when other drivers around them are speeding, the majority of them admit that they also speed when driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says speeding is a factor in almost one-third of fatal car accidents in our country. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says a car’s speed in an accident increases the crash energy exponentially. For example, when the impact speed increases from 40 to 60 mph (a 50 percent increase), the energy of the crash increases by 125 percent.
The NHTSA defines a crash as speeding-related when the driver is charged with a speeding-related offense or if a law enforcement officer indicates that racing, driving too fast for conditions or exceeding the posted speed limit was a contributing factor.
If you have been involved in a car accident, the at-fault driver’s speeding may have been a contributing factor. It’s important to get help from an experienced car accident lawyer, such as those at the Disparti Law Group, P.A. Contact us today for a free consultation.
We can review your case and get to work on determining who caused your crash, why it occurred and the compensation you should seek for the losses you have suffered. Call our toll-free number or submit our online form. We serve clients across Florida, including Holiday, the Tampa-St. Petersburg region and surrounding areas.
Speeding Is a Form of Aggressive Driving
Under Florida law, drivers are not to operate a vehicle “at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing.” The law further provides that “speed shall be controlled as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle, or other conveyance or object on or entering the highway.”
Like other states, Florida has begun to see speeding as part of the broader issue of “aggressive driving.”
Under Florida law, “aggressive careless driving” means committing two or more of the following acts simultaneously or in succession:
- Exceeding the posted speed
- Changing lanes unsafely or improperly
- Following another vehicle too closely (tailgating)
- Failing to yield the right-of-way
- Passing improperly
- Violating traffic control and signal devices (such as stoplights, caution lights, railroad crossing signals, pedestrian crossing signals, directional arrows)
As Florida crash statistics show, speeding can play a major role in causing car accidents. Evidence of a driver violating a traffic law by speeding or engaging in aggressive driving can be used to establish negligence
Contact a Florida Speeding Accident Attorney
When innocent people are injured by a speeding driver in an accident, the injured parties or their families have a right to seek compensation for their medical bills, property damage, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses.
At Disparti Law Group, P.A., our lawyers are dedicated to making sure that speeding drivers are held accountable when they cause auto accidents. We fight vigorously to help our clients obtain the maximum compensation available to them under Florida law.
Find out how we can help you by contacting us today at our toll-free number or through our online form. We can provide a free consultation in which we review the facts of your case and discuss your options for seeking compensation.
Sources:
- Speeding, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Q&A: Speed — Speed and speed limits, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- Speeding, National Safety Council
- 2012 Florida Statutes, Florida Senate
