Every year, motor vehicle accidents are at the top of the list of causes of death in the United States. Investigations of fatal car crashes find that a large percentage of them involve speeding. Driving too fast can come with a high risk of serious car accidents, injuries and deaths. If you lose a loved one because of speeding, learn your legal rights with help from a Pittsburgh car accident attorney.
What Makes Speeding So Deadly?
Section 3362 of Pennsylvania law states that no person shall drive a vehicle at a speed in excess of the posted limits. There is a reason why all 50 states have posted speed limits and make it illegal for drivers to exceed them. Driving at fast speeds decreases a driver’s ability to control his or her motor vehicle.
Speeding heightens the risk of a deadly car accident in multiple ways:
- Increased stopping distance
- Shortened reaction times
- Trouble executing turns and lane changes
- Enhanced odds of losing control
- Increased crash severity
- Decreased effectiveness of safety features
Speeding drivers are also statistically more likely to engage in other dangerous and reckless driving behaviors, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, red-light running, and weaving in and out of multiple lanes of traffic. This further increases the odds of serious and fatal car crashes.
Speed-Related Car Accident Statistics
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, around one-third of all fatal car accidents in the United States are caused by speeding. The latest data shows that 11,775 people were killed in speeding-related car accidents in 2023 (29 percent of all traffic deaths). This was an average of 32 deaths per day.
Statewide data captured by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reported 280 speed-related fatalities in 2023. This was an increase of 4.5 percent from 2022. This number only reflects fatal accidents where speed was considered the prime contributing factor; it leaves out fatal accidents that may have involved speeding as a secondary factor. In total, 366 fatal accidents (plus 23,070 nonfatal accidents) involved speeding.
Your Rights if a Speeding Driver Killed Your Loved One in Pennsylvania
Speeding is a driver error that takes many lives in Pennsylvania. If you suffered the tragic loss of someone you love in a car accident that was caused by a speeding driver, you and your family have rights. Getting legal representation from an experienced personal injury attorney in Pittsburgh can help seek justice. Pennsylvania’s wrongful death laws give families the opportunity to seek financial compensation for their losses by holding wrongdoers accountable.
In Pennsylvania, the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate has the exclusive right to file a wrongful death lawsuit in the first six months. After this, any of the decedent’s beneficiaries may file on behalf of all beneficiaries. The damages or financial compensation available in a wrongful death suit include funeral and burial costs, medical bills, lost wages and benefits, and loss of the deceased person’s comfort and society.
How to Prove a Car Accident Case Involving Speeding
Car accident claims involving speeding may have supporting evidence available such as video footage, traffic tickets issued by a police officer, eyewitness statements, accident reconstruction diagrams and black box data from the vehicle. The most effective way to gather evidence and build your wrongful death claim is by working with an experienced attorney.