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We’ve all seen the bumper stickers and freeway signs warning that: “Speed kills.” Statistically, CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY SHERMAN OAKS agrees. The higher the speed a vehicle is traveling the greater the risk it will be involved in an accident.

Studies have shown that there is an extremely high correlation between speeding and accident risk. For all speeds and all roads, this relationship exists. However, the accident risk varies with road and weather conditions.

Given the changing demographics of the driving population, research is being done to determine if the same relationship between speed and accidents exists when drivers are driving much slower than the average driver.

Factors Affecting Driver Speed

ACCIDENT ATTORNEY SHERMAN OAKS state that the following factors affect driver speed:

Factors specifically related to drivers including: age, gender, alcohol level, number of people in the vehicle
Road-related factors: road surface, road layout, quality of road which encourages high speed driving, traffic peak times
Vehicle-related factors: vehicle power, maximum possible speed of the car; vehicle make; vehicle age
Environment-related factors: traffic density, traffic composition, posted speed, weather conditions

What is being done to Curb Speeding?

There are measures in place to curb drivers’ excessive speeds:

1. Aerial surveillance of busy roads
2. Police radar programs
3. Loss of license for those who are driving at speeds well over the posted limit.
4. Heavy fines for speeders
5. Increased use of video cameras in areas where drivers regularly speed

Why Higher Speeds are a Factor in CarAccidents

High speed reduces possible response time if necessary. Driversrequire time to process information, to make a decision to react and to execute that reaction. The higher the speed, the less time the driver has to take these steps. At high speeds the time and distance between braking and coming to a completed stop are affected. Its pure mathematics: Braking distance is proportional to the square of speed (v²). As speed increases, your chances of avoiding a collision become proportionally smaller.

This is a simplified cause-effect explanation admittedly. You also have to factor in road conditions, weather conditions, vehicle reaction, and driver reaction time.

How to Avoid Speed-Related Accidents

1. Control the speed of your own vehicle
2. Get out of the way of speeding vehicles
3. Report the license plate number, make, model, and location when you see speeding vehicles
4. Take the scenic route. Avoid roads where speeding is common
5. Drive at times when speeding drivers are less likely to be on roads.

For more information involving speed-related accidents and your rights, contact CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY SHERMAN OAKS.