It’s an accepted fact of life that most drivers in America exceed the speed limit to at least some degree. Civic planners will account for this when it comes to selecting the right speed limit for the right road, and police officers rarely stop cars moving at around 5 miles per hour faster than the posted limit. However, just because there’s a little leniency built into the system doesn’t mean it’s safe to ignore speed limits altogether.
High Speed Means Poor Odds
Excessive speed is the third biggest contributing cause of traffic accidents, right behind distracted and impaired driving. Speeding is also involved in a third of all fatal crashes. Oftentimes people will speed because they’re intoxicated and not thinking straight, but just as often they speed because they’re in a hurry to get somewhere or because they simply believe they will get away with it.
It’s not just on highways that people let loose, either. Around half of all traffic fatalities in which speeding is a factor happen on roads with a posted limit of 50 mph or less. After all, a 10 mph difference is a lot more significant when you’re going from 30 to 40 than when you’re going from 60 to 70, and so what you might expect on the highway becomes hard to predict on a residential or a city street.
Drive Smarter, Not Harder
Instead of putting yourself and others in danger by driving excessively fast, try planning out your route ahead of time to avoid any times or streets which might slow you down. For instance, if rush hour traffic is getting on your nerves, try heading into town an hour early and spending the extra time at a café with a book or a tablet computer. Even just a quarter of an hour may be enough to avoid the worst of the trouble depending on where you live.
If you’d rather not spend money on overpriced coffee and a breakfast, you could instead pack your own meal and spend your time in a public space like a museum or a library. You can also do the same thing after work if it’s the afternoon traffic that’s troubling you.
Alternately, you could simply plan your route as carefully as possible. Get off the highway just before the main jam sets in and use back roads to get to your job, because even though the speed limits aren’t as high and they don’t go straight to your destination, they still may shave minutes off your commute.
If you’re planning a long trip to visit relatives or else to go on vacation, make sure you check how the weather will be along your route and whether there’s any construction work along the way. Depending on how these factors add up, the shortest route may not necessarily be the fastest. It may not be the cheapest, either, considering that many interstate highways demand a toll.
Of course, one problem you can’t solve is that you’re not the only person on the road, and as such you may get in an accident no matter how carefully you plan. If that happens, you should consider consulting with a car accident lawyer before you contact the insurance provider of the at-fault party. The process of getting compensation for any damages or injuries isn’t always as straightforward as it should be, and a professional lawyer can offer you advice and even negotiate on your behalf to get you a fair settlement.
If you or a loved one wind up in an accident in or around St. Petersburg, Florida, then you should contact the St. Pete Lawyer today for a free case review. Our office will do all that we can to make sure you get just compensation for your injuries.
