Is the statement “speeding is not a factor contributing to motor vehicle accidents?” true or false? And if you are involved in auto or car accidents, when should you hire an attorney like an auto accident attorney dynomoon? Do you need a personal injury lawyer or a defense lawyer? what are the differences?
How much do auto accident attorneys charge to represent you? What is the number one cause of car accidents on roads? How many car accidents occur daily? Well, all those questions and others you may have will be answered by the time you finish reading this article.
If you are looking for some quick answers here we go.
Since 3 decades ago, speeding alone has been responsible for more than 3rd of the total accidents in the USA. According to the same data, more than 29% of car accidents in 2020 were due to speeding. So, yes, speeding is a major factor contributing to car accidents.
Innocent victims of car accidents may sustain terrible injuries in many different circumstances, as accidents can occur anytime, anywhere. A personal injury lawyer like at Dynomoon can assist you in resolving your legal matters and ensuring that you receive all the damages to which you are entitled. This enables you to move on with your life and concentrate on your rehabilitation processes.
This is a relatively long article answering many personal injuries, and car accident-related questions our visitors ask on this website. If you were involved in a car crash or need to know more about how to hire a lawyer after a car accident, Feel free to jump to sections you may be interested in by going through the contents of the article as listed below.
Page Contents
Car crash fatality rate by speed
There is a correlation between speed velocity and the likelihood of dying in a motor car accident. But, According to published data, most fatal car accidents occur at speeds of about 70 MPH. At speeds of over 70 mph, car accidents become practically inevitable.
Your risk of dying in a car accident at 37 MPH is only 5%. At more than 43 MPH, the chances that a passenger or driver dies in a car crash increases to 10%. And finally, the risk of dying increases further to more than 20% as you cloak speeds exceeding 56 MPH.
The reason, why speed increases your chances of a crash, is that, at higher car speeds, the driver’s both reaction and braking distances are longer. A simple explanation for this is that, Assume the driver is driving from point A to point E, through points B, C, and D. Assume points B and C are so close. At higher speeds, a driver who intended to apply brakes and stop at point B could end up stopping at point C which was out of his intentions. Such situations increase the likelihood of causing or getting involved in car crashes compared to when the car moves at low speeds.
What Speed Does It Take to Die in a Car Crash?
There are car accidents you as an individual are not at fault for and therefore you suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence. Even though you decided to drive at speeds between 10 and 20 MPH, you may still be injured in a car crash because a certain driver acted carelessly or violated certain traffic laws.
What I recommend is that play your role and fingers crossed, another driver too drives responsibly. Avoiding car accidents starts with you. For instance, driving your car uninsured shows no financial responsibility towards yourself and others and could complicate your or another party’s financial situation.
The average recommended driving speed is any figure below 50-55 MPH. If you are driving in a residential area or in an environment where there are schools, the safest speed is somewhere between 10-20 MPH. You should not exceed 70 MPH if you are driving in rural interstate areas.
There are other schools of thought which think Increasing speed from 40-50 MPH increases your risk of injuries by 1% of you getting a car crash. From 50 MPH onwards, the risk of injuries is even higher. For instance, only 1 in 4 people has a chance of survival in a car crash for cars traveling at speeds exceeding 70 MPH.
So for the highest road safety, the recommended car speed is around 20-50 MPH. This is because, at higher speeds, braking distance gets larger, and chances of crashing increase too. If you are driving let say in bad weather or in areas with schools, consider car speeds of less than 20 MPH.
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How many accidents are caused by speeding each year?
Road conditions like the road under repair or construction, bad weather, and other factors like driving at night on an unfamiliar road all affect your road safety. Despite those, it was found in 2020 that more than 27% of car accidents in the USA were attributed to overspeeding.
In Texas alone, speeding contributed to 136,383 Car accidents while in 2016, 3,623 car crashes contributed to more than 29% of fatalities in California.
If you are interested in national data, 50,930 drivers in the USA in 2016 were involved in 33,244 fatal car crashes. Of the people involved in the same crashes, 36,096, unfortunately, lost their lives.
Of the 50,930 drivers involved in car accidents, 17% were speeding. 27% of the people that died in the crashes were also involved in speed-related crashes. So as you can see guys, speeding is one of the factors that largely contribute to road traffic accidents.
10 reasons why speeding is dangerous
I already mentioned and provided facts about how speeding is the number one cause of car accidents. If you are driving at higher speeds, reaction time is usually small and braking distance is larger thus making it almost inevitable for a car crash.
The following are the top reasons why drivers speed:
- Some drivers want to enjoy driving.
- Drivers hurrying to reach their destinations.
- Some drivers not paying attention as they drive.
- Driving fast well knowing they won’t be caught and
- Idiot drivers think speeding is not dangerous.
The number one reason why you should not drive at higher speeds is that speed endangers everyone on the road. You are putting yourself, your loved ones, and all those innocent people at risk of early death or serious injuries. Data reports that there were 11,258 deaths in 2020 as a result of overspeeding in the USA.
Some of the reasons why speeding is dangerous to include:
- Speeding is the leading number one cause of fatalities in car accidents. Speeding contributes to more than 33% of all fatal automobile crashes in the USA every year.
- Speeding also increases the likelihood of causing or getting involved in car crashes. I already mentioned how increasing driving speed from 40-50 MPH increases the risk of death by more than 1%.
- Speeding cars usually get severe crashes compared to if you were driving at an average or low speed.
- Drivers who speed usually are likely to practice bad driving habits like tailgating, unnecessary changing lanes, and others.
- Economic losses. In the US, car accidents cause losses of around 1 Trillion every year.
- Driving your car at higher speeds consumes more fuel thus emitting lots of carbon into our environment. This puts people risk at of serious diseases.
What are the 5 most common car accidents?
Car accidents happen every day. According to this site, 1 in 63 Americans in 2020 had a chance of getting involved in a car accident. According to the same site, there were 35,766 fatal accidents in the USA in 2020 and 38,824 car crashes resulted in deaths.
Today’s data reveals DUI as the leading cause of fatal car accidents (11,654 deaths) followed by speeding which accounts for at least 11,258
deaths. A quick primer to car accidents by vehicle type is that SUVs and pickup trucks contributed 40% of all accidents in the year 2020.
According to Chicago lawyers, the 5 most common types of car accidents are as follows.
- Rear-end collisions. These accidents occur if you follow too closely another vehicle and the front vehicle stops suddenly. Tailgating even in the slightest traffic puts you at risk of rear-end crashes.
- Single vehicle crashes. These accidents occur when the braking distance is larger or if the reaction time to an obstacle is very short. As you try to avoid hitting an object, you may end up breaking too much leading to crashing on a nearby object.
- T-bone accidents. These accidents occur at road intersections. Usually, one driver overruns a red light or stop sign hitting another driver. Usually, one of the cars is hit on the side resulting in fatal injuries if there are passengers in the hit car.
- Low-speed car accidents. These are accidents that occur when the car speed is below 10 MPH. These include fender benders, parking lot collisions, and bumps.
What happens when a car accident causes a permanent disability?
If you are involved in a car accident where the other driver is responsible, then you will be entitled to damages like personal injuries and property damages. You should file a claim through the other driver’s liability insurance for both financial and non-financial damages.
Your attorney, if you hired one should help you compute all the damages and negotiate with other driver’s insurance companies for a fair settlement. All the injuries including any future medical costs and possible disabilities will be included in the settlement.
If you sustained injuries and had property damaged in the car accident, you may be entitled to the following:
- Present and future medical bills
- Future and present lost wages
- Property damages like repairs/replacement to your car
- Your Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages and any
- Emotional distress.
If you sustained permanent disabilities, expect an average settlement between $3,000 and $75,000 depending on the severity of the disabilities. Settlement may even be higher reaching $1 million if the disabilities are life-threatening or so incapacitating. Hiring an attorney will help you scoop the largest possible settlement since these lawyers know best how to prove personal injuries, permanent disabilities inclusive.
5 effects of road accidents
A study done by the national accident helpline in the UK found that car accidents change people’s lives. The study found that people involved in car accidents are usually left in pain and others with mental health that usually affect their relationships, work life, and effects on their families.
The emotional impacts associated with car accidents and related injuries could easily cause a person the following:
- Suicidal thoughts
- Depression
- Isolation
- Withdrawal and
- Feeling hopeless.
Apart from the shock that car accident victims feel right at the scene, many victims suffer from post-accident anxiety and others develop post-traumatic stress disorder which requires lifelong specialist treatment.
More specifically, below are the common effects of car accidents people go through:
- Driving phobia
- Injuries like head injuries, spinal cord injuries, injuries of the neck, fractures, burns, future pain and suffering, etc,
- Permanent disabilities and impairments include decreased cognitive capacity, effects on balance and coordination, paralysis, scarring, and movement restrictions from injuries.
- Emotional effects of car accidents include depression, irrational fears, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, anger management problems, and others.
- Effects on personal income arising from lost wages, medical bills, and other property damages.
Three Major Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Some accidents are avoidable whereas others especially ones you are not at fault for can not be avoided. In 2019, the national safety council in the USA reported that the lifetime odds of an American dying in an auto accident was roughly 1 in 107. This translates to a 0.91% chance of dying in a car-related accident for every American in possession of a driving license.
Various research studies have found that the commonest causes of car accidents on the roads include the following:
- Overspeeding (over 70 mph)
- Drunken driving (DIU)
- Driver distractions and traffic violations like overrunning red lights and stop signs.
- Others like avoiding safety gear like seat belts and helmets.
Auto Accident Attorney Dynomoon--What Should I Do?
You do not know the days you will get into an accident as long as you are the guy who loves going behind the wheel. You may be the most careful driver on the road but unfortunately, the other drivers on the same road you are, are not as mindful as you are.
If you are interested in data, at least 2.27% of drivers in the USA have had a prior citation for driving under the influence (DUI). That’s not all! According to present data, at least 18% of adults in the USA admit to excessive drinking. Those mentioned drivers and other accident-prone people are whom you will be sharing the roads on daily basis.
The best way to avoid accidents is to drive responsibly and avoid all situations that could cause an accident. The best way is to assume that all drivers are careless and you are the only good driver around. Trusting the instincts of other drivers is not a wise decision.
If you just had an accident in which you are at fault or not, in addition to contacting an Auto Accident Attorney Dynomoon, do the following:
- Your safety and that of any person involved in the accident are the most important. Make sure everyone is safe.
- Call 911 if there is any person hurt and arrange to get an ambulance right away.
- Call and inform the police. You should report any car accident even if no one is hurt or no car is damaged- it’s mandatory in almost all states.
- It is advised not to move your car away from the impact if there are any passengers injured or else, move your car to safety – not hamper more traffic.
- Do not leave the accident scene before traffic authorities showed up and compiled a police report. Your claim through insurance will most likely depend on what is written in the car accident police report. Make sure you have a copy if possible.
- Take pictures of the accident scene, pictures of the car damages, any passenger injuries, and the geographical area in relation to the accident.
- Make sure you exchange information with the drivers involved. You should get names, addresses, license plate numbers, insurance coverages, etc.
- Talk to witnesses or passersby, and with their permission, put their statements on record.
- Call and inform your insurance company. You may upload the videos and pictures taken on their app. Do not admit fault, let authorities declare you one.
- If you want to get a maximum fair settlement from the insurance coverage or later when the case goes to trial, call and inform your attorney.
- Do not accept fast settlements from any insurance company. Companies want to use this early moment to give the lowest settlement offers possible.
- Hiring an attorney lets you concentrate on the recovery process while your lawyer takes care of getting you the best settlement offer possible.
Human factors contributing to accidents
Though this article and the site at large are all about car accidents, car insurance, and personal injury, lots of you guys have been asking me about the general human factors contributing to accidents.
For your information only, 5 most accidents people get involved in are:
- Car accidents
- Trips/ falls and slip accidents.
- Burns – chemicals, fire, etc.
- Sports-related injuries
- Clinical negligences
- Work-related accidents and others.
Common Human factors contributing to accidents are as follows:
- Negligence. Failure to observe and adhere to basic safety rules could result in an accident.
- Failure to control your anger or temper.
- Making hasty decisions. Always think twice before you act!
- Distractions. For instance answering phone calls behind wheels, bad news, family troubles, etc.
- Inadequate instructions for non-experienced workers
- Curiosity. You want to try out new things.
- Overconfidence. For instance, senior drivers take things for granted and end up causing car accidents.
Is it worth getting an attorney for a car accident?
In my previous articles, I already told you that the goal of any insurance company is to make money. They will sweat-talk you into buying their insurance coverage policies only to make you cry during claim settlement.
All claim adjusters are trained on how best to cheat the clients and will offer you the lowest possible settlement offer. If you do not have an attorney, there are damages you may not know how to negotiate for. For instance, you may be entitled to car damages, pain, and suffering, medical bills, disability damages, etc. Also, your settlement offer depends on the severity of the accident.
The formula used to calculate your settlement is as follows:
Your settlement = general damages x weight of the accident + lost wages.
Using such a formula to compute a fair settlement you are entitled to can be hard and does not come naturally to so many people. Data has shown that clients who hire attorneys to negotiate on their behalf usually get a 3 or 4X higher settlement compared to those who choose to try things on their own.
An insurance company, once they see you have no attorney will offer you a quick settlement in an attempt to cheat you. You remember I already told you how stupid it is to accept the first settlement from your claims adjuster. This settlement offer is highly likely to be less than half or more less than what you deserve.
You should remember that more than 90% of car accident claims are settled out of court, and more than 60% of cases that go to trial are won by the plaintiff. The at-fault insurance company has the highest risk of losing car accident cases, and therefore going to trial is their last wish.
When to Hire a Lawyer After a Car Accident?
You can negotiate a fair settlement on your own without the help of an attorney. Many of us have tried to do so and came out of the process fairly happy. Not all insurance companies are so bad!
In the event, the insurance company stone-walls you, one of the options is to seek a lawyer’s guidance or representation. You should consider hiring an experienced car accident attorney if:
- You sustained injuries and you are currently concentrating on recovery. You may not successfully file a claim when you are still down hospitalized.
- You should also consider seeking help from an attorney if you think the insurance company is offering you damages that won’t cover all your losses. Many people do not know what they are entitled to and so end up getting cheated.
- Some of us do not know how best to prove the other driver’s fault for the accident. You have to prove how the other driver’s breach of any duty lead to the accident in which you incurred losses. This is only well done by any experienced personal injury lawyer.
I strongly advise you to seek the services of a personal injury lawyer even if you do not intend to file a lawsuit. Most personal injury attorneys charge no fees unless they win you a settlement. If you are not sure what to do, call any lawyer that offers free consultation services – many actually do.
Car accident attorney free consultation
Most car accident and personal injuries attorneys work on contingency fee-based plans and a large number of them offer free consultation services. A personal injury attorney charges no upfront fees but will only get a portion of your settlement which is usually between 30-40%.
It is advisable to ask your attorney about payment terms and also make sure you understand attorney fees and costs because these 2 are different. Attorney fees are an amount of money your lawyer charges for his/her time, while costs are expenditures incurred throughout your case. For instance, costs could include filing costs, research costs, stationary, transport bills, etc. Some lawyers may want you to pay for those costs upfront or periodically as costs rise.
Defense car accident attorney
Lawyers differ depending on their areas of expertise and the roles they play during lawsuits. Types of lawyers or attorneys include:
- Family lawyers
- Tax lawyers
- Persona injury attorneys
- Business lawyers
- Environmental lawyers and many others.
If you had an accident in which you are not at fault and decided to hire a lawyer to help you get a fair settlement, that attorney is referred to as a plaintiff attorney or a personal injury attorney.
On the other hand, should the at-fault driver decides to hire an attorney to represent him during negotiations or in the trial, the attorney is called a defense lawyer.
So in simple terms, a Defense car accident attorney is the one hired to represent the at-fault party in a car accident suit while a plaintiff attorney (personal injury lawyer) usually represents the claimant ( not-at-fault party)
In summary, the statement, “speeding is not a factor contributing to motor vehicle accidents” is not true because we saw speeding is the second most cause of car accidents on the roads. Lawyers, for instance, Auto accident attorney dynomoon usually help you get a fairly high settlement you deserved if someone else’s negligence caused an accident in which you suffered damages.
