For a lot of motorists, speeding seems like one of the least offensive traffic violations. A common attitude of drivers is: “driving ten or fifteen mph over the speed limit doesn’t make you a criminal.” While this is generally true in the sense that most instances of speeding are considered infractions, speeding is a serious matter because of its dangers, three of which are discussed below:

Speed Reduces Your Control Over Your Car

The ability to steer and brake on the road is impossible without traction. If you’ve ever driven on a road slippery with ice or snow, then you will have appreciated the importance of traction. While dry pavement isn’t exactly slippery, its traction with your tire has a limit. The reason you can’t stop on a dime at 65 mph is that there isn’t enough traction for this to happen. Trying to do so will only lock your wheels and cause skidding.

The same is true with turning. You can’t make a sharp turn at 65 mph for the same reason without skidding along the pavement. Therefore, driving faster than the speed limit means you don’t have sufficient control over your car for the road that you’re on.

Speed Reduces Your Ability to React in Time

The faster you drive, the greater the distance you travel per second. If it takes you 2 seconds to notice a road hazard and then hit the brakes, you will have traveled 190 feet at 65 mph. That’s farther than half the length of a football field. Of course, taking evasive action will use up even more distance.

Speed Increases the Lethality of an Accident

The destructive energy unleashed in a car crash increases with the square of your speed. Doubling your speed quadruples the destructive consequences of an accident. Speed endangers everyone on the road besides the speeder. A 10 mph difference between 30 and 40 mph is the difference between a pedestrian that survives getting hit by a car and one that doesn’t.

If a motorist’s excessive speed injured you in an accident, you have a right to fair compensation for the damages and the injuries that you have suffered. Contact us today for a free consultation.