If you had to guess, what would say is the leading cause of fatal car accidents?
Drunk or drugged drivers? Cases of road rage? Drivers texting or talking on a phone while in motion? While all of those are certainly problems, it turns out the single biggest cause of fatal accidents is a very ordinary “sin” that most drivers regularly commit: Speeding too fast down the road.
Using data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), researchers at ValuePenguin determined that speeding is the number one cause of fatal car accidents in 34 states and Washington D.C. It’s a major factor in vehicular deaths in the remaining states, as well.
Unlike the relatively modern problem of texting and driving, speeding has always been an issue. As far back as government agencies and insurance companies have been keeping records, speeding has been a major problem on our nation’s highways.
Here are some of the most startling facts that have been revealed:
- Where you live can increase the odds that you’ll be killed in a speed-related accident. For example, 40% of car accident deaths in Washington, D.C., were related to excessive speed Comparatively, only 6% of motor vehicle fatalities are due to speed in Florida and Mississippi.
- In 17 states, 20% or more of car accident fatalities were due to speeding.
- Nationally, 22% of auto accident fatalities are due to speeding.
How do residents of North Carolina fare? Not well. While not quite as bad as the national average, 19% of those killed in auto accidents in this state are the victims of excessive speed. That term can mean different things. It may mean simply going faster than the posted speed limit on a given road. It can also mean traveling too fast for the weather conditions or driving too fast through an unfamiliar area in the dark.
If your loved one suffered a serious injury or died due to another driver’s excessive speed, please find out more about your legal options.
