Why You Should Avoid Speeding
One of the tenets of road safety is following speed limits, which is why drivers need to avoid speeding. However, a lot of drivers fail to adhere to this specific rule. This makes them and the people around them (ie: pedestrians, motorcycle drivers, bicyclists, etc.) susceptible to various catastrophic injuries like traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.
Worse, maybe even wrongful deaths. Drivers need to be aware that they are sharing the road with others. How they act and drive could stand in the way of people making it home to their loved ones.
For whatever reason, there are drivers out on the road who think that their decision to drive above the speed limit is justified considering their circumstances. What could possibly be more important than clocking in to work in time? Or being present for your child’s first soccer game?
But on the grand scale of things, nothing is worth risking your life as well as the lives of others. By the end of this blog, we hope that we are able to shed a light on the dangers of speeding and its many consequences. In this blog, we will also discuss what compels people to drive recklessly and give out tips on how to combat people’s tendency to speed.
How To Avoid Speeding
Overtime, as driving becomes a much more intuitive task, we end up developing bad driving habits. Complacency starts to set in, and before you know it, you start speeding on a regular basis.
Usually, it will take a car accident to reset people back to driving cautiously. But then eventually the cycle just repeats.
It shouldn’t take a tragedy on the road to persuade us to follow the speed limits. Disrupt those bad driving habits now by doing the following:
A. Planning ahead: Aptly planning your trip is one way you can do to fight your tendency to speed. People speed because they want to get to their destinations as quickly as they can. Accounting for traffic, distance, time, and any hurdles you may face on the road are helpful in trying to avoid driving past the speed limits.
B. Being a defensive driver: Another way you can avoid speeding is by making sure you are using defensive driving techniques. Instilling these on the road will prevent you from speeding as it goes against everything you are actively practicing. It may seem silly, but even the mere thought of being a defensive driver alone can help you in terms of regulating your driving speed.
C. Regulating your emotions: You can avoid speeding by regulating your emotions. Driving is stressful and anxiety-inducing, specifically because you may be dealing with people who only think about themselves on the road.
This could lead you to drive angrily and cloud your judgments, potentially causing an accident. Manage your stress by learning proper breathing techniques or listening to calming music.
The Dangers of Speeding and Its Legal Repercussions
Statistics on Speeding
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Security Council provide damning statistics on the dangers of speeding. They found that in 2021, speeding was one of the main factors that accounted for 29% of all traffic fatalities, killing approximately 33 people per day.
As traffic conditions continue to worsen and with fatalities increasing, it’s possible that this upward trend is going to continue, especially as incidents of reckless driving have reportedly made the turn for the worse since the 2020-2021 lockdown.
Not enough reform and initiatives have been set in place to really combat the growing problem of this kind of reckless driving. Regardless, those who are caught speeding still have to endure real legal and financial consequences.
Legal consequences and penalties for speeding
If caught speeding, you will most likely be fined a varying amount depending on multiple factors. However, if this causes a wrongful death or life-altering injury, this will be considered a felony offense in California. Likewise, the consequences vary depending on multiple factors but they’re mostly on the more serious range.
For mild cases, if a driver’s speeding caused only minor injuries, it could possibly be considered a misdemeanor. Drivers convicted of this may face 30 days upwards a year in county jail and sizable court fees ranging $220 and $1000.
Why do drivers drive above the speed limit?
People feel compelled to speed for a number of reasons.
In the constant hustle and bustle of urban areas, people often feel it’s necessary to drive above the speed limits if they need to meet deadlines and fulfill job expectations.
A lot of people think that their rural counterparts hardly run into this issue. But contrary to popular belief, the countryside has an environment that is actually quite conducive to speeding as well as it offers reckless drivers more than enough space to speed.
Wherever you are, and whatever reason you may have, there is no valid excuse for speeding, especially when it puts the lives of so many people —and livestock — at risk.
These factors also tie into people’s reason for speeding:
1. Rushing: People in the city are prone to rushing through traffic, eager to get to their destinations as soon as they can. But there is no use, especially if the traffic is bumper to bumper. This would just lead you to tailgate and possibly hit the car in front of you.
Don’t rush through traffic. Simply ride the waves of the traffic and accept that arriving at your destination may take longer than anticipated.
2. Lack of awareness about road conditions: If you cruise through the road unaware, you may not anticipate the hurdles that may come your way. In addition, speed limits often vary from place to place. Before you drive, always check your weather app to see how to go about driving through certain areas and watch out for any traffic signs along the way.
3. Lack of emotional regulation: Your environment has a big impact on your emotions. When you’re driving, you see several places and run into different people. This could lead you to feel extreme highs and lows, affecting your decision-making skills. This could possibly get you involved in an accident.
Call Omega Law Group
No matter how hard you try regulating your driving speed, other drivers out there may not feel compelled to be safe on the road. If you or a loved one is affected by a driver driving recklessly, you need to call Omega Law Group. Equipped with an award-winning legal team, you will have the best chances of obtaining the justice and compensation you deserve.
Our award-winning attorneys at Omega Law Group have made headlines in the Los Angeles Business Journal, and have been featured in other prestigious publications like the Los Angeles Times. They have been recognized by industry-vetted organizations for the work that they do in the industry.
Their client-first philosophy has enabled them to obtain millions of dollars in compensation on behalf of their clients, and it is no wonder that their approval ratings on Yelp and Google are high. Schedule a free consultation now with one of our elite personal injury attorneys.