If you or someone you love recently sustained serious injuries in a car accident caused by an aggressive driver who was speeding, you may not be alone. According to a recent report in CBS News, although the stay-at-home orders issued in Florida and across the country have resulted in less traffic on local roads and highways, some drivers are taking those empty streets as an opportunity to violate traffic laws. Indeed, in some parts of the country, law enforcement officials have clocked drivers at speeds in excess of 120 and 130 miles per hour. Depending upon the specific location where the speeding violation occurred, those speeds may be double or more the lawful speed limit.
In Florida, the standard speed limit is 55 miles per hour, with speed limits of 70 miles per hour on certain interstate highways. Residential areas, of course, have significantly lower speed limits. When another driver’s decision to travel at excessive speeds results in a debilitating accident, it is important to hold that party accountable. We want to say more about the dangers of speeding during the COVID-19 emergency, and to provide you with additional information about filing a speeding lawsuit against the at-fault driver.
Drivers Are Speeding More Often During the Pandemic ShutdownsÂ
Most Americans are abiding by the stay-at-home orders that are designed to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus, according to the CBS News report. Yet some Americans are violating traffic laws by speeding in great excess on roads and highways that are normally quite busy. As the report explains, some states have seen increases in average speed by about 30 percent, and speed cameras have clocked drivers approaching speeds of 130 miles per hour. Some motorists are even bragging about speeding on social media and other internet outlets, such as YouTube. One law enforcement official reported that he caught a driver traveling at speeds of over 150 miles per hour—more than double the maximum speed limit of any highway in the United States.
When drivers speed and are involved in crashes, motorists and vehicle occupants can suffer more serious injuries than they would have if the cars had been traveling at lower speeds. Further, those collisions might have been avoided altogether if one or more of the drivers had not been speeding. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding killed nearly 9,400 people in the U.S. in 2018, and it injured thousands more. The highest rate of speeding tends to occur in male drivers between the ages of 15-20, who are involved in more than 30 percent of all fatal traffic collisions.
Filing a Car Accident LawsuitÂ
While Florida is a no-fault state for auto insurance purposes, if you suffer serious injuries in a crash, you can be eligible to file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. One of the experienced car accident attorneys at our firm can discuss the process for filing an auto accident lawsuit with you.
Contact a West Palm Beach Car Accident LawyerÂ
Were you injured in a crash caused by an aggressive driver? You may be able to seek financial compensation for your losses, and a West Palm Beach auto accident lawyer can help. Contact Lesser Lesser Landy & Smith PLLC to learn more about the services we provide to injured plaintiffs in Florida.
Resources:
cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-us-lockdowns-drivers-speeding/
nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding
