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Speeding in the spotlight this summer

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is sponsoring Operation Safe Driver Week in mid-July. While law enforcement will be looking out for a variety of unsafe behaviors, it will be putting the most emphasis on drivers who speed. This is because speeding accounted for 26% of traffic fatalities in 2017 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . Furthermore, speeding was a factor in 94% of crashes in 2015.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, speeding was the most common factor in accidents involving commercial and passenger vehicles. Drivers who are caught driving too fast for road conditions may receive citations. While no one likes to receive a citation, doing so has been proven to be an effective deterrent. A 2014 study cited by the CSVA found that increasing citations by 1% resulted in a .28 percent decrease in accidents.

During the 2018 Operation Safe Driver Week event, 16,909 drivers of passenger vehicles were cited for speeding. This was in addition to the 1,609 commercial drivers who were also cited for speeding. In addition to speeding, officers will be looking for signs of drunk or distracted driving, which may also put themselves and others in danger. They may also be on the lookout for aggressive drivers or those who fail to obey traffic control signs.

Those who are hurt in accidents caused by speeding may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses or other damages. Compensation may be available in a settlement or through a jury award. This is because drivers who are going too fast for road conditions may be considered negligent in doing so. Victims might want to meet with an attorney to learn about their options.