Nearly One Third of West Virginia Traffic Deaths Caused By Speeding
There are laws against driving above the posted speed limit, and for good reason. Speeding is an aggressive and dangerous driving behavior that increases the risk of car accidents. It’s the cause of crashes in Weirton and throughout the state every year. And new research has confirmed that almost one-third of those crashes result in fatal injuries.
ValuePenguin examined accidents involving speeding in every state from 2010 to 2019, using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reports System (FARS). In West Virginia, they found that speeding was a factor in 32% of fatal crashes during that time period.
Speeding puts others at risk
The National Safety Council notes several reasons why speeding is dangerous. Speeding reduces the amount of time that drivers have to react to changing situations on the road. It increases the distance required to bring a vehicle to a complete stop. It also reduces the ability of road safety structures such as guardrails and median dividers to protect drivers and passengers in a crash.
But despite laws against speeding and the knowledge that it can be dangerous, many drivers still go too fast. There are lots of excuses. Drivers say they’re late for work or an appointment. They feel that it is safe to go faster than the posted speed limit, or point out that everybody else is also driving fast.
The problem is that when there is an accident, it can leave people with very serious injuries that are sometimes fatal. In West Virginia during the time period examined, there were 109.2 deaths for every 100 fatal crashes.
People who lost a loved one in a speeding-related crash are left trying to process their sudden loss. There is also a financial impact. They may be expected to pay a loved one’s final medical bills or funeral expenses. If a loved one was a provider, the family suffers a loss of income and wonder how they will get by.
Legal representation makes a difference
Family members deserve financial compensation if the crash was caused by a speeding driver. But the process of recovering compensation can be complicated. Negligent drivers may deny they were speeding and refuse to accept responsibility.
Insurance companies are supposed to help but they are always concerned about the bottom line. That means they will try to keep payments down so they can keep profits up. There are different tactics they use to try to minimize compensation.
One tactic is to argue that a loved one’s actions contributed to the accident. Another common tactic is to pressure people into accepting a settlement offer that falls far short of covering the losses they suffered.
That’s why it’s important to have an experienced car accident attorney on your side. Recht Law Offices has been helping clients stand up to insurance companies since 1952. We know the law. We know the tactics they use. We also know how to build strong cases that get the results our clients deserve.
Learn more about how we can help. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.