Accidents Caused by Speeding in Jacksonville

Speeding in Jacksonville is a major cause of fatal accidents and injuries. As experienced personal injury lawyers, we often help people with very severe injuries caused by the powerful forces unleashed when vehicles collide at high rates of speed.

Speeding endangers everybody on the road from the pedestrian who has too little time to cross, to other drivers who may end up in a high-speed wreck, law enforcement officers and passengers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 9,557 people lost their lives on the roads of America in 2015 due to speeding. Excess speed is a factor in about 30 percent of all fatal accidents.

Our Jacksonville attorneys deal with the effects of the speeds some drivers reach on city roads and their disregard for other drivers and passengers.

The NHTSA points out drivers may speed even if they are traveling under the posted limit. When drivers travel too fast for road conditions such as at night, during bad weather and on roads under repair, they are endangering their lives and the lives of others.

NHTSA considers a crash to be speeding-related in a number of different scenarios, namely:

• A police officer reported racing took place;
• A driver was traveling too quickly for prevailing conditions; or
• The posted speed limit was exceeded by one of more drivers before the impact.

Speeding is defined as aggressive driving behavior. Many road rage accidents involve excessive speed. Some of the factors behind it are:

TRAFFIC CONGESTION

Gridlock is a major cause of aggressive driving including speeding. Long delays can cause drivers to lose their tempters. Although it’s difficult to beat stop and go traffic, angry drivers may respond by resorting to aggressive behaviors like frequently switching lanes, driving too fast for conditions and tailgating.

RUNNING LATE

Jacksonville experiences serious congestion during the morning and evening commutes. Some people drive aggressively because they are running late for work or school and panic. Drivers should give themselves plenty of time to get to their destinations and not seek to make up time. It’s better to be late for a meeting than to kill or maim someone on the highway.

FAILURE TO ADAPT TO CONDITIONS

Speeding often occurs when drivers fail to slow down in extreme conditions. Ice and fog are unusual for Florida. Drivers who are unfamiliar with these conditions and drive at their normal speed pose a danger. Afternoon downpours are common in Florida and yet some drivers still fail to moderate their speed even when visibility decreases.

COMPETITIVENESS

Younger drivers are more likely to get involved in racing each other. Drivers who race may not always know each other. If one driver speeds past another at a light or passes on the right, the other may seek to race. These can be very dangerous high-speed scenarios that leave victims in their wake.

POLICE CHASES

Police chases typically involved high speeds and pose a serious danger to the drivers involved and bystanders. In 2015, USA Today reported over 5,000 bystanders and passengers lost their lives in police car chases since 1979. Tens of thousands of people were injured as officers repeatedly pursued drivers at high speeds and in dangerous conditions. Often the drivers committed minor infractions.

In October 2017, an officer with Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was injured during a high speed chase. She spotted a car that was stolen out of St. Johns County and reported as a carjacking. The officers attempted to stop the vehicle at the intersection of MLK Parkway and Fairfax. The pursuit continued past Phoenix Avenue. The officer swerved to miss a pedestrian’s vehicle and crashed into a barrier.

At a high speed, injuries from a car, truck or motorcycle crash are often more severe. Impact injuries can also occur inside the vehicle when items or passengers that are not secure hit occupants of the vehicle. Injuries are often exacerbated if drivers or passengers are not wearing seat belts and are ejected.

Common injuries in car accidents include:

• Spinal injuries and herniated discs;
• Whiplash;
• Head and brain injuries;
• Leg fractures;
• Injuries to the feet and hands;
• Rotator cuff injuries;
• Arm injuries;
• Pelvic injuries;
• Abdominal injuries.

At The Lawrence Law Group, we assist truck accident victims across Nassau, Flagler, Duval, Clay, Putnam, St. Johns, Baker, Brevard, Union, Columbia, Suwannee, Hamilton, Volusia, Jefferson, and Alachua Counties. Contact us online or call (904) 632-0077 to set up a free appointment to talk about options after an accident involving excess speed.