The Hazards of Speeding

Many drivers have a tendency to exceed the posted speed limit when they are driving. This may be intentional in an effort to avoid being late for something important or it may be unintentional. When speeding is unintentional, it may be because the car is quiet or smooth enough that the driver doesn’t realize how fast he or she is actually moving. Either way, there are a number of hazards that exist with speeding.

The first hazard has to do with a person’s ability to stop the car. Many talk about decreased reaction time when driving faster and this isn’t necessarily true. A person is going to react, in most cases, with the same speed if he or she is going 50 miles an hour or 100 miles an hour. The difference is the distance travelled between noting the hazard and applying the brakes.

Math, Physics, and Your Safety

At 100 miles per hour a car travels a much greater distance than it does at 50 miles per hour. Because the car has travelled more distance between seeing the problem and applying the brakes, there is then less road available to stop the vehicle before it collides with something on the road. Regardless of how great a person’s brakes are, physics will win and dictate that a certain amount of space is needed to bring a vehicle travelling at X speed and weighing Y to a full stop.

If the car does not manage to stop, damages and injuries are much greater in vehicles travelling at high speeds than for cars travelling at slower speeds. This is not just a function of speeding but of driving in general. A car travelling at the speed limit of 65 miles per hour is going to be more damaged if it is in an accident than a car that is travelling at a speed of 30 miles per hour.

Contact a Milwaukee Car Accident Lawyer

If you have been injured by a driver’s negligent driving habits, contact the Milwaukee car accident lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier at 1-800-242-2874.