The Governors Highway Safety Association has reported on the lack of progress in efforts to reduce speeding-related crashes. New York residents should know that speeding is to blame for nearly one-third of all motor vehicle-related fatalities with many of these being pedestrians and bicyclists. Speeding increases the chances of an accident as well as the severity of one, while decreasing speed even a little bit does the opposite.
The GHSA’s report is entitled “Speeding Away from Zero: Rethinking a Forgotten Traffic Safety Challenge,” and it focuses on ways to create a more safety-minded culture among drivers, many of whom are convinced that speeding is acceptable. The GHSA stresses the need for better education and stricter enforcement of speeding laws.
For its own part, the GHSA plans to develop a speed reduction program. An April 2019 forum, convened in partnership with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, will bring together a wide range of stakeholders for this purpose. The program could be implemented through the GHSA’s State Highway Safety Offices.
Speed reduction through the alteration of speed limits has had positive effects in urban areas like New York City and Boston. However, more speeding deaths occur in rural areas, notes the GHSA. The principles of Vision Zero, a project aiming to reduce traffic deaths to zero, should, therefore, be expanded to cover these regions.
Wherever they occur, though, car accidents can leave victims with serious injuries that sometimes require long-term medical treatment. Victims may not be able to work and might even be left with a diminished capacity to earn a living. If they were not to blame for the crash, they might consider seeking damages with the other driver’s insurance company. A lawyer’s case evaluation might help. If the grounds are good, the lawyer may proceed to build the case up and negotiate for a settlement.