In 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board released a report stating that the rise in traffic deaths is due not to distractions or new technology but to speeding. By analyzing crash data from 2005 to 2014, the NTSB found that speeding caused approximately 31 percent of all traffic fatalities in that period. Drivers in Minnesota will want to know about how the NTSB proposes to address the increase.
The first move that the agency recommends is to create more severe punishments for speeding so that they’re equal to those of DUI. Speeding and DUI have many similarities, with the latter contributing to 112,948 deaths in the 10-year period mentioned above. Yet there is no social stigma attached to the former, nor are there any campaigns to try and dissuade people from speeding.
The NTSB also recommends more widespread use of enforcement tools like speeding cameras, which are currently banned in many states. In addition, a change in nationwide speed limits may be in order. This is because many speed limits are based on the 85th percentile rule, which encompasses those speeds that 85 percent of cars tend to go. The rule is outdated and doesn’t equate the speed with the lowest crash involvement rate.
Still, these measures cannot entirely prevent drivers from being reckless and speeding. When speeding leads to a car accident, occupants of other vehicles often sustain catastrophic injuries that require lengthy hospitalization and follow-up medical care and treatment. They might find that having the assistance of an attorney is advisable when seeking appropriate compensation for these expenses as well as other losses that have been sustained.