In the state of Florida, drivers are expected to follow the posted speed limit. Drivers are also expected to travel at a speed which is safe for current conditions. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles explains that traveling above posted limits or going too fast for conditions can result in a moving violation and points on a driver’s license.
Speeding also substantially increases the risk of auto accidents and can make collisions more severe when accidents occur.
A driver who is speeding has more momentum and a longer stopping distance, and therefore has less time to react to avoid a collision. A speeding driver is also at increased risk of losing control of a vehicle, especially when traveling around a curve. Speeding drivers are more likely to be involved in rollover accidents and single-vehicle accidents, as well as multi-car collisions.
When a driver strikes another motorist or pedestrian, the speed at which the driver was traveling affects the force of the impact. High speed collisions are substantially more likely to be deadly. The AAA Foundation indicates that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 16 MPH has a 10 percent chance of severe injury while a pedestrian struck by a car traveling 58 MPH has a 90 percent chance of severe injury.
A driver who is speeding and who causes a collision can be held accountable for losses that victims suffer due to the accident. When making an auto accident claim under Florida law, victims generally must prove the driver who they are seeking damages from was negligent or unreasonably careless compared with how an average normal motorist would behave. However, if an accident occurred due to a speeding driver, the violation of speed limit laws creates the presumption the speeder was negligent and is thus liable for losses.
A Florida auto accident lawyer can provide assistance to victims of speeding accidents in pursuing a case for compensation against those drivers who caused crashes to occur.