Speeding is the Top Cause of Alabama Accidents

Apr 3, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

On March 25, 2013, the News Courier reported speeding is the number one factor in traffic crashes in the state of Alabama.

The News Courier also explained that high traffic volumes played a role in causing crashes. But when speed and traffic congestion combine, the results can be disastrous. 

Our Birmingham accident attorneys urge every driver to respect the risks associated with speeding. Hopefully, when drivers are reminded of the serious likelihood of a car wreck caused by speeding, it will encourage more drivers to slow down to stay safe and ultimately reduce the chances of hurting themselves and others in a speeding-related traffic collision.

Speeding is a Top Accident Cause
According to the News Courier:

• There were 590 fatalities due to auto accidents in Jefferson and Shelby counties between 2/car-accidents/alabama-traffic-accidents-likely-to-increase-with-economic-recovery/ and 2011, with more crashes occurring in the later years than in the earlier years.
• There were 12 crashes and 13 deaths on Interstate 20/59 at Arkadelphia Road. This is a high traffic area with as many as 141,000 vehicles traveling along I-20/59 each day and as many as 40,000 vehicles driving on Arkadelphia Road.
• There were seven crashes and 10 deaths at the interchange of Interstates 65 and 459. Over 100,000 vehicles travel along these areas every single day.
• There were seven crashes and seven deaths on Interstate 20/59 in the area between Roebark Parkway and First Avenue North. Near Roebuck Parkway, around 55,000 vehicles visit per day, while the number of vehicles near to First Avenue is closer to 70,000 a day.
• US 78; Interstate 65-Interstate 20/59; and Interstate 20/59 at Tallapoosa Street were also areas where there were a high number of accidents and a high number of fatalities.

These areas are described as places where there is a higher incidence of traffic accidents that cause death. In many of these areas, speeding is especially dangerous because of the high concentration of cars.

Unfortunately, the data on fatalities is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of evaluating the dangers of speeding accidents in these and other high-traffic areas. There were also many non-fatal crashes that caused injury at these locations.

In many of these collisions, drivers were going faster than they should have been. According to an Alabama state trooper who spoke with the News Courier, speeding significantly increases the chances of a fatal accident In fact, for every 10 miles faster a car goes, the chances of a car accident fatality double. This means that a car going 70 miles per hour has a much greater chance of becoming involved in a fatal wreck than a car going 30 or 40 miles per hour- especially in the high traffic areas mentioned above and in other traffic-dense locations.

Speeding is so dangerous because a faster car has more momentum; it will take longer to stop and will collide with more force. When these cars, which are going too fast and cannot stop effectively, come into higher-traffic areas, the driver is much more likely to crash and to hurt himself and others. By driving the speed limit, on the other hand, drivers could be safer, accidents could be averted and lives could be saved.

We all have somewhere we need to go; give other drivers around you a break and do your part to arrive at your destination safely.

Additional Resources:

Safe Driving in 2013 Should Top List of Priorities for Alabama Motorists, Alabama Injury Attorneys Blog, January 3, 2013.