How are speed and serious injuries related in car accidents?

On Behalf of | May 30, 2022 | Personal Injury |

Most people do not think twice before exceeding the speed limit, but in an accident, this decision may become important, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety explains high speed crashes result in the most significant injuries and increase the chances for fatalities.

In fact, speed is a common factor in all accidents. Studies have shown that increasing speed limits on roadways can even lead to more crashes.

General data

In general, data supports not exceeding a posted speed limit if you wish to avoid an accident. Where speeds are lower, any crash that does occur is likely to be less severe. Higher speeds naturally lead to more devastation in a collision.

The relation between speed and injury

There are a few reasons why speeding increases the chances of catastrophic injuries in a motor vehicle accident situation. The basic laws of physics are at play. The increased force that results from speed leads to a stronger impact. In addition, speeding creates a dangerous situation because it takes much longer to stop and reduces the reaction times a driver has. Speeding also makes it harder to maneuver a vehicle and stir out of the path of danger.

Another issue that comes with speed is vehicles do not have designs meant to handle the impact caused by increased speeds. Safety systems may not offer much protection in these scenarios, which also leads to more severe injuries.

As speed increases, so do the chances of a more severe injury. Anyone recreating an accident will always try to figure out the speed at which the vehicles were traveling because it is such an important factor in a crash.