Alton Speeding Accident Lawyers
Skilled legal representation for victims of speeding crashes in Illinois
It’s a simple fact: speed kills. The faster any vehicle travels, even small compact cars, the more forceful an accident will be if the vehicle strikes another car, a pedestrian, a bicycle rider, or a roadside object. Drivers are required to know the speed limit of the roads they use. The speed limits are posted on roads throughout Alton and across Illinois. Speeding doesn’t just mean going faster than the speed limit. Drivers can speed if they drive too fast for weather conditions or traffic conditions.
There are many ways to show a driver was speeding. The car speedometer and radar are two common ways. The damage that a speeding car causes is another way. At Glisson Law, we hold drivers accountable when they drive too fast. We work with the police, our own investigators, and traffic reconstruction experts when necessary to show just how fast a driver was speeding when the driver struck your vehicle. We demand full compensation for your personal injury or the wrongful death of a loved one.
Why is speeding so dangerous?
The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA), found that 11,258 people died in 2020 due to speeding accidents. Twenty-nine percent of all fatal traffic accidents in 2020 were due to speeding. Speeding doesn’t just endanger the lives of the people in the speeding car. Speeding affects the drivers and passengers in nearby cars, trucks, motorcyclists, bicycle riders, and pedestrians.
The faster a driver goes, the less time he/she has to respond to emergencies. Just as troublesome is that the faster a driver goes, the less time another driver or any people have on the road have to get out of the way of the speeding driver.
Speeding includes exceeding the speed limit and racing. A driver may be speeding even if he/she is traveling below the speed limit if everyone around the driver is traveling even slower – due to traffic conditions, construction work, or if it’s raining, snowing, foggy, or very sunny.
How does speeding affect a driver’s control of their vehicle?
Speeding affects truck and motorcycle drivers as much or even more than drivers of passenger cars. Speeding trucks are more prone to rollovers and jackknife accidents than slower truck drivers. Motorcycle drivers who hit a pothole or a bump at high speeds are much more likely to fall off their motorcycle or strike another vehicle than slower drivers.
Speeding combined with alcohol or drug impairment is a very deadly combination.
Drivers who speed are more likely to get into an accident than other drivers for the following reasons:
- Drivers have less time to respond to emergencies
- The vehicle needs more time and distance to stop
- Speed lessens the ability of guardrails, median dividers, and other road safety structures to protect drivers and passengers in the event of a crash
- Speed reduces the ability of airbags and seatbelts to protect drivers and passengers
- Drivers who speed have less ability to drive safely through curves
- Drivers who speed have less ability to control their vehicles
A car traveling at 80 mph is going twice as fast as a car traveling at 40 mph. That doubling of the velocity of a car dramatically increases the impact of any collision. The difference between a crash at 40 mph compared to 80 mph can be the difference between life and death and between broken bones and a traumatic brain injury or paralysis.
Why do drivers speed?
There’s no excuse for speeding. Safety should be every driver’s number one priority. If you’re worried about getting to your destination 30 minutes late, then leave 30 minutes early.
Some of the reasons drivers in Illinois and Missouri speed include the following:
- Lateness. Some drivers don’t plan ahead. Even when they do, a last-minute phone call or task can delay a road trip. Traffic construction or an accident on the road can slow a driver down. The solution is not to try to make up the lost time by driving faster. The people or events the driver is going to see should understand that traffic emergencies or just life emergencies may slow you down.
- Traffic congestion. Sometimes, especially during rush hour, traffic can slow down a lot. Most drivers adjust by slowing down and even stopping. Some drivers see congestion as a chance to swerve in and out of lanes to always be going just a little bit faster.
- Distracted driving and drunk driving. Many drivers don’t even notice that they’re speeding. Intoxicated drivers can’t appreciate how fast they’re driving, Distracted drivers often press on the accelerator without even knowing how fast they’re going because they’re concentrating on their smartphone or sandwich.
Teenage drivers also tend to drive fast. Cars are a chance to be free from the walls of a home. Engines are not things that should be revved to see what a car can do. Some teens drive fast to impress their friends. Parents need to educate their teenage children about the dangers of driving too fast.
What types of speeding accidents are there?
Speeding causes many different types of accidents including:
- Rear-end collision accidents. Drivers who speed don’t have enough time to stop even if they slam on their brakes. Rear-end accidents can cause whiplash, soft tissue injuries, and broken bones.
- Head-on crashes. Drivers who are going too fast may swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting cars or road barriers. Drivers who speed tend to try to pass other vehicles on the left more often than they should. If there isn’t enough road or there are too many cars to pass, the speeding driver may crash into oncoming traffic. Many head-on crashes are fatal.
- Intersection accidents. Speeding drivers are likelier to try to run through a yellow light than slower drivers. They may even fail to see a red light or a stop sign because they’re going so fast. Intersection accidents can lead to broadside collisions with cars coming from different directions. Intersection accidents can kill pedestrians and bicycle riders who are using the crosswalk.
- Rollover accidents. Cars and trucks are more prone to rolling over if they speed too quickly through a curve.
- Construction site accidents. Speeding drivers often don’t see the detour or warning signs until it’s too late. The drivers may collide with other vehicles or tragically one of the construction workers.
Speeding is also a factor in truck jackknife accidents and many other types of accidents. The faster a driver is traveling, the less time the driver has to react to any emergencies.
Who is liable for a speeding accident?
Drivers who speed should be held liable for any injuries or deaths they cause. At Glisson Law, we file personal injury claims on behalf of survivors and wrongful death claims on behalf of families when a loved one dies due to a speeding accident.
It's not only the driver that may be liable. Additional defendants may include:
- An employer – such as a trucking company
- The owner of the vehicle – such as when a teenager drives his/her parents’ car
- Other drivers who may have contributed to the accident
- Other defendants depending on how the accident occurred
At Glisson Law, we work with investigators and the police to help show how fast a driver was traveling. We formally question all the witnesses. We may employ traffic reconstruction experts. Some of the signs of speeding may include skid marks, radar, and black boxes.
Do you have a speeding accident lawyer near me?
Glisson Law is located at 111 East Fourth Street, Suite 400, in Alton, IL. Our office is a short distance from City Hall. There is a lot of parking nearby. You can also get to our office by bus. If they are ill, we meet accident victims and families at their homes, healthcare facilities, and through phone and video conferences.
We work tenaciously to show the driver who struck you was speeding and was negligent in other ways such as driving too close to your car.
Contact our speeding accident lawyers today
Don’t delay. It’s critical that we review the accident site and the vehicles involved in any speeding accident as quickly as possible. There may be physical evidence we need to examine that indicates a driver was going too fast. The damage to the vehicles involved in the crash may indicate the driver who struck you was speeding. We demand compensation for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, loss of function, any property damage, scarring and disfigurement, and loss of consortium. To schedule a free initial consultation, call us or fill out our contact form. We proudly serve the people of Belleville, Edwardsville, St. Clair and Madison County, and all of Illinois and Missouri.