It’s no surprise that with a decrease in traffic on the road, there are drivers that see this as an opportunity to drive faster. But what is surprising is the rate of speed these cars are going and the amount of speed-related deaths that are occurring on the road. Although on an 80-day comparative period, from this year and the last, the amount of reported crashes had fallen 40.4 percent, there was only a 11.3 percent decrease in fatal crashes.
Authorities that have examined the 115 fatal crashes from March 12 through May 31 concluded there was a 13 percent increase in accidents related to speed. CEO of the National Safety Council Lorraine Martin said, “Even without traffic, our roads were no safer,” and this could not be more true. Drivers are disregarding posted speed limits and are exceeding the limits by a shocking number.
In tickets issued from the three largest agencies in Texas (HPD, HCSO and Texas DPS), there was a decrease of more than 50 percent from February to April. The only increase, however, was the speed the drivers were going when caught. With a relatively high percentage of speeds being more than 50 mph over the limit, drivers need to be more courteous and cautious on the road now more than ever.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-231-9360 or toll-free at 713-222-7211.