There may be a variety of scenarios in which drivers feel there is little harm in making up lost time by driving a few miles per hour over the posted speed limit. However, this might not always be a sound decision, and sometimes, speeding could do little to help you reach destinations any faster.
In some cases, the decision to speed could even lead to further delays in your schedule. Being involved in a traffic stop may be just one example of such a scenario, but this isn’t the only concern. Speeding can also increase your risk of being involved in a collision, and crashes involving such behavior can have disastrous results.
The hazards involved
Speed-related crashes on California roads can be major incidents that could leave those involved with severe or permanent injuries. Some of the ways speeding can affect your driving capabilities might include:
- Lower response times: The presence of speeding inherently affects your ability to respond to situations that arise. Anything that reduces driver response times can be exceedingly dangerous.
- Reduced awareness: Awareness is also a vital aspect of safe driving, and drivers who speed may also struggle to maintain constant awareness of their surroundings and to track nearby objects.
- Vehicle maneuverability: It can also be significantly more difficult to maneuver a vehicle at higher speeds. Drivers who engage in such behavior may be at higher risk of losing control and veering off course.
- Braking distances: Speed also increases vehicle braking and stopping distances. Drivers who fail to allow adequate space and time to adapt to changes in traffic could create a hazardous situation in the process.
Another daunting aspect of speeding could pertain to the fact that the presence of such negligence also increases the force involved with the impact of a collision.
Speed-related car accidents
Collisions involving speeding drivers can carry cataclysmic results, and even if you choose to avoid engaging in such behavior, what if others around you fail to do the same? Should you cross paths with a speeding driver, there might be little to nothing you can do to react in time to avoid an ensuing collision. The fallout of this incident could leave you with serious or life-altering injuries and questions about the best course of action to take to pursue the restitution you deserve.