Fatal car accidents in Nebraska are often caused by drivers who are traveling at unsafe speeds. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that speeding contributed to 30 percent of the fatal car accidents that took place across the country in 2012. During that same year, 10,219 people were killed in car accidents that involved a driver who was speeding, an increase of 2 percent from the previous year.
A report published by the NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis demonstrated how younger drivers are more likely to be speeding before causing a fatal accident. Young male drivers between the ages of 15 and 24 were the most likely to be speeding before a fatal accident. The statistics showed that as both male and female drivers’ ages increase, the relative proportion of fatal speeding accidents decreases.
Another factor that contributes to fatal speeding accidents is a driver’s level of intoxication. More than 40 percent of speeding drivers who were involved in a fatal accident in 2012 had blood-alcohol concentrations that were at or over the legal limit of .08 percent. Half of the speeding drivers between the ages of 21 and 24 who were involved in a fatal crash were legally intoxicated. The NHTSA says that fatal crashes caused by a driver who is both drunk and speeding are most likely to occur between midnight and 3 a.m.
In addition to the serious injuries that are incurred, speeding accidents can result in economic losses for the victims. A person who has been injured by a driver who caused an accident while speeding or otherwise negligent may wish to speak with an attorney about the procedure for pursuing compensation from the responsible party for the damages that have been incurred.
