Teenage drivers who speed cause tragedies on Pennsylvania highways

On Behalf of | Jan 28, 2021 | Personal Injury

As far as traffic hazards go, drunk driving and distracted driving tend to get most of the headlines these days. But speeding remains a danger in West Chester and across Pennsylvania.

Speeders who cause serious car accidents come in all ages. But teenage drivers are especially affected by deadly car wrecks in which speeding was the culprit. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 43 percent of traffic fatalities from 2015-19 involving speeding were teenage drivers or passengers.

More than a third of drivers involved were under 20

The group’s latest report indicates that over that five-year period, 34 percent of all speeding-related fatal car accidents involved a driver who was 16 to 19 years old. If you look at only male drivers, the percentage jumps to 36. The numbers are similar for drivers in their 20s, then go down for drivers over 30.

Speeding always increases the chances of a car accident. But younger drivers, who lack experience behind the wheel, may be especially vulnerable to losing control at high speeds.

Many fatal high-speed car accidents involve just one vehicle. The only person killed is the driver who caused the wreck. But other times, innocent people are killed. Victims can include passengers in the speeder’s vehicle, other drivers on the road, pedestrians and bicyclists. The faster a speeder is going, the less time they have to react to the world around them. All it can take is a red light or bend in the road to cause a tragedy.

In most cases, exceeding the speed limit is an example of negligent driving. When a speeder takes someone else’s life, the victim’s family may have a claim for wrongful death. A wrongful death claim can provide financial compensation for a grieving family loss of support, companionship and more. This cannot erase a family’s pain, but it can help ensure that it does not suffer financially because of a driver’s negligence.

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