Are you amongst the 89% of Americans who admit to driving above the posted speed limit? It seems that no matter where we are, pressure from life’s hectic pace or a tempting open road leads almost everyone to break the speed limit.
if you have a habitual speeding problem or drive far faster than the legal limit, you may want to think twice. Learning a little about how others have suffered because of driving too fast can help you to learn to slow down.
If you would like to learn about some common traffic violation statistics, why not read our in-depth article below.
1. Seatbelts Save Speeding Driver’s Lives
Many people go their whole lives without using the full potential of a seatbelt. Is this a good reason to forgo your seatbelt? Not at all. Seatbelts do save lives.
However, young people, in particular, need regular reminders. In recent years only 46% of speeding drivers under 21 involved in fatal accidents were wearing a belt. As a result, they or someone in their car or another car involved in the accident lost their lives.
2. Speeding Tickets
Did you know that approximately 41 million speeding tickets are dished out every year in the USA? That equates to one in every 6 Americans getting caught for speeding every day. Think about that the next time someone tells you that you will “never get caught”. Statistically, it is only a matter of time.
You will then not only have to go through the process and pay a monetary fine. All of this takes your valuable time. Did you know that it was possible to possible to remove a ticket from your record? With a good attitude and knowledge of the legal system in your state, you can regain your good reputation.
3. Speeding Kills
In the year 2017, 37,133 people, many of whom were not behind the wheel, lost their lives in car accidents. 26% of those crashes involved a speeding driver.
17% of the drivers involved were speeding themselves at the time of the accident. Speeding does increase your chances of having an accident. Better to save your speed for a track day rather than your local highway.
4. Paying the Budget of your Local Town
Robeline is a village west of Natchitoches that is just one square mile in area. However, that one square kilometer covers Louisiana Highway 6. Because of this it racks up significant earnings from fines.
In fact, recent years experts tell us that it has earned as much as 84% of its total budget from road violations alone. Yes, towns and villages across the country are waiting for speeding drivers. It supports its budget nicely. If you want to avoid involuntarily donating your wage packet to the local authority, think twice before speeding.
5. Higher Insurance Premiums
Driving faster than the speed limit. Using your cell phone whilst driving. These small acts may seem to save you a few seconds or cents in the short term. Yet you will pay a much higher premium in the long term.
You’ll definitely face a hefty fine. But, you could also suffer a hike in your next insurance premium, often as much as $290 per year. While it is possible to remove points from licenses, avoid it in the first place by driving sensibly.
6. Age Matters
They say that younger people are victimized by the system by being forced to pay higher premiums. Yet the statistics back up the claims that they are more likely to have an accident.
31% of men who were speeding when they had an accident were between 15-20 years of age. Getting your license is a rite of passage event. However, educating our young ones regarding the need to drive carefully is also important.
7. Don’t Ignore Your Ticket
Trust us, it doesn’t end well if you ignore your speeding ticket. Consider the case of a woman who was given a ticket. She had just started a new job and couldn’t pay it immediately. So she ignored it.
Later she was caught and given a $200 fine. Which she didn’t pay. After continuing to drive with her now suspended driving, she received 2 more tickets. One small error had led to more and eventually she was given a huge $13,000 in just four years.
The lesson? Pay your debts as quickly as possible. This woman was heavily penalized because of her lax attitude. Respecting and knowing how to act with police can save you time and money. A lot of money.
8. You Could Get Jail Time
In some states simply driving too fast is enough to earn you jail time. For example, if you do 90 miles per hour in a 55 zone in Virginia, you could end up with a few days in jail to think about your actions. Other states are even tougher.
Avoid Traffic Violation Fines and Much More
Living and driving on broad smooth Louisianna roads should be a pleasurable experience. However, when you receive a speeding ticket for a traffic violation, that can all change. You then feel that there is a speeding checkpoint behind every corner. Avoid this by learning controlled driving habits.
If you have been ticketed, and you feel that you have a case, you can defend yourself legally. If you’re looking for the best way to defend yourself after receiving a ticket, we are here to help. We leverage our experience in the legal world and as drivers to help you protect yourself. Why not follow our blog to see how we can help you today.
