According to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), speeding is the cause of 33% of the state’s car crash fatalities. Additionally, excessive speeding is responsible for thousands of injuries every year. While those numbers are alarming on their own, the truth is that speeding is a bigger issue than most people think since it isn’t always listed as the cause of the accident and many car wreck injuries go unreported. In this blog, the car accident lawyers at ER Injury Attorneys explain why speeding in Las Vegas is a major problem.
Why Does Speeding Lead to Car Crashes?
Before we get into issues specific to Las Vegas, it’s important to understand why speeding is a major cause of car crash injuries in Nevada and across the country. It all comes down to the fact that for most drivers, the faster a car is going, the more difficult it is to control. This is due to:
- Increased Stopping Distance: the faster an automobile is traveling, the longer it takes for a vehicle to come to a complete stop. If you are speeding then you require more distance to react to road obstacles, traffic signals, other motor vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. A speeding car is more prone to rear-end collisions and other types of accidents than a vehicle that’s traveling within the designated speed limit.
- Reduced Reaction Time: speeding reduces the amount of time you have to react to changes in road conditions or the actions of other motorists. Sudden unexpected changes in traffic flow, road hazards, work zones, or the need to make split-second decisions can lead to accidents when an automobile is moving too fast.
- Loss of Vehicle Control: higher speeds make it more difficult to control your vehicle, particularly in adverse weather conditions or on winding roads. The risk of losing control of your vehicle and crashing increases significantly when speeding, as it can lead to oversteering, understeering, or skidding.
- Increased Severity of Crashes: this is a matter of basic physics–the faster your vehicle is moving, the more severe the impact in the event of a collision. Speeding in Las Vegas results in greater force upon impact, leading to more catastrophic injuries and fatalities.
Speeding in Las Vegas Is Easy to Get Away With
One of the reasons that speeding in Las Vegas is so prevalent is that it is, unfortunately, easy to get away with. The Las Vegas Review Journal (LVRJ) reported that as of October 2023, roughly half of the speeding tickets issued in Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas this year were reduced to non-moving violations (most commonly parking tickets).
The reduction of a speeding ticket to a non-moving violation can have serious consequences. If a driver is successful in getting such a reduction then they will not suffer from demerits on their drivers license or an increase in their insurance premium. The lack of significant punishment encourages chronic speeding since the consequences are often minimal.
NTSB Finds “Systemic Deficiencies” in How Nevada Handles Speeders
There is pressure on Nevada lawmakers and politicians to make drastic changes to how speeding offenses are handled. In January 2022, Gary Dean Robinson ran a red light driving 103 mph at the intersection of Commerce Street and Cheyenne Avenue in North Las Vegas. This resulted in nine car crash fatalities and injuries to people in four other vehicles.
Robinson was cited for speeding five times prior to the January 2022 car crash. Three of the offenses were reduced to parking violations, while the others were lowered to fines. Only one of the offenses resulted in a license suspension and that was only because Robinson failed to pay the fine.
This tragic accident caught the attention of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which conducted an investigation into the situation. In November 2023 NTSB board member Michael Graham wrote, “Contributing to the driver’s repeated disregard for safety and traffic laws, despite numerous citations was the state of Nevada’s failure to reduce the driver’s speeding recidivism due to systemic deficiencies, including routine plea agreements that alter or drop violations, inaccurate driver record, failure to accurately track citations and delays in reporting convictions.”
Given that so many speeding violations are reduced or go unreported and repeat offenders can disregard speed limits with minimal consequences, speeding in Las Vegas is a much larger problem than most people think. Unfortunately, this can cause serious harm to other drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
Injured by a Driver Speeding in Las Vegas?
If you or someone in your family have suffered injuries due to a speeding driver then contact ER Injury Attorneys for immediate assistance. Our experienced and award-winning Las Vegas car wreck lawyers can help get you the highest compensation possible for your medical bills, ongoing treatment, pain and suffering, lost wages, and more. Do not let insurance companies pressure you into accepting a settlement that’s only a fraction of what you deserve. Let ER Injury Attorneys handle your car crash claim and get the results you want.
You can reach ER Injury Attorneys’ team of accomplished Nevada lawyers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are reachable by phone at 702-878-7878 and online through LiveChat or secure contact form. ER Injury Attorneys represents injury victims throughout Nevada, including Henderson, Summerlin, Pahrump, Boulder City, Laughlin, and beyond. Reach out to us today and take the first step towards the money that you’re entitled to.