New Push Against Speeding from NHTSA

Traffic deaths have soared in the United States in recent years, prompting the nation’s auto safety agency to take measures to discourage motorists from speeding. Steven Cliff, who runs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), recently announced to Reuters the creation of a “speed campaign” highlighting how speeding is just as harmful as other unsafe driving behaviors, such as drunk driving.

Data from the NHTSA indicate that the average speed of motorists in the U.S. has increased and that more motorists are driving carelessly. In one recent year, 42,915 people were killed in U.S. traffic accidents, the highest annual rate in nearly 20 years.

The legal team at the Law Offices of Michael Gopin, PLLC discusses recent crash data, the latest speeding regulations, and what you can do if you were injured in a car accident caused by a speeding driver.

Recent Accident Statistics

The following speed-related crash statistics from the NHTSA and the National Safety Council (NSC) illustrate how common and deadly speeding is on American roads:

• Speeding was a factor in 11,258 traffic deaths nationwide in one recent year, or more than 30 fatalities every day. Traffic deaths due to speeding accounted for 29 percent of all traffic fatalities that year.
• Speeding caused more than 10,000 fatal crashes in the U.S. that same year.
• More than one-third of all drivers who were speeding at the time of fatal crashes that year were male drivers between the ages of 15 and 20.
• Speeding is a significant factor in fatal crashes involving hazardous surface conditions. This is why a motorist driving under the speed limit may still receive a ticket if they are driving too fast for the conditions.

New Speeding Regulations

The head of the NHTSA says the agency is working hard to develop and implement new anti-speeding regulations nationwide. Since 2021, the NHTSA has reportedly finalized 16 new speeding laws and begun work on 25 more. Notably, many new rules are “related to automation” because more automakers are releasing vehicles with varying degrees of autonomous-driving capabilities.

Injured in a Car Accident? Car Accident Lawyer Michael Gopin Can Help

If you have been injured in a collision caused by a speeding driver, contact the El Paso accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Michael Gopin, PLLC. Our experienced legal team has advocated for the rights of injury victims in El Paso, TX for a quarter-century. We pride ourselves on providing compassionate legal representation to all our clients and aggressively pursuing full compensation for their injuries and other losses. Contact our firm today for a free consultation to discuss your legal options and learn how we can help.

Michael J. Gopin

Michael J. Gopin has practiced law in El Paso since 1987. Even after more than 30 years, he still remembers his first jury case. It was two weeks after receiving his license, when he represented a person whose life had been forever changed after being blinded in a work-related incident...