Law enforcement in California and across the country will be focused on bad behavior by commercial and passenger vehicle drivers during Operation Safe Driver Week, which is scheduled from July 14 to 20. The special focus of the program this year is on speeding. Statistics gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that speeding drivers were a factor in 94% of all traffic accidents during the year 2015.
The president of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance pointed out that speeding has contributed to almost 33% of traffic deaths for more than 20 years. The president called that statistic unacceptable, especially in light of its preventability. The CVSA is sponsoring Operation Safe Driver Week, and the president of CVSA acknowledged that traffic tickets are not popular. However, driver behavior changes based on contact with law enforcement, citations and warnings.
During the 2018 Operation Safe Driver Week, 16,909 drivers of passenger vehicles were ticketed for speeding, and commercial vehicles were ticketed 1,908 times. Law enforcement also issued a number of tickets for driving too fast for conditions, 714 for passenger vehicles and 17 for commercial vehicles. A total of 57,405 citations were issued during the 2018 effort, and officers made contact with 113,331 total drivers.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, speeding contributed to more than 25% of motor vehicle fatalities since 2008. Speeding makes accidents more severe and more likely to result in injuries.
People who are injured in car accidents may be entitled to recover for lost wages, pain and suffering, medical expenses or other damages. An attorney with experience in personal injury law might help injured victims by identifying parties who may be liable and negotiating with insurance companies. In cases that cannot be resolved through negotiation, an attorney may be able to file a complaint and argue on the client’s behalf in court.
