Driving at excessive speeds accounts for more deadly automotive crashes than driving under the influence, according to an article appearing on the consumer website valuepenguin.com. Speed kills; it is plain and simple. Operating a car faster than conditions would safely allow or driving at a speed greater than posted caused the highest number of deaths in Washington, D.C., and 34 states in 2017. Speeding is a leading cause of death in every state and ranks among the top five reasons for fatal car crashes every year. Some states, however, have more significant problems with speeders than other states. Value Penguin’s researchers combed through data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, trying to identify which states had an enormous problem.
Approximately 22 percent of fatal accidents in the United States occur because of speeding. The second-most-common cause of fatal accidents, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, was the cause of fourteen percent of all fatal crashes in the United States. The analysis did not discuss how fatal accidents in which more than one cause was present were defined.
The most significant number of fatal crashes caused by speeding happened in Washington, D.C. Speeding was the primary cause in 40 percent of all fatal crashes. New Hampshire followed close behind with 39 percent of all road fatalities caused by speeding. Rhode Island and Hawaii also had speeding crash rates exceeding 30 percent. Conversely, many southern had the lowest percentage of road deaths caused by speeding with six percent.
The trends generated by the statistics indicate that states in the South have a low incidence of speed-related fatal crashes. Fewer than ten percent of all fatal crashes were caused by speeding in those states. Mississippi had the fewest fatal accidents caused by speeding. The most significant percentage of fatal accidents in Mississippi was due to failure to yield the right of way.
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