For Texas, the year 2017 marked one of the worst years when it comes to traffic fatalities. A total of 3,721 people lost their lives, a slight decrease from 2016 (3,794 deaths). In 2018, the Lone Star State saw some slight improvement when the number of traffic fatalities dropped to 3,567 – a four percent decrease.
Despite decrease, fatalities still high
Texas drivers love to speed. The open, flat landscape and wide roadways may give some drivers the impression that excessive speeding is safe.
Speed is a factor in many crashes that result in death or severe injuries, however. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2017, approximately 9,717 people died in speeding-related crashes.
At dangerously high speeds, drivers tend to have less control over their vehicles and less time and distance to come to a stop. In addition, the severity of a potential crash increases and the protection afforded by seatbelts, airbags, and front-end frames are null and void.
The staggering rate of speed
In an article, The Drive cites 2018 data from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Approximately 228 speeding tickets were issued to Texas drivers traveling 120 mph or faster.
The Drive published the top 50 speeding violations in Texas for that year. At the bottom of the list, a citation was issued to a driver traveling 134 mph on a road with a 55-mph speed limit.
At the very top of the list, a driver was issued a ticket for traveling 166 mph on a road with a speed limit of 75 mph.
According to State Trooper notes, one driver who was cited for traveling at 156 mph in a 70-mph zone failed to stop at a red light.
The Dallas Business Journal reports that 13 of the top 50 traffic citations occurred in North Texas (including Fort Worth). One incident in Fort Worth ranked fifth in the top 50. According to State Trooper notes, one driver who was cited for traveling at 156 mph in a 70-mph zone failed to stop at a red light on Chisholm Trail Parkway.
Within the same month, another driver was ticketed for traveling 150 mph in a 65-mph zone on the same roadway.
In the general Dallas-Fort Worth area, Hood County had the most speeding citations (4) within the top 50 – followed by Collin County (3), Tarrant County (2), Dallas County (2), Rockwall County (1) and Ellis County (1).
Risk factors in excessive speeding
You may wonder why someone would drive at such a high, and dangerous, speed. In some cases, road rage was a factor in excessive speeding. Being tailgated or “messed with” by other motorists caused some drivers to increase their speeds in order to evade the situation.
In other cases, drivers claimed to be unaware of how fast they were traveling or claimed that their speedometer wasn’t working.
The experienced car accident attorneys at Coby L. Wooten, Attorney at Law, P.C. have seen how devastating speed-related crashes can be. We proudly represent injured motorists greater Dallas and Fort Worth.
Contact us today to learn more.