This month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its data on fatalities due to speeding that occurred in the United States in 2016. The report details a number of different key findings regarding how speed is related to fatal motor vehicle accidents. In 2016 alone, there were 34,439 fatal automobile accidents that resulted in 37,461 fatalities. The results show that 27 percent of individuals killed in a motor vehicle accident lost their lives in an accident where at least one of the drivers involved was speeding.
The statistics also revealed that the age group with the highest overall percentage of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes were drivers between the ages of 15 and 20. However, there was a significant difference in the number of males speeding (32 percent) than females speeding (22 percent). Additionally, the study showed that 20 percent of drivers speeding in fatal crashes had previously been involved in a car accident, 6 percent had a previous DWI conviction, 24 percent of them had previously had a license suspension or revocation, and 26 percent had a previous speeding conviction.
New Jersey did not make the list of top four states with the highest number of speeding-related fatalities. However, New Jersey did have a total of 601 traffic fatalities in 2016. 130, or 22 percent, of these fatalities involved speeding. Of the total number of fatalities related to speeding in New Jersey, 40 percent of those also involved a driver who was under the influence of alcohol.
If you are in need of experienced legal counsel in New Jersey, please contact The Law Office of Andrew S. Maze for any criminal and personal injury matters.