Some Police
Departments Have Blamed Increased Speed on Waze
Several police departments and national police associations
have recently blamed the popular Google App Waze for encouraging drivers to
speed and making the roads more dangerous for all.[1] First, Waze is a GPS Mapping/Social Media
application that will allow those that are using the application to converse
with other drivers, notifying them of traffic jams, weather, construction,
accidents, red light cameras and police officers. Police departments and associations have recently
begun a vocal campaign against Waze.
Police have argued that by allowing its users to disclose the locations
of officers that it jeopardizes officer safety because a stalker might use the
information to locate and kill an officer.
I am not going to discuss the validity of that concern because that is
not the purpose of this blog.
Police have also stated that they object to the use of Waze
because it negates the effects of speed traps.
Speed traps are, according to police, a crucial tool that police used to
slow down the speed on the interstates and make the interstates safer. After all, Waze does not give the ability to
driver to speed through the speed trap.
It merely warns drivers of the possible presence of police officers,
along with a host of other hazards. This
warning allows drivers to actually slow down in advance of the speed trap,
rather than slamming on their brakes when the police officers are within the
range of sight of the driver. If the
goal of speed trap is to raise revenue by issuing tickets to speeding drivers
then, yes, Waze does negatively impact that goal. However, in my personal opinion, as a Waze
user, I believe that Waze has a positive impact of highway safety. While there may be disagreement on whether
Waze encourages speeding, there is no disagreement that speed is a contributing
factor in many car accidents.
40% of All Accidents
with Injuries - Speed was Likely a Contributing Factor
When I looked at the statistics, I was a little surprised
that speeding was likely implicated as a cause in more than 1/3 of all fatal
and injury car accidents.[2] It is
probably important to make a distinction as to the environment in which a
driver is operating their vehicle a higher rate of speed to analyze the dangers
present. For instance, higher speeds on
the streets of St. Petersburg
would be expected to cause more accidents because operating a car, truck or
motorcycle at higher speeds in an urban setting increases the odds that the
speeding vehicle will be tailgating or weaving in and out of lanes of traffic
to maintain their speed. It also
drastically reduces the amount of time the driver has to react to unexpected
situations. For example, if the posted
speed limit on a St. Petersburg
street is 40MPH and a speeding driver is driving at 55MPH, the speeding driver
will be unable to avoid many hazards in their path. Imagine that 50 yards ahead of the driver, in
a crosswalk, a pedestrian or a bicyclist begins to cross the street. At 40MPH, the average car, driven by the
average driver with average reflexes will be able to stop with about 10 yards
to spare.[2] The driver operating a
vehicle travelling at a speed of 40MPH will, between identifying the hazard and
bringing the car to a stop will travel about 40 yards. If the same driver is operating the same car
at 55MPH, the vehicle will strike the pedestrian or bicyclist and actually drag
them for almost 20 yards. Even if the
time to identify and react to the hazard is removed from the equation, the
speeding vehicle will be unable to stop before striking the pedestrian or
bicyclist.
Do Higher Speed
Limits Lead to More Accidents?
This answer is dependent upon the type of road. For instance raising the speed limit to 60MPH
in an urban setting such as 1st
Avenue North in St. Petersburg would most likely result in
many more accidents, injuries and deaths.
However, raising the speed limit on a stretch of sparsely populated I-75
between Tampa and Gainesville might have no effect on number of
accidents. Studies have indicated that
raising the speed limits on sparsely populated stretches of interstate has no
effect on the number of accidents.[3]
The counterpoint to this argument is that other studies have shown is
that the severity of the accidents will increase and the number of injuries and
fatalities will tend to increase, as well.[4]
Therefore a better question might be, do higher speed limits lead to
more fatalities and injuries?
Higher Speeds Lead to
More Severe Injuries
While the number of accidents and injuries may or may not be
increased with higher speed limits, the fact that higher speeds lead to more
severe injuries cannot be debated. It is
simply a matter of physics. The force
exerted by 2,000 pound car moving at 55 MPH is significantly more than the same
car travelling at 40 MPH. The likelihood
of walking away from a high speed crash without suffering an injury is
unlikely. Some common injuries to be
expected in high speed car accident include:
1. Death;
2. Traumatic
brain injury and/or concussions;
3. Spinal
cord damage and/or paralysis;
4. Disfigurement;
5. Lacerations:
6. Fractured
or broken bones; and
7. Neck
and back injuries
Contact The Law
Offices of Bobby Jones
Have you or a loved one been injured in an accident as a
result of another driver’s excessive speed? Contact an experienced St. Petersburg
personal injury attorney at The Law Offices of Bobby Jones today. When you contact our office we will
immediately set an appointment where you will meet your attorney and be
provided with his/her personal contact information. If you do not have transportation or you
cannot drive, your attorney will travel to meet you and discuss your case with
you.
Whether you were a pedestrian, a bicyclist, or the occupant
of car, motorcycle or boat and have been injured in an accident, you should
immediately call an experienced personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg at The Law Offices of Bobby
Jones at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on
weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free
and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your
injuries.
The Law Offices of Bobby Jones
6570 30th
Avenue North
St. Pete,
FL
33710
http://bobbyjoneslaw.com/personal-injury/
References:
[1] http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article8511779.html
[2] http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/safety.html
[3] http://www.random-science-tools.com/physics/stopping-distance.htm
[4] http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/06/texas_85_mile_per_hour_speed_limit_do_higher_speed_limits_cause_more_accidents_.html
[5] http://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/ods/stats/2006speedstudy.pdf