Researchers have long sought answers to what kinds of driving behavior are more likely to cause crashes on the road. People generally attribute a number of reckless driving behaviors to causing auto accidents, like tailgating or running red lights. As of last year, some researchers may have discovered one particular form of reckless driving is a good predictor of whether a car crash will occur.
Forbes explains that Canadian and American insurance companies supplied data to a Canadian university for a 2019 study to examine links between four specific driving behaviors and the possibility that car crashes would occur. The four behaviors consisted of hard braking, hard cornering, hard acceleration, and speeding. The researchers concluded that speeding ranked as the highest predictor of car crashes.
The University of Waterloo, which conducted the research, touted their work as the first one of its kind. However, like many studies, a professor from the university pointed out that further research was needed. Certain factors, like the fact that different drivers could operate the same vehicle, limited the study. There will likely be more studies conducted to offer more insight on why speeding is more likely to cause a collision.
Given the role that excessive speeding plays in collisions, it will be no surprise that a person who speeds and collides with another vehicle has likely broken a state speeding law. Georgia is a state that has taken measures to combat vehicle speeding. According to the Governor’s Office Of Highway Safety, in 2010, the state instituted a super speeder law that fines drivers who speed 75 miles or more on two lane roads an extra $200 fee.
Depending on the kind of damage done by a speeding driver, other laws may come into play. A person driving too fast might also face reckless driving charges, which can place someone in jail for up to a year if convicted.