Kellyville, north of Sydney, Australia, hosted an interesting event. On February 5, 2022, around 10 pm, two young people, both holding temporary licenses, were allegedly street racing.
On the evening of the incident, traffic and highway patrol officers were performing cruise control. Meanwhile, they spotted a Hyundai and Volkswagen speeding westward. According to the authorities, they were moving at 142 km/h in the 60 km/h speed limit zone.
According to the records, both vehicles were driving side by side. The driver of 17-year-old Hyundai was stopped at the scene, and the 18-year-old driver of the other vehicle, which fled the scene, was caught in another place a short time later.
Both drivers were accused of speeding, angry and reckless driving, street racing, and acting dangerously. Their licenses were immediately suspended, and their license plates confiscated for three months.
Both young people are waiting for March 30, the date when they will appear in court.
Overspeed in traffic safety
The word overspeed is a term used to describe drivers driving at speeds considered excessive or above the speed limits shown on roadside signs.
As speed increases, stopping distance increases, visibility, and steering control decrease. Again, due to overspeed, passing errors and impact severity increase, and death rates in accidents increase in parallel with this.
Since the speed at the time of impact is the main determinant of the kinetic energy loaded on the human body, this factor determines the outcome of the accident the most, and therefore it is the most important factor to be controlled.
There is an inverse relationship between speed and angle of view. The viewing angle of a standing person is 140 degrees. A driver traveling at 35 km/h has a field of view of 104 degrees. This angle decreases as speed increases. It drops to 70 degrees at 65 km/h and 30 degrees at 130 km/h. As a result of an angle of 30 degrees, tunnel vision is created, so the driver can only see and follow the road. It cannot monitor events and movements on the sidewalk and roadside. He/she cannot see pedestrians and vehicles passing on his right or left.
It is not enough for the driver to just control the road while driving. It is necessary to anticipate the vehicles that may come off the side roads, the pedestrians that may land on the road, the people and animals that may be thrown from both sides of the road and take precautions accordingly.
Failure to comply is both a violation of the rule and imprudence. Although you follow all the rules, you can have an accident because of a driver who acts recklessly as mentioned in the news. In such a case, you can also claim a claim for compensation for the damages. You can get support from personal injury lawyers to learn what needs to be done and to claim your rights in the most accurate way.
Influence of overspeed on traffic safety
The effect of overspeed on traffic safety can be grouped under four main headings:
- The vehicle driven at overspeed has less stable handling in some special situations (turning and hard braking) and it is more difficult to control the vehicle.
- At high speeds the driver has less reaction time to potential risks.
- Other drivers have less reaction time against a vehicle moving at high speeds.
- High speed aggravates the consequences of traffic accidents.
When these four items are examined; It has been determined that the main effect of overspeed on accidents is concentrated on causing accidents and increasing damage in accidents.
Let’s look at the matter from another angle. You are not completely faultless in your accident. You exceeded the speed limit, but that wasn’t the main reason for the accident. Can you still get compensation?
Yes, you may still be entitled to compensation if you were partially at fault in the accident. But of course, this will also reduce the amount of compensation depending on some conditions.
If you have been involved in such an accident in Australia and do not know what to do legally, the car accident lawyers in Perth will follow up on what needs to be done for you. For this reason, gather as much information as you can in case you get involved in an accident so that the process can progress faster. This information will be very useful in the compensation process.