It is often said that everyone breaks the speed limit. Some people do it because they’re in a rush, others do it because they feel detached from the act of driving, as if there are no consequences, and some do it simply because they’re bored and they find it thrilling. Many others do it accidentally, either unaware of the speed limit zone that they’re in or unaware of how fast their car has begun traveling.
If you get injured in a car accident, one of the key things to look for is negligence. A driver who acted in a negligent manner and caused a car accident is typically at fault. They didn’t mean to do anything wrong, they never intended to cause the crash, but their negligence allowed it to happen or even caused it to happen despite their own desire to drive safely.
So, if you get hit by a driver who is speeding, and you suffer serious injuries, can their speed be used as evidence of negligence on their behalf? Would that mean that they are at fault in the case, not you?
Any driving mistake may be evidence of negligence
The truth is that anything that someone does behind the wheel that is an error could be an example of negligence. Speeding is certainly one type of negligence, and perhaps one of the more common ones. Other examples include things like running a red light or swerving into oncoming lanes or following too closely to the car ahead of them. People make these types of mistakes accidentally all the time, and they cause countless injuries that could have been avoided. These are negligent drivers.
You could even make the argument that speeding goes beyond pure negligence. Many people are fully aware that they are breaking the speed limit while doing it. They know that they are increasing the risk to themselves, to anyone in their car and to anyone on the road around them, and yet they choose to do it anyway. Certainly, this doesn’t mean that they are trying to cause an accident, but excessive speeding could qualify as reckless driving.
How can you seek compensation?
An accident caused by a speeding driver could leave you with serious injuries and high medical bills. You need to know how you can seek proper compensation to cover these costs.