Speed Awareness Day observed; traffic safety highlighted
Illinois Speed Awareness Day was observed on July 26.
Illinois State Police joined in the observance of Speed Awareness Day by taking a proactive approach to promote safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists through both education and enforcement.
State police noted that in Illinois during 2015, speed was the reason for 34.2 percent of all fatal crashes.
That included 369 deaths for the year, or one life every 23.7 hours.
The state police stated in a news release that “these lives can be easily saved by being aware of our speed and understanding how speeding impacts a crash. “
Interstate Highways
On interstate highways, speeding can have the following consequences:
The probability of death, disfigurement or debilitating injury grows with a higher speed at impact. Such consequences double for every 10 miles per hour over 50 mph.
When a vehicle crashes, it undergoes a rapid change in speed.
However, the occupants keep moving at the vehicle’s previous speed until they are stopped, either by hitting an object or by being restrained by a safety belt or air bag.
The effectiveness of restraint devices like air bags, safety belts, crumple zones, and inside beams decline as impact speed increases.
A total of 37 percent of speed-related crashes result in injuries.
Speeding extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in emergencies.
Crash severity increases with the speed of the vehicle at impact.
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to navigate safely around curves or objects in the roadway.
Speeding can lower gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds.
Rural Areas
In rural areas, speeding can have the following consequences:
A total of 341 lives were lost in 2015 on Illinois roadways from speeding.
Crash severity increases with the speed of the vehicle at impact resulting in more severe injuries.
A total of 37 percent of the speed-related crashes result in injuries.
When speeding there is a greater chance that other road users will misjudge how fast you are traveling.
Speeding extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in emergency situations.
A 1 percent decrease in travel speed reduces injuries by about 2 percent, a serious crash by 3 percent and a fatal crash by 4 percent.
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to navigate safely around curves or farm machinery on the roadway.
The Illinois State Police encourage everyone to “do our part by taking a proactive approach to prevent fatalities and reduce injuries on the roadways by being aware of our speed and obeying the speed limit signs all the time."