Excessive Speed Can Cause A New Haven Auto Accident AND It Might Get You Arrested

We’ve talked on this website a lot over the past few years about how excessive speed can contribute to getting into a New Haven auto accident, but until now we haven’t talked as much about how it could also get you arrested.  The truth is excessive speed is dangerous and it can also land you in some serious hot water.  Just ask Brendon Clark from Farmington who was clocked driving at 130mph by police on Rt. 8 and is now facing criminal charges.  For reference, the speed limit on Rt. 8 is 65mph so Mr. Clark was driving at more than double the posted speed limit on the road.

The story ends without any significant injuries or fatalities from this reckless driving behavior, but that is due in large part to the patrol officers who clocked Mr. Clark’s speed and then were able to pull him over without incident.  Had the speed not been clocked and the driver been allowed to continue his reckless race down Rt. 8 there is no telling what might have happened.

Too often excessive speed can lead to serious injury or death for the driver or, even worse, for the passengers of the vehicle or another driver on the road at the time this dangerous behavior is being undertaken.  When you’re driving a vehicle the safest speed you can go is the posted speed limit, anything over that and you’re risking injury or death to you or anyone you are sharing the road with at the time.

While Mr. Clark may have been out for a joy ride, there are reasons why some people speed to get to where they are going.  The good news is, with a little thought ahead of time, these reasons can be easily avoided and the need to speed can be eliminated without much effort.  Here are some things you can do to make sure you are keeping to the speed limit and not putting yourself or someone else’s life at risk.

1.) Know and obey the posted speed limits.  It can be difficult to always know what the speed limit is on a road, but if you take the time to recognize which road you are on and keep a look out for posted signs you will be able to find out the speed limit and then follow it.

2.) Leave yourself extra time.  This is a big one.  Often speeding happens because we are late to get to where we need to go, but more often then not this can be avoided.  If you leave your home or office 10 minutes or so before you have to you will be able to travel at a safe speed and still arrive at your destination on time.

3.) Keep the distractions to a minimum.  Of course, no distractions at all are the ideal driving condition, but that may not always be realistic when driving, especially when you have passengers in the car.  You will find though, that driving while distracted greatly increases the likelihood that you will be driving over the speed limit.  Minimizing the distractions that you have while driving will help you keep to a safe speed the whole time.

There is no excuse for driving more then double the speed limit of a road, no matter how late you are to your destination, however your speeding doesn’t have to be that egregious to get yourself into a New Haven auto accident and leave yourself, your passengers, or others on the road injured from your actions.  Take steps to make sure you are driving responsibly to keep everyone on the road safe.

If you do end up in an accident and you need an experienced attorney to review your case, contact our office and we will speak with you.  One of our attorneys will review your case and work with you to protect your long-term interests.