Speed Kills. Here’s How To Always Drive The Speed Limit And Stay Safe Behind The Wheel

The movies make a high speed chase look cool and relatively inconsequential, but truthfully in real life excessive speeding is one of the deadliest things you can do behind the wheel.  If you are speeding you are putting yourself and your passengers at a greater risk of getting into a New Haven auto accident than if you are driving the speed limit.

When you’re behind the wheel you may be thinking to yourself, what’s the big deal I am only going 10 mph over the speed limit, what’s the harm that could happen.  The short and simple answer is as you accelerate over the speed limit you make the chances of an accident being fatal to you or other drivers on the road exponentially higher.  A difference in your speed over the speed limit of just 10 mph can be the difference between you escaping an accident with a few bruises and scrapes or not walking away from the accident at all.

That is why, the Connecticut Highway Safety Facebook page which is managed by the Connecticut Department of Transportation has recently published a list of ways you can avoid going over the speed limit so that you can remain safe and keep all others on the road safe as well.

1.) Check the speedometer regularly.  With digital dashboards in so many cars these days it can be easy to navigate away from an easy to read speedometer, but that is one way that your speed can get away from you very quickly.  If you keep your speedometer displayed on your dash at all times you will be able to monitor your speed with very little effort.

2.) Avoid distractions.  Distracted driving is one of the other deadliest things you can do behind the wheel and one of the many reasons why is that when you are distracted you have a tendency to drive faster and not pay attention to how fast you are actually traveling.  If you keep your eyes on the road and avoid distractions you can keep yourself from accidentally blowing past the speed limit while you’re driving.

3.) Leave earlier.  There is one thing that will encourage you to go faster and that is being late.  If you’re worried about not making it to your destination on time, you’re not leaving yourself enough time to get there.  If you think you need a half an hour to get where you are going, leave yourself 45 minutes so that you can get there on time and without speeding.

4.) Set cruise control.  Most cars now come with cruise control standard and this is a great way for you to set your speed at a safe speed and not go over it at anytime while you’re driving.  Of course, you will still want to monitor your speed and make sure you are not going over the speed limit and driving with the flow of traffic, but this can be a powerful tool in your tool belt to keep you from speeding.

If you aren’t sure what the speed limit is on a particular road there are apps on your phone like Google Maps that will display a consistent display of what the speed limit is on the road you are traveling on.  If you are alone, pull over to check, if you have a navigator, ask her/him to check so you can not go over the speed limit for the road.  One of the best things you can do to avoid a New Haven auto accident is to always obey the posted speed limits.

When accidents happen there are often many things to take care of from the damage to your car, to your injuries and settling with insurance.  You may need an attorney with experience in the kind of accident you’ve gotten into.  Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your case and work with you to protect your long-term interests.