The slow down signs and speed radars we see here and there throughout neighborhoods and streets are not there to beautify the areas. We need to be reminded to watch our speed and slow down in Louisiana, where speeding is unsurprisingly a major factor in Louisiana car crashes.

A driver who is speeding increases both the chance of being in a crash and also the chance that someone in or near that person’s car will be seriously injured or killed. Besides alcohol and not using seat belts, car seats and boosters that contribute to the high auto-related death rates, 29 percent of crash deaths in the U.S. is caused by speeding.

You may be guilty of speeding to get to work on time or arrive at an event early, but the faster your car is going, the more likely you and the other person will be killed if you hit someone. Speeding isn’t worth the chance of a fatality or facing vehicular manslaughter charges. Speed has been identified as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from crashes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), excess speed is defined as exceeding the speed limit, and inappropriate speed is defined as driving at a speed unsuitable for the prevailing road and traffic conditions.

WHO also indicates that controlling vehicle speed can prevent crashes happening and can reduce the impact when they do occur, lessening the severity of injuries sustained by the victims. The time a driver has to stop and avoid a crash decreases as the speed of a vehicle increases. There’s also a correlation between the speed of the car and the likelihood you’ll be killed when age is taken into consideration. An interactive chart made by ProPublica revealed that older American pedestrians who are hit by a car are less likely to recover from injuries sustained in a crash.

Your risk of injury or death further depends on all sorts of other factors such as the size of the car, how much you weigh and from what angle you get hit. According to WHO, drivers’ speed choice is influenced by age, gender, alcohol level, number of people in the vehicle, road layout, surface quality, vehicle power, maximum speed, traffic density and composition, prevailing speed, and weather conditions. Whatever factor tempts you to speed, don’t do it. Once cars reach a certain speed above 20 mph, they become more deadly. For example, if a car travels at 45 mph, any person being hit is more likely to be killed than to survive.

Data released about Louisiana interstate crashes by speed limits indicate there were 98 fatal interstate crashes below the speed limit of 70 miles per hour (MPH) that occurred last year and 5,486 injuries for urban-speed limits below 70 MPH. We expect other drivers to follow traffic laws and drive safely, so make sure you practice safe driving habits too and follow speed limits. If you or a loved one was injured in a Louisiana car accident, our car accident lawyers can help you bring a lawsuit against the negligent driver’s insurance company. You may be able to recover compensation for your car accident injuries, medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.