Illinois State Police Join Forces with Agencies Statewide for Illinois Speed Awareness Day Campaign

On Illinois Speed Awareness Day, July 26, the Illinois State Police is taking a proactive approach to promote safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists through both education and enforcement. 

In Illinois during 2015, speed was the reason for 34.2 percent of all fatal crashes. That’s 369 deaths for the year, or one life every 23.7 hours. These lives can be easily saved by being aware of speed and understanding how speeding impacts a crash.

On interstates speeding can have the following consequences:

The probability of death, disfigurement or debilitating injury grows with higher speed at impact. Such consequences double for every 10 miles per hour over 50 miles per hour.

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 airbag.

The effectiveness of restraint devices like airbags, safety belts, crumple zones and inside beams decline as impact speed increases.

Thirty-seven percent of the speed-related crashes result in injuries.

Speeding extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in emergency situations.

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.

In rural areas, speeding can have the following consequences:

Three hundred and forty one lives were loss in 2015 on Illinois roadways from speeding.

Crash severity increases with the speed of the vehicle at impact resulting in more severe injuries

Thirty-seven 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 one percent decrease in travel speed reduces injuries by about two percent, a serious crash by three percent and a fatal crash by four percent.

Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to navigate safely around curves or farm machinery on the roadway.

Let’s all 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. If you would like more information about Illinois Speed Awareness Day, please visit www.illinoisspeedawarenessday.org.

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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