The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, recently asked another federal agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, to take several steps designed to get people to travel at safe speeds.
The NTSB also made recommendations to state and local authorities as well as to car manufacturers.
Among these recommendations, the NTSB called out ongoing problems with people who get caught speeding over and over yet do not seem to get the message.
The NTSB asked both NHTSA and local authorities to do their part to identify motorists who continue to speed after their first ticket. NTSB also wants others to do their part to reduce the number of repeat speeding violations, such as by imposing stricter penalties.
The agency pointed out that speeding too often has tragic consequences. The NTSB cited their involvement with investigating an accident that killed 9 people. Speeding was a contributing factor to this crash, as was ignoring a traffic signal and driving under the influence.
Based on recent statistics, speeding motorists may well cause more than their fair share of fatal traffic accidents. In 2021, speeding contributed to 12,300 of the 42,900 fatalities on the road, or just shy of 3 out of 10.
Those who speed on the area highways and roads must be held responsible
Those in the Baltimore and greater D.C. areas know that speeding is common, but that does not make the habit right or safe.
Hopefully, others will take the NTSB’s recommendations to heart and crack down on people who refuse to slow down.
While steeper fines, license suspensions and other penalties may help, accident victims can also hold irresponsible drivers accountable by pursuing compensation for their losses. It is after all only fair that those who continue to speed and then injure someone pay for the damage they cause.