Taking legal action after a crash with a speeding driver

Posted in Accident & Injury on July 9, 2018

We’ve all seen them: Drivers who speed by us on the highway or come racing up behind us on a busy road. These are drivers who follow us too closely, race through intersections and weave in and out of traffic. Often, just seeing a driver like this on the road can make anyone feel worried about their safety.

Driving dangerously is a big problem in every state, and every state has penalties of speeding and reckless driving. Unfortunately, these consequences aren’t enough to stop many drivers from driving too fast, especially here in Ohio.

As noted in a recent Insurance Journal article, Ohio is among a handful of states that issue the cheapest reckless driving tickets: just $100 for an offense. In other states, fines can reach as high as $6,250.

These fines are not enough to slow down every driver. Sadly, neither is the risk of higher insurance premiums or the fact that driving recklessly leads to catastrophic crashes. In fact, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, over 10,000 people suffered death, injury or property damage in accidents caused by people driving at an unsafe or illegal speed in 2016.

In other words, thousands of drivers continue to speed, despite the financial and physical risks at which they put themselves and others. Countless others ignore traffic signs, drive too aggressively, take unnecessary chances while driving and otherwise drive recklessly on Ohio roads.

Perhaps the most effective way to hold drivers accountable for speeding and other types of reckless driving is to take legal action in the aftermath of a serious accident. While a lawsuit cannot undo the accident or a driver’s bad actions, it can hold dangerous parties liable for the damages they have caused. This includes property damage, emotional distress, wrongful death and financial damages like medical expenses.