Can the Human Body Tolerate a High-Speed Collision?

Everyone seems to be in a hurry nowadays. While other drivers fly by you to reach their destinations, you may feel like your vehicle is sitting still. Fortunately, New Jersey and the other middle states have stiff financial penalties for excessive speeders.

Speeding is not, of course, just a financial inconvenience. When motorists exceed posted limits, they have less time to react to road conditions, traffic and other potential hazards. Even worse, high speeds tend to decrease the survivability of motor vehicle accidents considerably.

The difference between a minor and catastrophic collision

There is an interesting study by the AAA Foundation that deals directly with vehicle speed and injury risk. In the study, researchers looked at vehicles traveling at 40, 50 and 56 miles per hour. While these speeds hardly seem excessive, they each play a role in crash severity

When cars were traveling at 40 mph at the time of impact, test dummies had a low chance of dying or sustaining a serious injury in an accident. The risk to the crash test dummies increased for vehicles driving 50 mph and increased again for those traveling at 56 mph.

The structural damage to the human body

The human body can only withstand so much force. At 40 mph, dummies were able to withstand most collisions. By the time the test reached 56 mph, though, there was significant structural damage to the human body.

While complying with the speed limit may seem silly when other drivers are traveling faster, driving slowly is likely to decrease your risk of both serious injury and death in a motor vehicle accident. Ultimately, though, if someone’s speeding leaves you with a catastrophic injury, you may be eligible for substantial financial compensation.