Speed Kills and Record Numbers Are Dying This Year

August 29, 2017, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

OPP Report Speeding Deaths Dramatically Increased in 2017        

The OPP have released very troubling numbers for the death toll on Ontario highways this year. Speeding has been a factor in 30 road related deaths as of the end of June, which is a 76% increase over 2016 numbers.

“Speed Kills”, and the faster you are driving the more likely you are to be killed, or kill someone else, in the event of an accident. Aggressive driving-related deaths (speeding) is taking its toll. 1400 drivers were stopped on highways in the first 6 months of the year charged with speeding over 50KM/h over the posted speed limit. At that point, your car is impounded immediately and criminal charges are laid.

Higher speeds drive all traffic deaths up, and is seen to be one of the big emerging driver safety problems. Drivers travelling too fast lack both reaction time and driving ability when a hazard appears ahead. The Canada Safety Council reported that speed is a factor in 30% of all fatal crashes and in 12% of the total number of car accidents in Canada. Once speeds exceed 100 m/h fatality rates increase exponentially. The chances of being killed in a car moving at 120km/h is 4x greater than at 100. In car accidents involving speeds over 200 km/h survival is almost impossible.

Cars that hit pedestrians or cyclists at 50 km/h or more almost always result in fatalities. This is part of the reasoning behind lowering speed limits to 40 km/h in school zones, and in many pedestrian/bike heavy areas.

Police forces throughout Canada are requesting that people slow down, pay attention to the road, and they not drive impaired. These three things cause almost all of the fatalities on roads in Canada.

The following is information from the MTO website.

Stay within the maximum speed limit posted on signs along all roads. As a general rule, you will be safer if you drive at the same speed as traffic around you, without going over the speed limit.

Always drive at a speed that will let you stop safely, whether roads are wet or dry.

Where there are no posted speed limit signs, do not drive faster than:

• 50 km/hour in cities, towns, villages and built-up areas
• 80 km/hour in any other area

Fines

If you are convicted of speeding, you may receive demerit points in addition to fines.

Demerit points:

• 3 points for going over the speed limit by 16 to 29 km/hour
• 4 points for going over the speed limit by 30 to 49 km/hour
• 6 points for going over the speed limit by 50 km/hour or more

Your fine will depend on how fast you were travelling over the posted speed limit:

Fines for driving over the speed limit

How much over the speed limit	Fine per km/h over the speed limit
Less than 20 km/h	$3
20 to less than 30 km/h	$4.50
30 to less than 50 km/h	$7
50 km/h or more	$9.75

Street racing

If police stop you for driving 50 km/h or more over the speed limit, you will be charged with street racing. Police will suspend your licence on the spot and impound your vehicle for 7 days. If convicted, you will face penalties that include:

Penalties for street racing convictions

Number of Convictions	Penalties
First	$2,000 to $10,000 fine Jail term of up to 6 months Licence suspension up to 2 years or 6 demerit points
Second and subsequent (within 10 years of the first conviction)	$2,000 to $10,000 fine Jail term of up to 6 months Licence suspension up to 10 years

Speed limit tips

• slow down when driving at night, especially on unlit and undivided roads
• follow at a safe distance, at least two car lengths behind the vehicle in front of you
• lower your speed in bad weather, heavy traffic, and in school and construction zones.
• Be extra careful when driving through areas where people are working on or near the road
  • slow down when approaching work zones and be ready to stop
  • obey all signs and any workers who are directing traffic through the area
• be patient if traffic is delayed
• if your lane is blocked and no one is directing traffic, yield to the driver coming from the opposite direction - when the way is clear, move slowly and carefully around the obstacle.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.