Evidence Establishes Speeding as a Contributing Cause

Speeding is a common contributing cause of motor vehicle accidents. However, as with all contributing causes, it is the plaintiff’s burden to prove that speed was a factor in causing a car accident. There are many ways to do this, and the options used for your personal injury claim will depend on the facts and types of evidence available.

Physical Evidence

Physical evidence can include skid marks on the pavement. Accident investigators can use the length of these marks to determine when the driver applied the brakes, how fast the vehicle was traveling, and how long it took the vehicle to come to a complete stop.

It can also include vehicle debris on the road. By determining the weight of an object and its distance from the vehicle, car accident investigators can find out the force of the impact and the rough speed the vehicle would need to be traveling down the road to eject tires, engine components, doors, etc., to the distance they were found. Similarly, investigators can measure the vehicle’s damage and compare this to crash test studies to determine how much force was required to cause the dents, dings, and other damage.

Electronic Evidence

Cameras are everywhere these days, and many speeding drivers are captured by CCTV, cell phones, and dash cams. When available, car crash investigators can calculate the speed of the vehicles involved. When it is possible a camera captured the accident, you must identify the owner/operator of the camera as soon as possible. Once identified, your personal injury attorney can send a spoliation letter to the owner/operator. This letter notifies them to preserve the recording because it is evidence in a motor vehicle accident claim.

Additionally, every vehicle sold in the US since late 2014 has an onboard computer known as the Event Data Recorder (EDR) that records a minimum of 15 points of critical data, including speed. When a car accident occurs, law enforcement, insurance providers, and your personal injury attorney can request the information recorded by the “black box.” When speeding is suspected, this is one of the most effective methods of proving it to the court.

For more about speeding and other motor vehicle accident causes, contact the team at Sloat, Nicholson & Hoover, P.C. at (303) 447-1144. It is our pleasure to answer your questions and help you determine the best strategies for collecting evidence to support your car accident claim.