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Speeding - defined as "exceeding the posted speed limit, driving too fast for conditions, or racing" is dangerous, and continues to be a major factor in one third of all traffic fatalities, says the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).

Fines for speeding in Florida range from $276 for speeding at 20-29 miles per hour over the speed limit, up to $500, plus court costs, if motorists speed at 30 miles per hour or higher. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that speeding-related crashes cost the U.S. society an estimated $27.7 billion annually. Fatalities have increased by 15 percent in the 24 states which raised their speed limits in late 1995 and 1996. The National Safety Council (NSC) says that speeding kills, on average, 28 people per day in the U.S. for a total of 10,219 people per year.  These are the monetary costs and statistics.

An example of the human cost was headlined in the New York Daily News in April 2013: "Five killed, including 14-year-old girl, in Florida crash after speeding driver runs red light, slams into other car".

Who are the worst offenders? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that teens are more likely to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next) than older drivers. In 2012, 37 percent of male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash.

The CDC further reports that about 2,650 teens in the United States aged 16-19 were killed in 2011.  An additional 292 thousand teens in this age group were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes. This equates to seven teens, age 16-19, dying every day from motor vehicle injuries. Although teens represent only 14 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 30 percent of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries to young males and 28 percent of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries to young females.

"Fatality statistics and the monetary costs are important, but they do not tell the human story.  We at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. see the human costs every day. These costs are immeasurable. Every family who has lost a loved one or friend as the result of speeding accidents knows that cost all too well. During this holiday season, we ask everyone to leave early, take their time and not speed. As the NHTSA campaign says: 'Speed Shatters Life'," says Attorney Randall Spivey.

Lee County Vehicle Accident Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit  SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.