My Injuryboard blogging injury attorney/colleague Steve Lombardi of Des Moines, Iowa, and another Injuryboard editor, Wayne Parsons, are injury attorneys that are always asking thought-provoking questions about injury prevention. They not only write about injury law, but they are some of the only United States attorneys that wonder why we can’t prevent more injuries or deaths on interstate highways. In Virginia and North Carolina, we are criss-crossed by I-95, I-64, I-81, and many other major interstates,and we read about car and truck crashes and injuries every day. So, a discussion about interstate highway speed limits, and speeding drivers is a good conversation to cover with regard to injury prevention.
Lombardi was recently discussing his love of speed (this is probably a simple male instinctual trait) and how that tension and dissonance interfaces with his desire as a Des Moines injury lawyer to see less accidents on interstate highways. Based on the review of a number of safety studies involving interstate highway accidents, injuries, and deaths one of the most interesting statements that Lombardi found in a study was the following:
Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. It reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle travels while a driver reacts to a dangerous situation. Higher crash speeds also reduce the ability of vehicle, restraint system, and roadway hardware such as guardrails, barriers, and impact attenuators to protect vehicle occupants.
Hawaii injury attorney Wayne Parsons discussed why speeding and higher interstate speed limits are both significant area variables in deaths and injuries on the interstate highways, and Devon Glass, also wrote about how speeders are causing a higher rate of injuries and deaths than other drivers. I plan to keep reading and writing on this topic as my injuryboard colleagues chime in on interstate injury prevention.
Here are some of my Injuryboard colleagues interesting stories about speeders and the synergy effect combined with speed limits on interstate highways:
Are Double-Bottomed Semis More or Less Dangerous to You? – Lombardi, Who wins and loses when a Ford Focus and a fully-loaded semi-truck crash? – Lombardi Hawaii Freeway Chronicles #1: What Are The Danger Points On H-1, H-2 and H-3?, Wayne Parsons The Interstate Highway Graveyard, "Speed Kills", Why Speeders on the Highway Cause More Serious Accidents, Lombardi Why Speeders on the Highway Cause More Serious Accidents – Devon Glass
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury lawfirm (VA-NC law offices) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY, who handle car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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