The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has gone on record stating that speed was a factor in the car crash that took the life of movie star Paul Walker, according to Newsday.com. Reports indicate that Walker was a passenger in a Porsche that traveling down a road in Santa Clarita when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a light pole causing the Porsche to burst into flames.
We do not know exactly what caused the driver to lose control of the Porsche but, as mentioned above, police strongly suspect speed to be a contributing factor to the fatal crash.
Obviously, this wreck is receiving major media attention because the victim was a famous actor. It’s a terrible loss, especially since Mr. Walker was only 40 years old and is survived by a teenage daughter who will now grow up without her father.
Unfortunately, thousands of lives are lost each and every year in accidents caused by speeding. In fact, speeding, as a contributing factor in fatal auto wrecks, has increased from 30 percent in 2000 to 33 percent in 2011, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Let us take this moment to put a spotlight on speeding and emphasize the human costs to recklessly operating a motor vehicle. Mr. Walker, in a bit of tragic irony, starred in the “Fast and Furious” movie franchise which featured a myriad of high-speed car chases. And it’s not just “Fast and Furious” which glorified pushing automobiles to the limit by traveling at breakneck speeds. Movies like “Getaway” and “Gone in 60 Seconds” featured the same misguided message – drive a car as fast as you want and there are no real consequences.
As this awful accident in Santa Clarita illustrates, there are consequences to speeding.
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