The Lombard Police Department will be recognizing Illinois’ 3rd Annual Speed Awareness Day July 24, 2019. Lombard is taking a proactive approach to promote safety for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists through both education and enforcement.
In Illinois during 2015, speed was the reason for 34.2% of all fatal crashes. That’s 369 deaths for the year, or one life every 23.7 hours. These lives can be easily saved by being aware of our speed and understanding how speeding impacts a crash.
In residential areas, speeding can have the following consequences:
- When a pedestrian is hit by a car at 20 MPH there is a 10% likelihood of being killed, at a speed of 30 MPH the percentage increases to a 50% likelihood of being killed.
- The higher the speed at impact, the more severe the injuries sustained.
- 37% of the speed-related crashes result in injuries.
- When speeding there is a greater chance that other road users will misjudge how fast you are traveling.
- Speeding extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in emergency situations.
- Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to navigate safely around curves or objects in the roadway.
“Let’s all do our part by driving responsibly to prevent fatalities and reduce injuries on the roadways,” said Traffic Safety Officer Lt. Joe Grage. “Something simple like staying aware of your speed and obeying the speed limit signs ALL the time will help save lives.”
If you would like more information about Illinois Speed Awareness Day, please visit www.illinoisspeedawarenessday.org.