One of the greatest factors that can affect the severity of a collision is the speed at which it took place. Vehicles involved in higher-speed collisions are more susceptible to passenger injuries and costly damage to the vehicle. But what exactly about vehicle speed creates higher severity collisions?
The Relation Between Speed And Collisions
Speed impacts vehicle collisions in two key ways. The first is the relation between speed and a collision is the probability of an incident. This is because speed plays a factor in a driver’s response time. Increased speed partnered with a slow reaction time can result in more accidents that occur at higher speeds. The second major relation between speed and a collision is the overall severity of the collision. As stated in a fact sheet created by the STOV Institute For Road Safety Research, higher collision speed results in more material damage due to the “law of physics that involves the quantity of kinetic energy that is converted in an instant.” This fact sheet also sites the vulnerability of the human body when subject to such an intensive force so quickly making the probability of injury increase with higher speeds. Although vehicles have been continuously improved with newer safety mechanisms like airbags and seatbelts, speed still becomes an important predictor of vehicle damage and passenger injury.
No Need For Speeding
Although there are several associated risks, SGI has cited a number of alarming statistics that relate to vehicle speeding. As stated in a recent SGI News Release, “Excessive speed is one the leading factors in traffic-related deaths and injuries on Saskatchewan’s roads: In 2021, there were 1,263 collisions in which speed was one of the contributing factors, resulting in 554 injuries and 20 deaths.”
The Cost of Speeding
On top of these alarming statistics, SGI also released information on the number of tickets being distributed by law enforcement as they relate to speeding. In March of 2022, law enforcement in the province issued 5,023 tickets related to speeding and aggressive driving.
A similar traffic safety spotlight was carried out in September of 2022 with another
4,887 tickets for various speeding offences, including 195 tickets to drivers for speeding in school zones.
SGI continues to measure and hand out increasingly substantial fines to speeders. On SGI’s website, the following table is used to illustrate speeding fines.
On top of these fines, new penalties came into effect on October 1st, 2022 to deter drivers from stunting and street racing. Both offences now cost $580 (with escalating fines for street racing), along with four demerits. Street racing already resulted in a 30-day vehicle impoundment, with the registered owner of the impounded vehicle being required to pay for the seizure and impoundment fees.
With such high numbers of violations, law enforcement across the province will continue to look out for drivers engaging in excessive speeding offences under The Traffic Safety Act:
- exceeding the limit by more than 35 km/h;
- exceeding the limit by more than 50 km/h;
- exceeding the limit in a school zone;
- exceeding 60 km/h while passing highway workers; and
- exceeding 60 km/h when passing an emergency vehicle or tow truck along the roadside with lights flashing.
- Stunting
- Street racing
Keep your vehicle out of the collision center and your money in your pocket by following the speed limits while out and about. If you are in a collision, give us a call at (306) 382 3911 or stop by our shop on 1109 Avenue Q South in Saskatoon.
Superior Auto Body Saskatoon has been in business since 1961, and we have been an SGI APPROVED Autobody shop and have been SGI accredited since 1982. There are many reasons we have so many loyal longstanding clients from all over the city, but mostly it is the small, personal touches that we offer to people who have been unfortunate enough to require our services.