There is no excuse for driving at excessive speeds. We’ve all experienced the anxiety of running behind, or rushing to a doctor’s appointment, or knowing that your kids are waiting for you outside their school. We’ve all felt that need to press just a little harder on the gas pedal, pushing the speed limit just a little. What’s the harm in going just five miles over the speed limit, you might ask? What about ten? Some say a police officer won’t bother to pull you over unless you’re going at least 15 miles-per-hour over the limit, an urban legend that has no basis in fact.
But getting into the habit of traveling at higher and higher speeds is dangerous. The higher your speed, the more likely a split-second mistake will lead to a life-threatening accident.
Take the example of this Houston man that lost his life by crashing into a tree. The accident happened Sunday morning in northwest Houston, near Baker Cypress Road. The driver was alone in his car, a Chevy Malibu, so no one else was injured in the collision. He was declared dead by the Harris County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators can tell that the driver hit the tree at an excessive speed. The damage is done to the car and the tree shows this. For example, the way the steering wheel snapped at the stem indicates the Malibu was going very fast just before slamming into the tree.
Why was the driver traveling so fast? We can only guess at this point. But his excessive speed prompted this accident to be fatal for him.