Speeding in Michigan: Is it Worse in the Day or at Night?

Speeding is inevitable. Ask any driver, and their reasons will include any of the following:

Running late for a meeting or work
Need to attend to an emergency
Eager for a thrill

Regardless of the reason, going over the speed limit is something that any driver has done at least once. They might not even know that they’re already above the speed limit during that time.

While law enforcement has been implementing traffic-calming measures on the road, speeding is still a driving offense that’s impossible to prevent completely. Once a driver has memorized their path, they can try to avoid these traffic-calming measures. Some examples of traffic-calming measures are speed bumps, traffic circles, chicanes, etc. But just because speeding cannot be stopped completely, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less harming.

Speeding Statistics in Michigan

Based on a study released by the Michigan State Police, there were more than 300,000 automobile crashes by the end of 2018 in the entire state of Michigan. Of this number, 55,340 resulted in injuries and 256,553 caused property damages, and more than 900 crashes ended in fatalities. Out of the total number of accidents, more than 30,000 accidents were because of speeding. Almost half of the crashes due to speeding had alcohol as part of the equation.

Looking at the current year, the Michigan Department of Transportation already reported 107 fatalities due to traffic crashes, or 16 more fatalities compared to last year. The same press release notes that speeding is one of the main reasons for these crashes along with drunk driving and distracted driving due to cell phone use.

Michigan Speeding Accidents at Night

The time when the speeding accident happens is critical in these types of situations. It is most especially true during the holidays when everyone is up all night celebrating. If you add alcohol to the equation, then the situation becomes even more dangerous.

An article published in 2018, reveals that Michigan’s drowsy driving accidents saw an increase from 2016 to 2017. The Office of Highway Safety Planning reported more than 3,000 crashes involving a fatigued or asleep driver behind the wheel. This number is just in Michigan alone. On a national scale, drowsy driving is the leading cause of 100,000 crashes every year.

Drowsy driving can contribute to the impairment of the driver’s ability to maneuver their vehicle. The reason is that their attention and vigilance are compromised when they are tired and sleepy. Vigilance and attention are two critical traits when driving. If you’re not vigilant or you don’t have enough energy to pay attention to the road, your reaction time will suffer.

The same article noted that drowsy driving accidents have a higher potential of seeing a fatality. If a driver is asleep or does not have the optimum energy to drive, they cannot make any corrective actions which may then result in a head-on collision.

Speeding accidents also commonly happen at night when there’s not much light on the road or confusing lights from construction work. Sometimes a driver, seeing that there’s not much cars on the road, will take advantage of the situation and step on the pedal. It doesn’t cross their minds that there might be pedestrians crossing the road at this hour. Plus, these pedestrians might also be difficult to spot because of lack of lighting.

Evenings are for nightlife, and when somebody is enjoying their nightlife too much, it can result in intoxication. No matter how many times somebody tells a person not to drink and drive, overconfident, intoxicated drivers will still get behind the wheel drive into the night. They also end up not being mindful of their own safety and the safety of others on the road.

Are You Involved in a Speeding Accident? The Clark Law Office Can Help.

If you or somebody you know suffered any injuries or damages because of a speeding driver, do not hesitate to ask help from a Michigan personal injury lawyer.

The Clark Law Office has experienced personal injury lawyers who will dedicate their time to winning your case. We are proud to say that we are the leading personal injury law firm in Michigan for the last 30 years. You don’t have to worry about your case being passed on to somebody else. Our team will personally work on your case from start to finish.

Call us for a free consultation at (517) 347-6900 or fill out the case evaluation form at your earliest convenience.

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Matthew Clark

Content checked by Matthew Clark, personal injury attorney with The Clark Law Office. Matthew is the owner of The Clark Law Office and represents injury victims all over the State of Michigan. He has collected multiple million dollar verdicts and settlements for victims of auto accidents, dog bites, slip and fall, and medical malpractice. The main office is in Okemos, MI but you can also find us in Lansing and Eaton Rapids.