Super Speeders Endanger Pedestrians Too

PEDS commends Gov. Sonny Perdue and Rep. Jim Cole for promoting legislation that will increase fines for speeding drivers. The current “super speeder” proposal targets motorists exceeding 85 mph on any highway or 75 mph on two-lane highways. This is a great start, but it overlooks the tremendous threat to pedestrians created by motorists who speed in school zones or on neighborhood streets.

Drivers who exceed the speed limit by 20 mph on neighborhood streets create far greater risks than those who travel 85 mph on an interstate highway. If a pedestrian is hit at 45 mph, the likelihood of death exceeds 90 percent. The average cost of a pedestrian injury accident is $468,000, some seven times higher than the cost of an injury to a vehicle occupant. Given the vulnerability of pedestrians and the high cost of treating traumatic injury, the proposed bill should also increase fines for motorists who exceed the speed limit by more than 20 mph in school zones, near parks, and in residential districts.