On Saturday, January 4, a 17-year-old boy was unfortunately killed in the wake of a solo vehicle crash outside of Livermore, say authorities. The crash involved the boy and a BMW 535i. California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officers responded to a call about the car hitting a tree on Del Valle Road south of Mendenhall Road around 5:32 that evening, according to the Patch newspaper who interviewed CHP Officer Tyler Hahn. The Patch writes that “it’s unknown why the vehicle left the roadway, “but speed sounds likely,”” said Officer Hahn.
Del Valle Road is out by itself within back country roads that are windy and difficult to navigate through, especially while driving at high speeds. Although you should never speed in most circumstances you should be especially watchful of your speed and surroundings in an area such as Del Valle.
Speeding is a major factor in both traffic injuries and deaths because speeding reduces the amount of time drivers have to react in a dangerous situation to avoid a crash. It also increases the vehicle’s stopping distance, reduces the ability for road safety structures to protect the people in the car in a crash, can lead to severe injuries, and increase your fuel consumption and cost. In 2022 speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities, killing 12,151 people. A crash is considered to be related to speeding when the driver is charged with a speeding-related offense or if racing, driving too fast for conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit. The main factors that contribute to reasons for speeding are traffic congestion, running late for work, school, meetings, lessons, sports games, appointments, etc., anonymity, and disregarding other driver’s safety and the law. Most vehicle drivers don’t drive aggressively, and some never do. For other drivers they might experience episodes of aggressive driving either occasionally or frequently. Occasional episodes of this kind of driving may be caused by responding to different situations like being late, but often isn’t their typical driving behavior.
15,510 teen drivers from 2015-2019 between the ages of 16-19 were involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes, and over one-third of those crashes – 5,202 – involved speeding. Teenagers among the ages of 16-19 are more at risk of being involved in a speeding-related crash than among any other age group, and become even more at risk when driving at night or on weekends. Teen drivers have a fatal crash rate almost three times higher than drivers ages 20 and older per mile driven.
According to the CDC, “The motor vehicle crash death rate for male drivers ages 16-19 years was three times as high as the death rate for female drivers in the same age group in 2020.” The most common risk factors for teens involved in crashes are inexperience with driving, driving at night or on the weekends, not using seat belts, being distracted while driving, speeding, using drugs or other substances, and drinking alcohol. The legal drinking age is 21 and even then you can only have a blood alcohol concentrate (BAC) level of lower than 0.08% to be able to drive.
Speeding is one of the most common factors when it comes to determining the cause of many car crashes because of the several dangerous situations that speeding can put you into. It also negatively affects both the driver who was speeding and the other drivers on the road and potentially pedestrians and bicyclists. It is important to be aware of other drivers and keep at a safe speed while driving to ensure the safety of yourself and others.
If anyone has any more information regarding this particular crash is asked to call the CHP at 925-828-0466 or [email protected]v.
Additional Sources:
–https://patch.com/california/livermore/17-year-old-killed-livermore-crash
–https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/east-bay/teen-driver-killed-crash-livermore/3752546/
–https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/motor-vehicle-safety-issues/speeding/
–https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding
