Street Racing and Speeding Are Serious Problems in DFW

Street racing has been deadly in North Texas

EDITED: Last night after street racing had closed a Duncanville intersection, a 54-year-old woman who was walking was fatally struck by a bullet.

Last month, a Frisco couple tragically lost their lives after two 19-year-olds who were street racing crashed into their vehicle. They were shockingly driving over 100 mph on a a road with a 40 mph limit just after lunch.

This doesn’t seem possible but the horrific crash was not an isolated example.

Other street races have resulted in the deaths of innocent drivers, notably a wonderful couple named Ben and Meg Arbour who tragically lost their lives in November in Fort Worth.

In Dallas over one weekend in February, 181 traffic citations were issued and 33 people were arrested for street racing.

And in the last one and a half years, DFW police have received over 2,500 reports of street racing.

Speeding drivers are common on our roads

Routine speeding causes two-thirds of collisions in Texas.

We all think nothing about it when someone blows by us on the interstate going 80 or 90 mph. And we are pushed out of the left lane if we are not doing at least 15 to 20 miles over the limit. And we sure don’t ever expect to get crashed into in a high-speed collision with a wannabe street racer.

There is probably a 100% chance that another driver is going to be speeding by or towards us when you set out in your vehicle.  We need to be hyper alert and ready.

And we have to crack down on street racing and speeding before they kill or injure other people.

Less Street Racing Due to New Fort Worth Law?

Here’s a good start: due to the public pressure after the Arbours’ tragedy, the Fort Worth City Council passed a law this week that makes it illegal to watch street races. People will be fined up to $500 when they do.

Street racing is against state law. Charges range from a Class B misdemeanor to a second degree felony under the Texas Transportation Code. Incarceration up to 20 years is a possibility.

But it is perfectly legal in Texas to gather to watch these reckless drivers. So large crowds gather to cheer for and place bets on these miscreants who turn our streets into drag strips and shut down intersections to do donuts. The state should have outlawed these street parties many years ago.

Police officials say they will use video and social media posts to track down the spectators.

Fort Worth’s crackdown will help curtail the glamour of street racing. Hopefully all other Texas cities — and our Texas Legislature meeting in Austin — will follow.

Speeding has increased across the U.S.

Exceeding the speed limit is such a national problem that even the business publication The Wall Street Journal just wrote a long article about it. The publication quotes safety officials from across the country who decry the number of injuries and deaths caused by speeding.

According to the National Safety Council, 42,000 Americans died last year in vehicle wrecks, a substantial 8% rise over the year before, especially considering the lock-down.

And the busy summer driving season when families can be packed into their vehicles is around the corner.

What’s the big rush? Drivers who mash the gas pedal down risk their lives and of course, those of their passengers and other drivers.

Often they are driving while intoxicated, driving huge pickup trucks, young, male, texting, or all of the above.

How to prove speeding

In a civil lawsuit for damages, which is the area of law that Berenson Injury Law specializes in, proof that a driver has violated the statute constitutes negligence per se or automatic liability.

Reckless driving is a serious civil offense. This leads to a prima facie case that the speeding driver must pay for your damages.

The first thing that a personal injury lawyer will do is prove that the other driver was speeding. He or she will go to the Texas Transportation Code, Section 545.351, that contains the law about exceeding the maximum speed requirement.

They will obtain the police report, speak to the officer and eyewitnesses, take photographs and measurements of skid marks, yaw marks, gouges in the pavement, and crush damages.

They will try to locate video cameras which may have recorded the collision.

They will possibly download the black box and use accident reconstruction experts, depending on the case.

The other driver and their insurance company often denies they were speeding, so immediate investigation and proof is critical.

The car accident lawyer will prove facts that entitle their client to win on liability. That happens when they show the other driver breached their duty to drive safely, here driving under the speed limit, and possibly other duties including the failure to yield the right of way, pass safely, keep a proper lookout, not text while driving, etc.

The attorney will also help his client obtain compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, pain, and other damages.

Contact Berenson Injury Law if you have any questions

Speeding causes way too many car wrecks in North Texas, and street racing causes even more. The higher the speed, the more likely injuries and even deaths will occur.

Berenson Injury Law has specialized in car and truck crashes for nearly 40 years.

Our goal is to help every client get the maximum compensation, then cut down their outstanding medical bills and claims for reimbursements from hospitals, health insurance companies and government agencies which may have liens on the proceeds.

The first consultation is free and we only get paid when you do so there is no risk.