Two Road Workers Killed After SUV Veered Off The Road
Two road workers are dead after an SUV hit them on Interstate 35 northbound frontage road. This crash occurred Friday morning, December 10, in southeast Austin. According to APD, speed was an obvious factor in the crash.
The Frontage Road Crash
On Friday morning, road workers contracted by the Texas Department of Transportation were installing road signs in a grassy area off the frontage road. According to the Austin Police Department, the driver of a 2015 Porsche veered off the frontage road and hit two road workers. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Other workers were also in the area at the time of the crash.
A woman who witnessed the scene believes that a third construction worker was sitting in a tractor at the time of the crash. The witness saw the tractor “spin out”, adding that this may have saved the worker’s life.
The Austin Police Department stated that speed was an “obvious” factor in the crash, but they are still investigating other factors that could have played a role in the deaths. Authorities may try to get a blood search warrant for the driver. The driver involved had to be cut out of their vehicle and was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening.
The APD’s vehicular homicide team is investigating the crash. This is Austin’s 106th fatal auto accident of 2021.
How Speeding Can Affect Your Driving
For many, pushing past the speed limit is seen as a harmless habit. People believe that they are in full control of their vehicle and are not putting themselves or anyone in danger by speeding a bit. Unfortunately, speed is one of the largest contributing factors to fatal and serious accidents.
Knowing how speed can affect your driving may help you avoid driving at dangerous speeds in the future. The major effects of speeding include the following:
Greater potential for loss of vehicle control
Reduced effectiveness of vehicular protective measures
Increased stopping distance
Increased risk of crash severity
The presence of each of these effects could mean the difference between a small fender bender and a fatal crash. Oftentimes, the impact of the crash depends on the speed at which the vehicle was going.
There are many reasons that people speed, whether they’re running late or just find the posted speed limit restricting. Whatever the reason you have for speeding is, the consequences aren’t worth it. Driving too quickly hampers your ability to control your vehicle, putting yourself and those around you at risk.
The next time you get behind the wheel, make an effort to stay at or below the speed limit. Running late or having a disregard for traffic laws is no excuse for speeding on the road.