Police are blaming speed for a deadly Phoenix car accident that killed two motorists Friday night and left a 19-year-old man hospitalized in critical condition.
ABC15 reported that a 2002 Mercedes was traveling west on New River Road when it failed to make a curve west of I-17. Police say the speeding vehicle rolled over several times and burst into flames. All three occupants were ejected during the crash.
A 35-year-old woman and an adult male were killed.
Speeding is the leading causes of serious and fatal accidents in Arizona. About 1 in 5 Arizona car accidents are blamed on speeding drivers, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. In 2008, a total of 41,567 crashes blamed on speeding were responsible for the death of 304 motorists and the injury of 13,653.
No other driving behavior was responsible for more injury accidents or more deaths on Arizona highways.
Nationwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that speeding is a factor in one-third of all fatal crashes, leading to 11,674 deaths in 2008.
The economic costs of speeding are estimated at $76,865 a minute, or nearly $1,300 a second.
The federal government reports that 373 motorists were killed in Arizona traffic accidents blamed on speeding in 2008. Only Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas reported more speed-related deaths.