Crime & Safety
Young Men High Risk for Speed-Related Crashes
Michael Graziano, 24, is in critical condition after a crash Tuesday morning that was similar to the crash that paralyzed his 22 year-old brother John in 2007. Statistics show that young men are more likely to be involved in a speed-related crash.
No doubt, car crashes are one of a parent's biggest fears when it comes to their family's safety. Sadly, for a Pinellas County mother, those fears have become a reality twice.
Debra Graziano is asking everyone to pray for her son Michael, 24, who was critically injured early Tuesday morning when the car he was a passenger in, slammed into the back of a dump truck on Ulmerton Rd. in Largo.
"Please pray for my son John and please pray for my son Michael," Graziano said according to Bay News 9.
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Graziano's other son, John, was 22 years-old when he was severely injured in a crash in Clearwater in 2007. He is now paralyzed and requires 24-hour care, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Like his brother Michael, John Graziano was also a passenger in a car that was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed. The crash made headlines across the country because the 17 year-old behind the wheel was Nick Hogan, son of celebrity wrestler, Hulk Hogan.
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It turns out that parents of young men have good reason to worry about these types of crashes. Young men are more likely than any other group to be involved in speed-related crashes, according to the National Safety Council. National statistics from 2007 show that about 39 percent of males ages 15-20 who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash.
Speeding is a factor in about one out of three fatal crashes nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Like Tuesday's crash, most speed-related fatalities occur at night. In a 2007 study by the NHTSA, about 66 percent of urban speed-related crashes occurred at night. Other common factors in fatal crashes include alcohol and not wearing a seatbelt.
The NHTSA defines a crash as speed-related "if the driver was charged with a speeding-related offense or if an officer indicated that racing, driving too fast for conditions or exceeding the posted speed limit contributed to the crash,"according to the National Safety Council.
The council says that drivers, especially young drivers, speed for many reasons, including:
- being in a hurry;
- inattention;
- thinking the laws don't apply to them;
- not viewing their behavior as dangerous; and
- not expecting to be caught.
Education and enforcement help reduce speed-related crashes, according to the council.
In Pinellas County, the Florida Highway Patrol uses routine speed enforcement and Operation SALTE, or Saving a Life through Enforcement. The program sends troopers to various locations to target aggressive drivers and those not wearing seatbelts.
"As for risks to others, speeding plays a significant role in the numbers of crashes we and other local law enforcement investigate, hence the enforcement and educational efforts," said Sgt. Steve Gaskins of the Florida Highway Patrol.
In Pinellas County, drivers may call *FHP (*347) to report aggressive or impaired drivers, or other major traffic issues.
As for the other people involved in Tuesday morning's crash. The Florida Highway Patrol says 24 year-old Cameron Bosley was driving the Volvo that crashed into the dump truck. He was also injured and is in fair condition at Bayfront Medical Center. The driver of the dump truck, Steven Brady, of Lakeland, was not injured.
