Is hitting a person at 20 mph speed serious?
2 Answers
Hitting a person at 20 mph speed is serious, ranging from fractures to severe injuries. It is recommended to drive safely and yield to pedestrians. Relevant information about speed is as follows: The meaning of speed in 'miles per hour' (mph, short for miles-per-hour, commonly referred to as 'mph'). It is a unit of speed measurement, indicating miles per hour. It is typically used in the UK, former British colonies (such as the US), and Commonwealth countries for calculating speed limits on roads, tennis serve speeds, etc., and is also used to calculate the central wind speed of tropical cyclones. Conversion: 1 mph equals 1.609344 kilometers per hour. The term 'mph' is often misused. In fact, 100 mph is equivalent to over 160 kilometers per hour, not the commonly assumed 100 kilometers per hour.
A collision at 20 mph is absolutely serious – I must emphasize never to underestimate low-speed accidents. 20 mph is approximately 32 km/h, which may not sound fast, but the impact force when a car hits a pedestrian is tremendous. Imagine the landing force after being thrown – it can cause fractures, internal bleeding, or concussions. Especially for children or the elderly, even minor injuries could be fatal. I once witnessed a case where a driver turning at 25 mph hit a pedestrian, shattering the person's shinbone, requiring six months to recover. The key point is: never assume it's trivial – pedestrian safety entirely depends on the driver's attentiveness. Always scan your surroundings while driving, and reduce speed below 15 mph to ensure sufficient braking distance. Remember: no matter how slow, collisions must be avoided. Legal liabilities are severe in such incidents, insurance claims become complicated, and those extra seconds of cautious driving could save a life.
