A Hyundai clocked going 117 mph on Interstate 80 — with a child in an improperly secured car seat — is lucky it didn’t crash. At that speed, the damage to the people inside would be like falling for a 45-story building, said the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
“That sort of speed with an improperly secured child is never a good combination,” the WHP said.
The May 11 stop just north of Wheatland was featured Friday as the agency’s “Speeder of the Week,” along with a photo for the radar gun displaying “117."
Speeding that fast in an 80 mph zone with a child in an improperly installed car seat is a recipe for disaster, said WHP spokesman Aaron Brown.
That’s because a driver encountering a problem at that speed has a smaller window to react.
"Generally speaking, the faster you go, the worse things can get," Brown told Cowboy State Daily.
The stop drew attention from across Wyoming on Friday, many responding to the WHP’s Facebook post about the speed, including jokes about the likelihood of a Hyundai’s ability to drive that fast.
Like Falling From A 45-Story Building
It’s not a joke, Brown said, adding that many drivers don't fully appreciate how quickly their margin for error disappears as speeds climb.
At 60 mph, a driver needs roughly 250 feet to recognize a hazard, react and stop, he said. At interstate speeds, that distance increases dramatically.
By the time a vehicle reaches 117 mph, avoiding a collision may no longer be possible.
"If you hit something at 117 mph, it's essentially a death sentence," Brown said.
To put the forces involved into perspective, Brown compared such a crash to the impact of falling "from a 45-story skyscraper."
Even on Wyoming's wide-open highways, he said, there is little room for error when vehicles reach triple-digit speeds.
One Drift, One Correction
A crash isn't the only threat.
Brown said drivers traveling more than 100 mph can lose control from something as simple as drifting onto the shoulder, making a sudden steering correction or overreacting to debris in the roadway.
A mistake that might result in a scare at lower speeds can become a violent rollover at 117 mph.
"The chances of surviving a rollover at those speeds is highly unlikely," Brown said, adding that the risk grows even greater when occupants are not properly restrained.
"Seat belts save lives," he added.
'Your Body Is Going To Find A Way Out'
The citation involving the child restraint system is particularly concerning to troopers, Brown said.
Occupants who are not properly secured, whether adults or children, face a far greater risk of being tossed around a vehicle or ejected during a crash, he said.
"If you're not properly strapped in, your body is going to find a way out of that vehicle," he said.
Brown pointed to a recent fatal rollover near Wheatland that involved a partial ejection.
When people are thrown from vehicles, they "get mushed,” he said, and the odds of survival plummet.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol continues to stress the importance of seat belts and properly installed child safety seats, especially during Wyoming's busy summer travel season.
For Brown, the lesson from the Wheatland stop is straightforward.
At 117 mph, a driver isn't simply speeding. They're operating with almost no margin for error, where a split-second mistake can have irreversible consequences.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
