Speed Management Overview
Excess speed can contribute to both the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes. At higher speeds, additional time is required to stop a vehicle and more distance is traveled before corrective maneuvers can be implemented. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to react to emergencies created by: driver inattention; unsafe maneuvers of other vehicles; roadway hazards; vehicle issues (such as tire blowouts); or, hazardous weather conditions.
Speed Management Key Messages
- Small changes in speed can have a big impact on safety.
- Crash tests conducted in 2019 showed that modest five to ten miles-per-hour (mph) increases in speed can have a severe impact on a driver’s risk of injury or even death.
- Speed increases have major implications for pedestrians. The average risk of death for a pedestrian is 10 percent at an impact speed of 23 mph, 25 percent at 32 mph and 50 percent at 42 mph.
- In 2020, the latest year for which this data is available: o 35 percent of male drivers aged 15 – 20 involved in fatal crashes were speeding.
- 34 percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes were speeding – more than drivers of any other vehicle type.
- Most speeding-related fatalities (87 percent) occurred on roads that were not interstate highways.
- More than half (53 percent) of speeding passenger vehicle drivers in fatal crashes were unbuckled, compared to 24 percent of non-speeding drivers.
Videos
Using short videos is a popular way to reinforce messages important to instilling safe driving practices. Feel free to embed in your social media posts, email messages, or on your website.
