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Speeding

Speeding is cited as a major factor in nearly one-third of motor vehicle crashes. The issue deserves the same emphasis as occupant protection and impaired driving programs in reducing deaths and injuries from motor vehicle crashes.

Setting speed limits has been the responsibility of states, except for the period of 1973-1994, when the federal government enacted the National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) policy setting mandatory speed limit ceilings on interstate highways and similar roads. The NMSL was repealed in 1995, and most states have raised speed limits since the repeal.

In 1999 and again in 2003, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) funded research to study the effects of the repeal of NMSL. Both times, researchers expressed concern about the societal cost of speeding. According to IIHS, higher travel speeds on rural interstates are responsible for an average 35 percent increase in death rates.

In 2005, GHSA surveyed the states to gauge what speeding reduction efforts states and territories are undertaking and published the results in a report format. Key findings included the following:

Crash Report Forms
Crash report forms vary from state to state, making regional comparisons difficult. Some states are able to isolate speeding-related fatal and injury crashes while others are not.
Statewide Data
Speeding-related crash data–if available–is usually available statewide. Speeding-related citation and/or conviction data, however, is not as frequently collected or maintained in a statewide database. Geographic and demographic data isolated to speeding (crashes or citations) is not readily available in a statewide database format.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving is defined in few state's statutes, although that number is increasing. Some states use informal definitions; others use other statutes such as reckless driving.
Funding
Most jurisdictions have not isolated speeding in terms of targeting federal highway safety funding. Rather, speeding was most often included as one of several components of funded activities (such as one of several focus areas of a Selective Traffic Enforcment Program.)
Perceived "Cushion"
There is a public perception of a "cushion" of about 5-10 miles per hour above the posted limit in which officers will not cite offenders.

GHSA places a great deal of importance on the problem of speeding drivers, and has urged NHTSA make speeding a high priority issue. Specifically, GHSA asks NHTSA to:

Actively endorse speeding and red-light camera programs
Conduct more speeding-related research
Develop a national anti-speeding communications campaign

GHSA Policy

Excerpted from GHSA's Highway Safety Policies & Priorities

F. Speed and Speeding

F.1 Speeding-Related Crashes
A significant percentage of all crashes are speeding-related. These crashes are a serious problem and have contributed to the slowdown in the reduction of motor vehicle fatalities. GHSA recommends that NHTSA should make speeding-related crashes a priority and conduct research on effective countermeasures, identify best practices and provide technical assistance to states that wish to address the issue. NHTSA should also examine a number of issues such as: the impact of speed fines and points, the effect of decriminalizing speed violations, the coordination of speed campaigns with those for safety belts and impaired driving and potential changes to vehicle standards to limit the speed of passenger vehicles. Further, NHTSA should approach speed in an integrated manner by working closely with FHWA on speeding-related engineering issues and with FMCSA on the problem of speeding commercial motor vehicles.

GHSA supports the authorization of a federal incentive grant program to help states combat the problem of speeding. Such a program should encourage state and local speed enforcement initiatives, the use of automated speed enforcement, and implementation of local speed education campaigns and speed management workshops.

F.2 Speed Limits
Speed limits should be part of a comprehensive speed management program including highway engineering, speed enforcement and public education. They should be established based on several factors including, but not limited to: highway design, highway operations, highway conditions, differences at state or municipal borders and traffic safety. Decisions regarding speed limits should consider the likely safety consequences (crashes, injuries, deaths and economic costs) of different speed limits. Speed limits should be perceived as reasonable by the public and be well publicized and vigorously enforced.

F.3 Speed Advertising
GHSA strongly encourages motor vehicle manufacturers and advertisers to restructure advertising messages to encourage safety instead of speed. GHSA offers to work with other organizations in the transportation and highway safety communities to develop plans and support for responsible corporate advertising.

F.4 Use of Speed Detection Devices
GHSA supports state and national efforts to prohibit the sale and/or use of speed detection devices (e.g. radar and laser detectors) by the public because such devices undermine law enforcement efforts to control motor vehicle speeds and enhance highway safety.