Attitudes about speeding
Although one in 10 drivers say they were stopped for speeding in the previous 12 months, few (about 8 percent) believe they'll get a ticket for going 5 to 9 mph over the speed limit.
And while many drivers will admit to speeding at one time or another, 68 percent feel that other speeders are a safety threat to themselves and their families, especially females (75 percent) and those age 65 and older (86 percent).
Weather conditions are the most important factor in determining what speed to go, say most drivers.
While 83 percent of drivers say they believe the speed limits on neighborhood roads are about right, 48 percent believe that the highway limit should be 70 mph or higher; males and younger drivers think it should be 75 mph or higher.
Source: NHTSA "National Survey of Speeding and Unsafe Driving Attitudes and Behavior," 2002 |
It probably wouldn't surprise you that speeding is one of the most prevalent causes of crashes; in 2006, speeding contributed to 31 percent of all fatal crashes, killing 13,543 people. But would it surprise you to learn that only 13 percent of speed-related fatalities occur on interstate highways?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the cost to society of speeding-related crashes is $76,865 per minute, for a total of $40.4 billion a year.
In fatal crashes, young males are the ones most likely to be speeding. In 2006, according to NHTSA, 39 percent of of male drivers age 15 to 20 who were in crashes were found to be speeding. That proportion decreases with age.
Drinkers are also more likely to be going too fast. Among those age 21 to 24 whose speeding caused fatal accidents, 49 percent had blood-alcohol levels of .08 or higher, compared to 25 percent of nonspeeding drivers.
Overall, drivers with alcohol concentrations of .08 or higher accounted for 41 percent of fatal crashes. And it gets worse between midnight and 3 a.m., when 76 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had been drinking.
Motorcycle drivers clearly like to go fast; in 2006, 37 percent of motorcyclists in fatal crashes were speeding, compared to passenger car drivers (23 percent), light-truck drivers (19 percent) and large-truck drivers (8 percent).
Even in bad conditions, some drivers can't resist to urge to go too fast. NHTSA says that in 2006, speeding was a factor in 59 percent of fatal crashes on icy roads and in 55 percent on snowy or slushy roads.
Speeding was also a factor in 37 percent of fatal crashes in road-construction and maintenance zones.
|
British Citizens:
Canadian Citizens: