Speed
is involved in about one out of three fatal crashes, according to
NHTSA. It is the third leading contributing factor to traffic crashes.
But while injuries and fatalities due to other dangerous behaviors, such
as driving while impaired and not wearing seatbelts, have been
significantly reduced, speeding is still a challenge.
There are many reasons why people speed. According to Focus on Safety: A Practical Guide to Automated Traffic Enforcement, drivers speed because: - They’re in a hurry.
- They’re inattentive to their driving.
- They don’t take traffic laws seriously; they don’t think the laws apply to them.
- They don’t view their driving behavior as dangerous.
- They don’t expect to get caught.
- Some or all of the above.
Speeding results in:
- Lives lost – over 13,000 each year.
- Work zone crashes and fatalities – speed was a factor in 27 percent of fatal crashes in construction and maintenance zones in 2005.
- Unsafe school zones – compliance with lower speed limits is poor.
- Economic costs --
speed-related crashes cost society over $40 billion annually, according
to NHTSA. Every minute "gained" by speeding to a destination costs U.S.
society over $76,000.
~National Safety Council