SafeTREC Traffic Safety Facts: Speeding-Related Collisions

A speeding-related collision is defined as one in which a driver is racing, driving too fast for the conditions, or driving in excess of the posted speed limit. In the United States, speeding has been involved in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes for more than twenty years and is a leading contributing factor in traffic collisions. Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects, reduces the amount of time a driver has to react to a dangerous situation, and extends safe stopping distances. Nationwide there were 10,111 people killed in speeding-related traffic collisions in 2016, a 4.0 percent increase from 9,723 in 2015, and a 2.1 percent decrease from 10,329 in 2012. Drivers involved in a fatal speeding-related crash were also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors compared with non-speeding drivers—36.8 percent had a BAC of .08 or higher compared with only 15.2 percent of non-speeding drivers; and only 50.5 percent were known to be wearing seatbelts, compared with 78.8 percent of non-speeding drivers.