![]() ![]() The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines a crash as speeding-related if any driver involved in the crash is charged with a speeding-related offense or if a police officer indicates racing, driving too fast for conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit was a contributing factor in a crash. Underscoring the importance of this issue, the National Transportation Safety Board has identified both “implement a comprehensive strategy to eliminate speeding-related crashes” and “protect vulnerable road users through a Safe System Approach” as part of its 2021–2022 Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements (found at Speeding as a Safety Problem The greater the speed of a vehicle at the time of a crash, the higher the risk of death for a pedestrian struck.īecause higher speeds increase fatalities, new approaches in speed management, such as the Safe System Approach, are needed to reduce roadway fatalities and increase the safety of all road users. Bicyclists accounted for approximately 2 percent of fatalities in 2019 with 846 bicyclist fatalities. Pedestrians made up 17 percent of traffic fatalities in 2019 with 6,205 fatalities. Per vehicle miles traveled in 2019, motorcyclist fatalities occurred nearly 29 times more frequently than passenger car occupant fatalities, and 33 percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2019 were speeding. This is especially concerning for more vulnerable road users, such as motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Studies clearly show that higher speeds result in greater impact at the time of a crash, which leads to more severe injuries and fatalities. Early estimates show that fatality rates and speeding-related fatalities increased in 2020 during the COVID-19 public health emergency, compared to 2019, although 2020 was anomalous. Despite this success, reducing traffic speeds and speeding-related crashes and fatalities continue to pose some complex challenges. Despite the large increase in traffic volume, the fatality rate decreased from 5.5 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 1966 to 1.11 fatalities in 2019. Much progress has been made in transportation safety over the last several decades. Speed management is a critical element of the Safe System Approach. ![]()
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