Speeding remains a factor in nearly one-third of all motor vehicle-related fatalities, according to a Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report.
The report, Speeding Away from Zero: Rethinking a Forgotten Traffic Safety Challenge, examines federal and state policies, data and research, and programs to reduce speed-related crashes.
Speeding is considered culturally acceptable and does not receive much traffic-safety-issue attention, GHSA said. It is a threat to bicyclists and pedestrians as well as motorists.
“If we want to get to zero deaths on our roads, we need to address speeding on a much deeper and more comprehensive level than we have been,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said. “This clear and present danger on our roadways makes it imperative to devote additional resources toward getting drivers to slow down in order to save lives.”
Some cities have reduced speed limits, but the majority of speed-related deaths happen on rural roadways.
The report includes recommendations for reducing speed-related fatalities. These recommendations include more aggressive and sustained law enforcement efforts, prioritizing federal legislative and programmatic prioritization, and engineering traffic elements for safer speeds.
In April, GHSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will host a forum on speeding with the goal of prioritizing safety over speed.