The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Tuesday it would be launching a nationwide public education campaign to address speeding.
Part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s comprehensive safety strategy to prevent traffic deaths, the campaign will focus on “Speeding Wrecks Lives,” identifying speeding as one of the country’s most dangerous driving behaviors. The agency said it hopes the campaign will change general attitudes toward speeding and remind drivers speeding can be deadly.
“Much like impaired driving, speeding can steal the lives of everyone using our roads: drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Administrator. “We cannot accept the status quo. Speed-related deaths aren’t inevitable. They’re preventable, and everyone has a role in addressing this crisis on our nation’s roadways.”
Running from July 20 through August 14, the campaign will appear in national media in both English and Spanish-language ads on television, radio and digital platforms. The cost of the campaign is estimated to be around $8 million. The ads target drivers between 18 and 44 – those most likely to be involved in a speeding-related fatal crash.
According to NHTSA, 11,258 people died in speeding-related crashes in 2020, and speeding was a contributing factor in 29 percent of all fatal crashes. Even with fewer cars on the road during the pandemic, the agency said, data indicates a 17 percent increase in speeding-related deaths in 2020, compared to 2019.
The overwhelming majority of those fatalities (87 percent) occurred on non-interstate roads. Speeding contributed to 37 percent of the fatal crashes in work zones and was a factor in more fatal crashes on wet roads than on dry roads. Drinking and speeding is the deadliest combination, the agency said. Of the drivers involved in fatal crashes, 37 percent were speeding and had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.