Automotive
Many US drivers view speeding as normal, citing traffic flow and travel apps, AAA study finds
While nearly 30 percent of motorists believe everyone speeds, safety data shows excessive speed was involved in nearly a third of US traffic deaths in 2023.
The short version
- A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety revealed that 30 percent of surveyed U.S. drivers view speeding as normal behavior.
- Drivers cited several reasons for speeding, including keeping up with traffic, avoiding holding up others, beating travel app estimates, and believing they will not be pulled over for going 10 to 12 mph over the limit.
- Safety advocates point to severe consequences, with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data indicating that excessive speeding was involved in about 29 percent of 2023 traffic deaths.
Key facts
- Three out of ten American drivers surveyed in a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study stated that speeding is normal and that no one drives the posted speed limit.[Jalopnik]
- Surveyed drivers admitted to speeding to get around slower vehicles, avoid holding up traffic, match the flow of traffic, or beat travel app arrival estimates.[Jalopnik]
- Many drivers reported they speed when law enforcement is absent or when traveling 10 to 12 mph over the limit because they do not expect to be pulled over.[Jalopnik]
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that excessive speeding was involved in approximately 29 percent of traffic fatalities in 2023.[Jalopnik]
- An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study linked a 5 mph increase in maximum speed limits between 1998 and 2017 to an additional 37,000 traffic deaths.[Jalopnik]
- Large majorities of surveyed drivers support increased law enforcement and speed cameras in high-risk areas, but they oppose physical speed-limiting devices and traffic calming measures like speed humps.[Jalopnik]