More than 11,000 deaths — 29 percent of all crash fatalities — occurred in speed-related

crashes in 2020. High speeds make a crash more likely because it takes longer to stop or slow
down. They also make collisions more deadly because crash energy increases exponentially as
speeds go up.

Raising speed limits leads to more deaths. People often drive faster than the speed limit, and if
the limit is raised they will go faster still. Research shows that when speed limits are raised,
speeds go up, as do fatal crashes.

Enforcement of speed limits helps keep speeds down. Traditional enforcement, which relies
on police officers to measure speed with radar or other technology, has been joined recently by
speed cameras. Speed cameras have been shown to reduce speeds and crashes.
Latest news

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in a pilot project in rural Maryland.

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Dangers of speed
Speed has a major impact on the number of crashes and injury severity (Elvik, 2005). It
influences the risk of crashes and crash injuries in three basic ways:
  It increases the distance a vehicle travels from the time a driver detects an emergency to
the time the driver reacts.
 It increases the distance needed to stop a vehicle once the driver starts to brake.
 It increases the risk that an evasive steering maneuver will result in loss of control.
 It increases the crash energy exponentially. For example, when impact speed increases
from 40 to 60 mph (a 50 percent increase), the energy that needs to be managed increases
by 125 percent.

In a high-speed crash, a passenger vehicle is subjected to forces so severe that the vehicle
structure cannot withstand the force of the crash and maintain survival space in the occupant
compartment. Likewise, as crash speeds get very high, restraint systems such as airbags and
safety belts cannot keep the forces on occupants below severe injury levels.

For practical reasons, there are limits to the amount of crash energy that can be managed by
vehicles, restraint systems and roadway hardware such as barriers and crash cushions. The higher
the speed, the higher the likelihood that these limits will be exceeded in crashes, limiting the
protection available for vehicle occupants.

Some people contend that speed variation, not speeding, is the real danger. This idea is rooted in
research conducted in the 1960s on two-lane rural roads, which found that vehicles traveling
much faster or much slower than average were more likely to be involved in crashes (Solomon,
1964). However, that same research found that involvement in severe crashes increased with
speed.

While less speed variation is associated with fewer crashes because it cuts down on passing
maneuvers and lane changes (Transportation Research Board, 1984; Garber & Ehrhart, 2000),
the risk of death and severe injury is a direct exponential function of speed, not speed
differences.

Many differences in travel speeds are unavoidable because of the slower speeds of turning or
merging vehicles. Higher speeds of other vehicles exacerbate this problem. Besides, many
crashes and nearly half of those resulting in occupant deaths are single-vehicle impacts in which
differences in vehicle speeds play no role or only a minor one.

By the numbers

In 2020, a total of 11,258 deaths, or 29 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities, occurred in speed-
related crashes.

Based on a nationally representative sample of police-reported crashes, speeding — defined as

exceeding the speed limit, driving too fast for conditions or racing — was involved in 10 percent
of property-damage-only crashes and 13 percent of crashes with injuries or fatalities in 2020.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the economic cost
of speed-related crashes is about $52 billion each year (Blincoe et al., 2015).

Drivers exceed posted speed limits on different kinds of roads. A national survey found that on
interstates and other freeways, 20 percent of free-flow traffic in 2015 exceeded posted speed
limits by 10 mph or more (Leonardis et al.). The percentages were similar on major arterials and
on minor arterials and collectors (18 percent and 19 percent, respectively).

Speeding on all types of roads has increased. In 2007, 14 percent of free-flow traffic on
interstates and other freeways, 15 percent on major arterials, and 16 percent on minor arterials
and collectors exceeded posted speed limits by 10 mph or more (Huey et al., 2007).

In a 2020 national telephone survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 45
percent of drivers said they had exceeded the speed limit by 15 mph on a freeway in the past
month, and 35 percent reported exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph on a residential street (AAA
Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2021).
Who speeds?
Drivers who speed tend to be younger than drivers who don't, and male drivers are more likely
than female ones to speed (Schroeder et al., 2013; Preusser et al., 1988; Williams et al., 2006).

Crashes and violations of young drivers are much more likely to be related to speeding than
those of drivers of other ages (Williams et al., 1995). A study in California found that the rate of
speeding violations per mile traveled was at least 3 times as high for drivers 16-19 years old as it
was for drivers 30 and older (Janke et al., 2003). In a 2011 national telephone survey, the
percentage of drivers who reported having at least one speeding-related crash during the past five
years was higher for the youngest drivers, those 16-20 years old, than for any other age group,
even though the youngest drivers may not have been driving for all of the past five years
(Schroeder et al., 2013).

These trends hold true for fatal crashes involving speeding. In all fatal crashes in 2020, male
drivers were more likely to be speeding than female drivers. Twenty-two percent of male drivers
involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash, compared with 13 percent of all
female drivers. The proportion of drivers that were speeding in fatal crashes decreased with
increasing driver age.

Speed limits
Speed limit laws, which date to 1901, traditionally have been the responsibility of the states, but
the national maximum speed limit in place in the 1970s and 1980s effectively established
maximum speed limits of 55 mph everywhere in the country. Since its complete repeal in 1995,
speed limits have trended up.
Currently, 22 states have maximum speed limits of 70 mph, and 11 states have maximum speed
limits of 75 mph on some portion of their roadway systems. On some sections of interstates in
eight states, speed limits are 80 mph. In October 2012, a 41-mile stretch of Texas State Highway
130 opened with a speed limit of 85 mph.

Maximum posted speed limits for different road types, by state

State laws set maximum speed limits for each type of road (e.g., interstate highway, two-way
undivided highway) and land use (urban or rural) (Federal Highway Administration, 2009).
Statutory maximum speed limits also can be established for special situations such as school
zones. The posted speed limit for a particular road or section of a road can be below the
maximum speed limit allowed, however, if the local or state agency in charge of the road decides
a lower limit is warranted.

Common factors considered in setting speed limits include the 85th percentile speed — which is
the speed that 85 percent of vehicles are traveling at or below in free-flowing conditions — land
use, roadside environment, roadway design, crash experience and the prevalence of pedestrians.

Advocates of using the 85th percentile speed to set limits argue that it reduces the need for
enforcement and, at the same time, reduces crash risk by narrowing variation among vehicle
speeds. However, raising the speed limit doesn't always reduce speed variation (Hu, 2017), and
numerous studies of travel speeds have shown that 85th percentile speeds on rural interstate
highways increased when speed limits were raised and then continued increasing (Retting &
Greene, 1997; Retting & Teoh, 2008; Retting & Cheung, 2008; Najjar et al., 2000). The 85th
percentile is not a stationary point. It is, rather, a moving target that increases when speed limits
are raised. If speed limits are raised to meet the current 85th percentile speed, a new, higher 85th
percentile speed will likely result.

Effects of speed limits on safety

The establishment of the national maximum speed limit and its subsequent repeal provided
ample opportunity to study the effects of lowering and raising speed limits.

Congress established the national maximum speed limit in 1973 in response to oil shortages. The
U.S. Department of Transportation was directed to withhold highway funds from states that did
not adopt a maximum speed limit of 55 mph. Before that, speed limits on rural interstates in most
states ranged from 65 to 75 mph, with the majority of states setting rural interstate speed limits of
70 mph. In urban areas, most states maintained 55 mph speed limits before the national
maximum speed limit was established.
By March 1974, all states had adopted the 55 mph national maximum speed limit. Concerns
about fuel availability and costs faded, however, and Congress in 1987 allowed states to increase
speed limits on rural interstates to 65 mph.

The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 repealed the maximum speed limit,
allowing states to set their own limits for the first time since 1974. Many states quickly moved to
raise speed limits on both rural and urban interstates and freeways.

Although the national maximum speed limit was imposed to conserve oil, its greatest effect was
on safety. The National Research Council attributed 4,000 fewer fatalities to the decreased
speeds in 1974 compared with 1973 (Transportation Research Board, 1984).
Not surprisingly, higher limits established after the 1995 repeal were associated with immediate
increases in travel speeds. For example, within one year after speed limits were raised from 55 to
70 mph on three urban freeways in Texas, the percent of passenger vehicles traveling faster than
70 mph increased from 15 to 50 percent; the percent exceeding 75 mph increased from 4 to 17
percent (Retting & Greene, 1997). On California urban freeways where speed limits were raised
from 55 to 65 mph, the percent of motorists traveling faster than 70 mph increased from 29 to 41
percent.

As limits continued to rise to 70, 75 and 80 mph, travel speeds continued to go up (Retting &
Teoh, 2008; Hu, 2017).

Fatalities also went up. Deaths on rural interstates increased 25-30 percent when states began
increasing speed limits from 55 to 65 mph in 1987 (Baum et al., 1991; Baum et al., 1989; Baum
et al., 1990). In 1989, about two-thirds of this increase — 400 deaths — was attributed to
increased speed and the rest to increased travel.

An IIHS study examined longer-term changes. During 1993-2017, a 5 mph increase in the
maximum state speed limit was associated with an 8 percent increase in fatality rates on
interstates and freeways and a 3 percent increase on other roads (Farmer, 2019). In total, there
were an estimated 37,000 more traffic fatalities during these years than would have been
expected if maximum speed limits in 1993 had remained in place. In 2017 alone, there were
more than 1,900 additional deaths.

Speed enforcement methods

Police use a variety of methods and equipment to measure vehicle speeds.

Radar: Radar is the primary method of speed enforcement in the United States. Radar guns aim
an electromagnetic signal at a target vehicle and pick up the return signal reflected off the
vehicle. The Doppler effect causes the frequency of the return signal to shift by an amount
dependent on the relative speeds of the source of the original signal and the target.

Radar is highly reliable and accurate. However, it can be difficult to pinpoint specific vehicles in
heavy traffic, and some motorists use radar detectors to help them speed without getting caught.
Laser: Laser devices, also known as LIDAR (light detection and ranging), use a time/distance
calculation to measure speed. The devices aim a narrow band of light at the target vehicle and
measure the time it takes to receive the reflected light. Because the speed of both the original
light pulse and its reflection are traveling at the same speed (the speed of light), differences in the
time it takes the transmitted light to strike the target vehicle and return can be used to calculate
the speed of the vehicle. Lasers can pinpoint specific vehicles in heavy traffic.

VASCAR: VASCAR stands for visual average speed calculator and recorder. It uses a portable
computer to accurately clock, calculate and display speed based on the time a vehicle takes to
travel a known length of road.

VASCAR provides an average speed measurement over a greater distance than is possible with
radar. It enables police officers to identify specific speeding vehicles and can be used from patrol
cars following speeders. VASCAR can detect speeding vehicles going in the opposite direction.
When used correctly, it is very reliable.
Aerial speed measurement: Officers in light aircraft measure vehicle speeds based on the time
it takes to travel between two or more pavement markings spaced a known distance apart.
Information is transmitted to officers on the ground who then issue speeding citations.

Aerial surveillance can provide very accurate speed measurements and allow officers to focus on
the fastest vehicles, but it is costly and can be difficult to use in locations with high traffic
volumes.

Speed cameras

Among enforcement methods, speed cameras stand apart because they don't require the presence
of an officer. By deploying cameras, communities are able to enforce speed limits much more
consistently than they can using traditional enforcement.

Most speed cameras measure the speed of a vehicle at a single spot. Fixed cameras use either
radar or detectors embedded in the road surface to measure a vehicle's speed. Mobile cameras are
placed at the roadside in marked or unmarked police cars, containers, poles, etc., and use radar or
laser to measure speeds. Some communities require mobile cameras to be manned. In either
fixed or mobile systems, if a vehicle is traveling faster than a predetermined speed, the date,
time, location and speed are recorded along with a photo of the vehicle.

More recent technology can measure average speeds over a certain distance. In this case,
cameras located at two or more points record time-stamped images of all vehicles that pass them.
Automatic license-plate recognition is used to match individual vehicles so that average speeds
between the two points can be calculated. Time-stamped pictures of speeding vehicles are used
as evidence of speeding. Point-to-point speed cameras have been used to enforce speed limits in
countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom.
Speed cameras usually are programmed so they will not be activated unless a vehicle is traveling
significantly faster than the posted limit — typically 10 or 11 mph faster, although in certain
places such as school zones the tolerance may be lower.

Automated speed enforcement can substantially reduce speeding on a wide range of roads. IIHS
studies of cameras on residential roads in Maryland, on a high-speed roadway in Arizona and on
city streets in the District of Columbia found that the proportion of drivers exceeding speed
limits by more than 10 mph declined by 70, 88 and 82 percent, respectively, six to eight months
after cameras were introduced (Retting et al., 2008; Retting et al., 2008; Retting & Farmer,
2003).

An IIHS study in Montgomery County, Maryland, found that about 7½ years after the speed
camera program began, the cameras were associated with a 10 percent reduction in mean speeds
and a 62 percent reduction in the likelihood that a vehicle was traveling more than 10 mph above
the speed limit on camera-eligible roads, almost all of which had cameras (Hu & McCartt, 2016).

A 2010 review published by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international public health

organization, examined 35 studies from various countries. The authors concluded that speed
cameras — including fixed, mobile, overt and covert devices — cut average speeds by 1-15
percent and the percentage of vehicles traveling above the speed limits or designated speed
thresholds by 14-65 percent compared with sites without cameras (Wilson et al;. 2010).
Speed cameras have also been shown to reduce crashes and crash injuries. Speed camera
enforcement in Montgomery County was associated with an 8 percent reduction in the likelihood
that a crash on a camera-eligible road was speeding-related and a 19 percent reduction in the
likelihood that a crash involved an incapacitating or fatal injury (Hu & McCartt, 2016). A
corridor approach, in which cameras were periodically moved along the length of a roadway
segment, provided an additional 30 percent reduction in the likelihood that a crash involved an
incapacitating or fatal injury over and above the effect of the cameras.

In its 2010 review, the Cochrane Collaboration summarized 28 studies that reported the effect on
crashes and found reductions of 8-49 percent for all crashes, 8-50 percent for injury crashes and
11-44 percent for crashes involving fatalities and serious injuries, in the vicinity of camera sites
(Wilson et al;. 2010). Over wider areas, the review found reductions of 9-35 percent for all
crashes, and 17-58 percent for crashes involving fatalities and serious injuries. Reviewed studies
with longer duration showed that these trends were either maintained or improved with time.

Speed cameras were in operation in 174 U.S. communities in 17 states and the District of
Columbia during 2021, according to media sources and other public information tracked by
IIHS, up from only four Arizona and Utah communities in 1995. Peoria, Arizona, and Paradise
Valley, Arizona, were the first two communities to implement speed cameras in 1987. Cameras
are used statewide in highway work zones in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon and
Pennsylvania.
 U.S. communities using speed cameras
State laws on automated enforcement
Despite some vocal opposition to camera enforcement, telephone surveys in jurisdictions with
speed-camera programs show a majority of drivers support them.
A 2014 IIHS survey of 900 licensed drivers ages 18 and older residing in Montgomery County,
Maryland, found that 62 percent of drivers favored automated speed enforcement on residential
streets about 7½ years after camera ticketing began (Hu & McCartt, 2016).

A 2020 national survey of drivers ages 16 and older indicated that 44 percent supported the use
of speed cameras to ticket drivers who travel more than 10 mph over the speed limit on
residential streets (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2021).

A 2012 IIHS survey of 801 District of Columbia residents found strong support for speed
cameras (Cicchino et al., 2014). D.C. has used speed cameras since 2001. In the survey, 88
percent of residents said that speeding was a serious threat to their personal safety. Seventy-one
percent of residents who had driven a car in D.C. in the past month and 90 percent of residents
who had not driven supported speed cameras.
In Scottsdale, Arizona, 63 percent of drivers surveyed prior to the start of automated enforcement
said speed cameras should be used on an urban freeway where camera enforcement was planned.
After speed cameras were operational, 77 percent of drivers supported their use (Retting et al.,
2008).

An automated enforcement program checklist published in 2021 by IIHS along with AAA,
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Governors Highway Safety Association and the
National Safety Council provides practical instructions for planning and implementing both red
light camera and automated speed enforcement programs. The guide aims to help communities
follow best practices and maintain public support for the programs.

Intelligent speed assistance

Intelligent speed assistance (ISA), sometimes also called intelligent speed adaptation, describes a
class of in-vehicle systems that provide information to the driver on their speed relative to the
posted speed limit. ISA systems work with either GPS devices linked to speed limits or on-board
sensors or cameras that "read" speed limit signs and then integrate speed limit data with vehicle
speed in real time.

ISA systems differ in how much control drivers have in deciding whether to speed. The least
automated systems provide alerts to drivers (Biding & Lind, 2002). A second approach is to
introduce resistance to gas pedals, making it harder but still possible to speed (Varhelyi &
Makinen, 2001). The most aggressive automated systems limit gas flow to engines so drivers can
accelerate up to but not over the speed limit. Some manufacturers offer built-in top speed limiters
that must be set manually, whereas some systems will automatically limit the top speed to the
posted speed limit (Carsten et al., 2008). A fourth option is to give drivers incentives, such as
auto insurance discounts, to slow down (Reagan et al., 2013).

During the past 25 years, field assessments have indicated significant reductions in speeding
when driving with ISA.
The largest research effort studied several thousand Swedish drivers using systems giving an
advisory alert, pedal feedback or throttle constriction for more than a year. Researchers reported
a decrease in speeding violations for each system (Biding & Lind, 2002).

A U.S. study indicated that the potential to earn a modest monetary incentive while driving with
an alerting ISA system increased the percentage of time driving at or below the speed limit from
70 percent to 83 percent (Reagan et al., 2013).

European researchers have found large reductions in speeding over periods ranging from months
to over a year (Carsten, 2012).

The largest technical barriers to ISA are the accuracy and breadth of coverage of digital maps
with speed limits for GPS-based systems and the need for frequent speed limit signs for the
camera-based systems. Digital maps may not include local roads and aren't always updated with
speed limit changes in a timely fashion, and the camera-based systems will not know the speed
limit until the vehicle passes a speed limit sign.

As of July 2022, all new vehicles sold in Europe are required to have standard ISA. Several
manufacturers offer optional advisory ISA systems for vehicles sold in the U.S., and ISA
systems that limit gas flow to engines are available as options on a limited number of new
vehicles. Manufacturers have begun to integrate camera-based speed limit recognition with
cruise control to adjust the set speed based on the posted limit.

Updated July 2022