Understanding the Risks of Speeding

June 19, 2024||inPersonal Insurance|auto insurance, personal insurance

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) scheduled its annual Speed Campaign for July 8-31, 2024. This campaign is intended to raise awareness regarding the risks of speeding and encourage drivers to adopt safer driving practices. According to NHTSA data, speeding kills more than 12,000 people behind the wheel each year, contributing to nearly one-third (29%) of all traffic fatalities. With this in mind, it’s important to understand what causes speeding and how to prevent it.

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Key Causes of Speeding

Drivers may speed for a range of reasons. Some of the most common reasons include the following:

  • Disregard for the law
  • An increased sense of anonymity
  • Excess frustration or aggression, often due to adverse traffic conditions
  • Poor time management

It’s worth noting that none of these causes justify the act of speeding. No matter what, speeding is not worth the serious risks it poses to yourself and others behind the wheel.

Speeding Prevention Tips

If you are required to drive on the job, it’s crucial to avoid speeding. During the NHTSA’s annual Speed Campaign and beyond, consider the following speeding prevention tips:

  • Obey the posted legal speed limit at all times.
  • Avoid any triggers that may motivate you to speed. This entails giving yourself plenty of time to complete your journey and remaining calm behind the wheel.
  • Be especially mindful of your speed when passing a school where children are present, when going through an intersection marked “school crossing”, or when passing a safety zone occupied by pedestrians.
  • Remember that, in addition to obeying the posted speed limit, you should not drive faster than road conditions allow. This means it’s best to 1) Reduce your speed in rain, fog, ice, snow, and heavy traffic, and 2) Take it slow when crossing an intersection or railway crossing, going around a curve, or passing through construction zones.

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