The聽National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is going to begin a major push to reduce speeding-related vehicle crashes on U.S. roads by encouraging more aggressive enforcement of speed limit laws and the wider adoption 鈥渋ntelligent speed adaptation systems.鈥�
The effort is being spurred by a study聽recent study conducted by the agency 鈥� entitled聽Reducing Speeding-Related Crashes Involving Passenger Vehicles聽鈥� that links speeding to 112,580 passenger vehicle highway crash fatalities between 2005 and 2014.
According to NTSB Acting Chairman Robert Sumwalt, to put that number in perspective, nearly the same number of people 鈥� 112,948 鈥� died in alcohol-involved crashes in the same period.
Despite what he called 鈥渢his sobering statistic,鈥� Sumwalt said in a statement that speeding has 鈥渇ew negative social consequences鈥� compared to the consequences of an arrest or conviction for driving under the influence. He further noted that while the agency鈥檚 study found that drivers are aware that speeding is a threat to safety, they also acknowledge it is a common driving behavior in the U.S.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 tackle our rising epidemic of roadway deaths without tackling speeding,鈥� Sumwalt explained. 鈥淎nd you can鈥檛 tackle speeding without the most current research. Speed kills. This study examines how it kills and聽what actions can be taken to save lives and prevent speeding-related crashes.鈥�
He added that the agency鈥檚 study also determined that speeding increases crash risk both in terms of the likelihood of being involved in a crash and in terms of the severity of injuries sustained by those involved in speeding-related crashes.
Based on its findings, the NTSB issued 19 safety recommendations to various groups: one to the聽U.S. Department of Transportation, eight to the聽National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, four to the聽Federal Highway Administration, and one each to the聽Governors Highway Safety Association, the聽International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the聽National Sheriffs鈥� Association.
The NTSB also recommended action from seven states that prohibit automated speed enforcement, 28 states without automated speed enforcement laws, and 15 states with automated speed enforcement restrictions.
The agency said its main recommendation to the states鈥攖o remove barriers to the use of automated speed enforcement鈥攊s based on finding that it is an 鈥渆ffective but underused鈥� countermeasure.
The NTSB also recommended as part of its analysis completion of all actions in the聽DOT 2014 Speed Management Program Plan, assessment of the effectiveness of point-to-point speed enforcement in the U.S., encouragement of passenger vehicle manufacturers and consumers to adopt 鈥渋ntelligent speed adaptation systems,鈥� and increasing the adoption of speeding-related聽Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria Guideline data elements and improving consistency in law enforcement reporting of speeding-related crashes.
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