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Characteristics of speeders
Allan F Williams1, Sergey Y Kyrychenko, Richard A Retting
1Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 1005 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22201, USA. awilliams@iihs.org
Journal of Safety Research
|July 29, 2006
Summary
Speeders, defined as drivers traveling significantly faster than others, are younger, drive newer cars, and have more violations and crashes. Stricter enforcement, including technology, is needed to control speeding behavior.
Area of Science:
- Traffic safety research
- Driver behavior analysis
Background:
- Speeding is a common traffic violation.
- Identifying characteristics of high-risk drivers is crucial for safety interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize drivers who exceed speed limits significantly (speeders).
- To compare speeders with drivers maintaining legal speeds.
Main Methods:
- Vehicle speeds were measured on 13 roads in Virginia.
- Speeders were identified as driving at least 15 mph over the limit and faster than surrounding traffic.
- Driver demographics, vehicle information, and violation/crash records were obtained via DMV data.
Main Results:
- 3% of drivers met the definition of speeders.
- Speeders were younger, drove newer vehicles, and had more violations (speeding, moving) than slower drivers.
- Speeders had a 60% higher crash rate.
Conclusions:
- Speeders represent a high-risk driver group.
- Effective control of speeding requires consistent and robust enforcement, potentially using automated technology.