Drivers who speed are more likely to take other risks, be involved in near collisions and waste more fuel compared to their non-speeding colleagues. Some of the conclusions drawn from SmartDrive’s analysis show that drivers who speed are:
- Nearly 3x more likely to practice unsafe following distances
- 45 percent more likely to be involved in a near collision
- 54 percent more likely to cross the median or center line of the roadway
- More than 2.5x more likely to be distracted while driving
- Consistently more likely to fail to comply with stop signs and red lights
- More likely to engage in unsafe lane changing, merging, passing, braking and turning
- 3.7x more likely to drive with two hands off the wheel
- More likely to waste fuel; highway MPG for speeding drivers is 2.7 percent lower than all other drivers
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the total comprehensive cost of speeding is $203 billion. According to NHTSA:
- 83 percent of drivers surveyed believe driving is a safety concern, yet 64 percent say they are comfortable speeding
- 27 percent of all fatal automobile crashes involve drivers who were speeding
- Speeding-related fatalities increased by 4 percent from 2015 to 2016
- 15 percent of speeding-related fatalities occurred on interstate highways and drivers involved in fatal crashes tend to speed more frequently at night.
“While everyone understands speeding is dangerous, only video safety—deployed with a cab-facing camera—provides objective measurement of the associated driving risks and the price fleets pay as a result of collisions caused by speeding, associated legal claims and vehicle damages, as well as wasted fuel,” said Steve Mitgang, CEO of SmartDrive. “SmartDrive applauds those fleets that have taken the necessary steps to reduce speeding, protecting their drivers and the motoring public by implementing an action-oriented video safety program.”
