NHTSA Reminds Drivers: Speeding Catches Up With You

Santa Rosa, CA — Focused on eliminating driving behaviors that contribute to traffic-related fatalities on our nation’s roads, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calls on drivers to recognize speeding as an aggressive driving behavior that endangers all road users and to put an end to it because Speeding Catches Up With You.  

Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in speeding-related crashes across America. In 2023, there were 11,775 fatalities that involved speeding, accounting for 29% of that year’s traffic fatalities. That number represented a 3% drop from 2022, in which 12,157 speeding-related fatalities occurred. Speeders don’t just put themselves in danger of serious injuries and death, they put other road users, including passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, at risk as well. Drivers have a shared responsibility to keep themselves and all road users safe. Obeying the legal speed limits and driving at a speed that is reasonable for road conditions is part of fulfilling that responsibility. Speed limits are put in place to reduce crashes and minimize a crash’s impact on the human body. Set through an engineering process, speed limits are no less important than the vehicle safety technology developed over the last decades.  

Those who speed choose to do so for different reasons, including lateness and traffic. Regardless, driving above the speed limit or too fast for road conditions is an active disregard for one’s safety, the safety of others, and the law. Like impaired driving, speeding is a selfish choice that can have deadly consequences. It reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object, or an unexpected curve. 

A speeding-related crash can easily result in devastating injury or a fatality, because of the intense impact on the body.  It may be thought of as falling from a multi-story building, with every 10 miles per hour representing one or multiple stories.  

Young drivers and motorcyclists have a higher chance of being involved in speeding-related crashes. In 2023, 37% of male drivers and 18% of female drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic crashes were speeding. Thirty-six percent of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2023 were speeding. Motorcycle riders 21 to 24 years old involved in fatal crashes had the highest rate of speeding involvement at 51%.   

We are urging everyone to commit to keeping our roads and town safe by obeying all speed limits.  Slowing down is the right choice. Ultimately, Speeding Catches Up With You. 

For more information, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding.