Attitudes Towards Speeding

Introduction

Speeding remains a serious threat to safe mobility. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates almost 30% of motor vehicle-related fatalities were related to speeding in 2021. Findings from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s 2022 Traffic Safety Culture Index, however, indicate that the American public does not perceive speeding to be as dangerous as other risky driving behaviors. Further, speeding emerged as the most common risky driving behavior respondents engaged in, and for a large segment of the population, speeding is the only risky behavior undertaken. There is good evidence that speeding-related countermeasures, such as automated enforcement cameras and intelligent speed assistance can reduce speeding-related crashes, but these countermeasures receive comparatively low levels of support from the American public. This study seeks to explore how the American public understands and defines speeding behavior and to explore attitudes towards speeding-related countermeasures. 

Project Goal and Plan

The main objective of the proposed research is to examine the range and prevalence of American’s attitudes towards speeding and related countermeasures. The project will first conduct an interdisciplinary literature review to capture the current state of knowledge on speeding. Next, the project will conduct focus groups with drivers to (1) explore social norms around definitions of speeding in different situations and (2) delve into perceptions of speeding-related countermeasures to understand barriers to support. Using findings from the literature and focus groups, the project will subsequently develop a bespoke questionnaire on attitudes towards speeding and speeding-related countermeasures. The project will then administer the questionnaire to a nationally representative sample and explore the prevalence and correlates of these opinions in the American public. Finally, the project will test some emerging hypothesis from the qualitative and quantitative work using the AAA Foundation Driving Simulation Laboratory.