NHTSA Releases Data on Speeding-Related Fatalities

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bout 1,000 people die each month in speed-related vehicle crashes, according to federal data, the Associated Press reported.

Speed was a factor in about a third of all fatal crashes examined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which looked at speeding-related crash and death data from 1983 to 2002, AP said.

New Jersey had the lowest proportion of speeding-related crashes, while South Carolina had the highest, the NHTSA report said.

The proportion of speeding-related deaths compared with total deaths reached a high of 36.8%, or 16,947 deaths, in 1986. If fell to 29.9%, or 12,552 deaths, in 2000, but has grown since then, NHTSA said.

“Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes,” the report said.

The report said speeding reduces drivers’ ability to steer around obstacles and increases the distance needed to stop. Seat belts, highway guard rails and other safety features also are less effective the faster a driver is going, it said.