NSTB Study Hopes To Reduce Fatalities From Speeding

by Jake Tully - Published: 7/26/2017

In continuing efforts to improve and analyze the habits of road safety, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has shifted focus onto the aspect of speeding as a factor contributing to traffic fatalities.

In a synopsis from a recent study conducted by the NTSB, it was found that speeding contributed to 27% of traffic fatalities in 2015, compared to a 29% of fatalities that are attributed to alcohol impairment.

While the NTSB reports that speeding is not the only factor related to highway deaths, speeding is perhaps the most socially accepted behavior on the road that has the potential to endanger the lives of others.

“You can’t tackle our rising epidemic of roadway deaths without tackling speeding, and you can’t tackle speeding without the most current research,” said NTSB Acting Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt. “Speed kills. This study examines how it kills and what actions can be taken to save lives and prevent speeding-related crashes.”

According to the agency, the NTSB had identified the issue of speeding in commercial vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles operating in work zones and sites with hazards in previous studies, but has not addressed the issue as fervently in the class of passenger vehicles.

The NTSB reports that the safety study examines the risks that speeding may impose on the road as well as the attitudes that drivers have towards the phenomenon of speeding.

Following the study, the NSTB reportedly issued 19 safety recommendations to agencies and organizations in the country, including eight to the National Highway Traffic Association, four to the Federal Highway Association and one to the US Department of Transportation, among other road-related entities.

Additionally, the NTSB has reportedly recommended action to particular states in the country, with seven states that currently prohibit speed by automated enforcement, 15 states who currently have automated speed enforcement restrictions and 28 states currently without laws relating to speed enforcement.

The NTSB reports that the full results of the survey will be available on the agency’s site within a few weeks from their announcement.