Speeding is a factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, killing an average of 1,000 Americans every month, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which estimates the cost to society of speed-related crashes to be more than $40 billion each year. Speeding is a problem not only on freeways, but also on local streets. Many commuters opt to take surface streets, thinking they can more efficiently …show more content…
Speeding was a factor in 53 percent of fatal crashes that occurred when there was snow or slush on the road and in 60 percent of those that happened in icy roads. Even rain can be dangerous. Going down the interstate at 80 mph while it's pouring down rain so hard you can barely see in front of you is definitely not a good idea. Speed reduces the amount of available time needed to avoid a crash, increases the likelihood of crashing and increases the severity of a crash once it occurs. The public needs to be made more aware of the dangers of speeding. If we are to combat this dangerous, life-threatening behavior, we must devote increased resources to better enforcement, including more law enforcement officers to patrol the highways, and we must support technological advances, such as video cameras (also known as "photo radar"), to target aggressive, speeding