{"id":209210,"date":"2026-08-23T20:45:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T01:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=209210"},"modified":"2026-08-23T20:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T01:45:09","slug":"majority-of-drivers-think-speeding-is-ok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/08\/23\/majority-of-drivers-think-speeding-is-ok\/","title":{"rendered":"Majority of drivers think speeding is ok"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VW independent staff\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one actually drives the speed limit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three in ten drivers agreed with that statement in a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, highlighting how speeding has become normalized on today\u2019s roads.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most drivers agreed that posted speed limits are appropriate, many also considered driving 10 miles per hour over the limit acceptable, and nearly half believed keeping up with traffic is safer than obeying the posted limit. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
How fast do you drive when you see a 70 mile per hour speed limit sign? AAA photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Those attitudes matter because speeding continues to have deadly consequences. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a factor in nearly 30 percent of traffic fatalities in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFindings from this research show that some drivers in the United States view speeding as a normal part of driving,\u201d said Dr. David Yang, President and Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.\u201d When people take cues from surrounding traffic instead of following posted speed limits, it creates a culture that makes crashes more difficult to prevent and roads less safe for everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings suggest many drivers aren\u2019t speeding simply to save time, they\u2019re often convincing themselves that speeding is the right choice for the situation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drivers\u2019 top reasons for speeding:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • To get around slower drivers (31 percent)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To reach their destination faster (25 percent)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To avoid holding up traffic (21 percent)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    Drivers\u2019 top reasons\u00a0to slow down:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • To avoid getting a ticket (79 percent)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • To avoid being involved in a crash (72 percent)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Bad weather\u00a0(60 percent)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The report also found that drivers generally prefer countermeasures that encourage safer speeds over those that physically force them to slow down. Drivers expressed strong support for increased police presence in areas with a history (87 percent) or potential (88 percent) for speed-related crashes, and roughly seven in ten supported automated speed cameras in those locations. Drivers also viewed advisory Intelligent Speed Assistance \u2013 in-vehicle warnings or alerts when a driver exceeds the speed limit \u2013 more favorably than technology that automatically limits vehicle speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Support declined for countermeasures that remove driver choice. Although more than nine in ten drivers believed speed humps are effective, fewer than half supported installing them in their own neighborhoods. Support for ISA decreased as the technology became more restrictive, i.e. if the driver could not override the system.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cThere is no silver bullet for addressing traffic safety risks caused by speeding,\u201d Dr. Yang said. \u201cUnderstanding which strategies drivers are most willing to adopt can help policymakers and safety professionals develop interventions that are both effective and publicly acceptable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Changing attitudes around speeding will take time, but drivers can make a difference now by making safe speed choices each time they get behind the wheel.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cChoosing the right speed isn\u2019t about how quickly you\u2019ll get there\u2014or how fast everyone else is driving,\u201d said Dr. Bill Van Tassel, Manager of AAA\u2019s national driver training program. \u201cIt\u2019s about choosing a pace that gives you the time and space to react when something unexpected happens. That\u2019s what helps prevent crashes.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      VW independent staff\/submitted information \u201cNo one actually drives the speed limit.\u201d  Three in ten drivers agreed with that statement in a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, highlighting how speeding has become normalized on today\u2019s roads.   While most drivers agreed that posted speed limits are appropriate, many also considered driving 10 miles per hour over the limit acceptable, and nearly half believed keeping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-01 11:10:06","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209210"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209213,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209210\/revisions\/209213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}