Speed Limits & The American Highway Holocaust

NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), "Traffic Safety Facts 1999: Speeding" reports that "speeding was a contributing factor in 30 percent of fatal crashes, and 12,628 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes".  They estimate the total annual economic loss to speeding is $28 billion.

This ignores that non-speeding accidents accounted for 2 1/2 times as many fatal accidents, for a total of 28,983 fatalities and an annual economic loss of $70 billion.

It also ignores that 85% of American drivers drive between 5, 10, and 15 mph above the posted speed limit, which qualifies them to be "speeding related" if they have an accident.

If only 15% of American drivers do not speed, and if they are responsible for 70% of all fatal accidents, then they are over-represented by 4.7 times.  If 85% of American drivers do speed, and if they are responsible for only 30% of all fatal accidents, then they are under-represented by 0.35.  This means that the non-speeding driver is 13.3 times more likely to have a fatal accident than the speeding driver.

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