There is something about driving fast that captures people’s imagination. Every time you head onto the highway, you risk encountering someone who dreams they are Steve McQueen in “Bullit” or Vin Diesel in “Fast and Furious.” Unfortunately for you and anyone else around, speed kills.
How many deaths does speeding cause?
Driving too fast led to the death of 9,378 people in 8,447 crashes on the country’s roads in 2018. Sometimes it was the driver or their passengers that died. It was often other, innocent parties who happened to be on the same stretch of road at the time. Excessive speed was a factor in a quarter of all fatal crashes.
Which drivers speed the most?
If you think about characters you see driving too fast in the movies, they are usually men. The same applies in real life. While some women speed, the biggest threat to other road users comes from young males.
In all age categories, drivers found to be speeding in fatal crashes were at least 60% more likely to be male than female. Those aged 21 to 24 were twice as likely to be men.
What can you do about speeding drivers?
You can do little to stop others from speeding, apart from banning your son from watching fast car movies until they reach middle age. Or watching the film with them to point out the carnage the speeding characters leave in their wake.
When on the road, try to stay away from speed lovers. If someone is revving their engine next to you at the lights and looks across to try and engage you, let them go. If someone tailgates you impatiently, pull over to let them past. Speed kills, and when it doesn’t, it can leave you with devastating injuries.
