USDOT: Speeding Not Major Accident Cause

According to a report released last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the most comprehensive examination of accident causation in thirty years, speeding is not the principal cause of US traffic accidents.

The critical reason is determined by a thorough evaluation of all the potential problems related to errors attributable to the driver, the condition of the vehicle, failure of vehicle systems, adverse environmental conditions, and roadway design. The critical pre-crash event refers to the action or the event that puts a vehicle on the course that makes the collision unavoidable, given reasonable driving skills and vehicle handling of the driver.

The report concluded that speeding vehicles accounted for only five percent of critical pre-crash events. Driving off the edge of the road accounted for 22 percent of accidents while drifting over the center dividing line accounted for 11 percent of accidents.

When driver error led to a crash, researchers identified speeding as responsible for only 8 percent of the conditions. Distraction accounted for 41 percent of errors, lack of driving skills accounted for 10 percent of errors, and falling asleep, having a heart attack or being incapacitated accounted for 8 percent of errors.

According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, only 2.9 percent of 2007 crashes were caused by driving too fast. This is less than the 3.8 percent who fell asleep behind the wheel.

All this being considered, the money used to erect speeding cameras could be put to better use. But the cameras are a revenue generator. This being the case, I don’t expect to see their removal.