3. Research and Demonstration

An effective and efficient program to address
speeding as a highway sofety issue requires better
definition and understanding of speeding and its
managemen important to identify any specific
characteristics or traits that can be used to target
drivers and situations where there is increased risk.
Detailed information on why these drivers speed can
be used to develop more effective countermeasures.
Voluntary compliance with speed limits can also be
improved through on-going development of new
speed management technologies.

Objectives:

© Better define the speed problem. Determine when,
where, and under what conditions speeding leads to
crashes; the demographics of drivers who speed in
these situations; and why they speed

© Develop advanced technologies fo address speed
including variable speed limit systems, vehicle-based
radar warning systems, and less labor intensive
methods of speed enforcement. Promising
approaches should be tested and demonstrated.

* Examine the effect of fines and sanctions on habitual
offenders and explore the use of alternative
techniques to increase compliance.

* Examine the effect of corporate policies which may
encourage speeding and explore appropriate
sanctions.

* Analyze the effects of road design, the vehicle and
the environment on safe operating speeds.

© Develop and study the effects of traffic calming

techniques on speed and crashes.

For More Information:

Contact the Traffic Law Enforcement Division
at (202) 366-4295.

|STOP

@ PY [oy
—— @
4 AGERESSIVE
Stee DRIVING

DOT HS 809 130
August 2000

ee

‘You Drink & Drive.

Speeding and
Highway Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation's
Policy and Implementation Strategy



Problem Statement
Travel at sofe and resonable speadeon highway

promotes the nation's productivity. Most highways and
motor vehicles are designed and built for safe
operation at the speeds traveled by most motorists.
Speeding -- exceeding posted limits or driving too fast
for conditions -- involves many factors including public
attitudes, personal behavior, vehicle performance,
roadway characteristics, enforcement strategies, and
speed zoning {a safe and reasonable limit for a given
road section or zone). Nevertheless, speeding on the
nation's roadways is a contributing factor in as many

as one third of all fotal crashes. Fatal crashes are only
a small part of the total safety picture. In addition,
many people are injured in speed-related crashes. The
economic cost to society of these crashes was
estimated to be $27.7 billion per year in 1998.

Federal Policy on Speeding

Speeding is a significant threat to public safety and
warrants priority attention. The Department of
Transporielion's policy on highway speeds is to provides
guidance to state and local governments fo set speed
limits that maximize the efficient and rapid
iransperioon of people nel Goade wile eliminating the
innecessary Teicot aeches dts io ured enceds: Thies
policy promates the concept that federal, state, and local
governments shauld have bolanced programs that usa
the most cost-effective strategies for decreasing crash
risks from speeding, These strategies include: (1)
ensuring that posted speed limits are reasonable and
eppropriate for conditions; (2) providing public
information and education on the risks associated with
speeding; (3) understanding who speeds, where, when,
and why; (4) using a variety of techniques and
feclewciodies Geyer entered for soced
Management; and (5) targeting enforcement where
speeding presents the most serious hazard and
cccompanying it with public information and education.

Speed Management Program and
Implementation

The following are the key elements of a balanced
program to implement the speed policy at the federal,
state, and local levels.

1. Speed Limits

Speed limits should promote safe travel, and should be
perceived by the public as safe and reasonable. If the
public does not understand the consequences of
speeding to themselves and others, they are less likely to
adjust speeds for traffic and weather conditions, or to
comply with posted speed limits. This can place serious
strains on the limited resources that are available for
speed enforcement and on the relationship between the
police and the public. Voluntary compliance with speed
limits can also be improved through greater use of
speed management devices and techniques that can be
built into the existing highway system, as well as
incorporated in the Intelligent Transportation System.

Objectives:

© Develop speed zoning guidelines with the states and
local entities to use in establishing safe and reasonable
speed limits on their roadways through a multi-discipline
team review of existing speed-setting criteria.

* Work with states and local governments to promote
increased use of condition responsive speed and hazard
warning systems that give motorists information on
appropriate speeds for the prevailing environmental,
traffic and roadway conditions.

* Encourage stoes and local governments to use speed
idelines and, where appropriate, revise posted
to reasonable levels, and/or adopt variable

Encourage states and local governments fo

increase the use of physical speed management and per-

ceptval techniques (i.e., speed humps, rumble strips,
pavement markings) in locations where speed has been
shown jo pose o serious hazard, Uke of these counter:
measures will vary by highway type.

* Encourage states and local governments to consider rele-
vant design factors and design speed prior to changing
posted speed limits. Many factors, such as congestion
and environment, can impact speed limits.

2. Education, Public Information and
Enforcement

State and local enforcement should focus on the types of
drivers and situations where speeding has a significant
impact on public safety. Speed enforcement must be
complemented by focused public information and
education campaigns. Research shows that compliance
with, and support for, traffic laws can be increased
through aggressive, targeted enforcement combined
with a vigorous public information and education
program. This approach has been successful in
addressing impaired driving, occupant protection, red-
light running, and commercial motor vehicle safety
issues. Public information and education also contribute
fo public support for speed management by increasing
the awareness of the consequences of speeding.
Objectives:

* Broaden federal, state, and local speed management

programs to include public information and education in
coordination with enforcement,

© Target enforcement programs to high crash locations
where seaig was a contributing factor.

and roads and streets with major potential conflicts in
traffic and with pedestrians.

* Encourage states ond local governments to monitor
speed limit compliance and examine the relationship of
crashes to speed and the effect on health care and pub-

lic costs.

* Integrate speed management programs into related
highway safety activities, such as impaired driving,
youth initiatives, and commercial vehicle safety.

* Develop and target specific education campaigns
focused on judges and prosecutors, elected officials, law
enforcement, corporations, and engineers to educate
them on the inherent dangers af driving too fast or foo
slow for conditions.