AAA
WICHITA, Kan. — Focused on eliminating driving behaviors that contribute to traffic-related fatalities on our nation’s roads, AAA is joining with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to urge drivers to recognize speeding as an aggressive driving behavior that endangers all road users and to put an end to it because Speeding Catches Up With You.
Every year, thousands of people are injured or killed in speeding-related crashes. Young drivers and motorcyclists have a higher chance of being involved in speeding-related crashes.
• In 2023, there were 11,775 fatalities in speeding-related crashes
• Speeding-related crashes accounted for 29% of total traffic fatalities in 2023.
• 37% of male drivers and 19% of female drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in fatal traffic crashes in 2023 were speeding — the highest among the age groups.
• 36% of all motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2023 were speeding.
• Motorcycle riders 21 to 24 years old involved in fatal crashes had the highest speeding involvement at 51%.
•In 2023, 88% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities on American roads occurred on non-interstate roadways.
In 2023, the Kansas Department of Transportation reported 4,354 speed-related crashes with an estimated cost to motorists of $1,777,961,485. In the same year, 80 motorists lost their lives in speed-related fatality crashes on Kansas roads, and 2,105 motorists were injured in speed-related crashes. Between 2014-2023, speeding in Kansas injured 21,547 people and killed 841 individuals.
The Kansas Highway Patrol has observed a significant increase in citations issued to drivers traveling 100 miles per hour or more since 2019. That year, 1,758 citations were issued for triple-digit speeds. In 2024, KHP issued 2,631 citations for motorists traveling 100 miles per hour or more.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, nearly half of drivers surveyed (49%) admitted to driving 15 mph over the posted speed limit on a freeway at least once in the past 30 days, while 36% of drivers reported driving 10 mph over the posted speed limit on a residential street.
Speeders don’t just put themselves in danger of serious injuries and death, they put other road users, including passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, at risk as well. Drivers have a shared responsibility to keep themselves and all road users safe. Obeying the legal speed limits and driving at a speed that is reasonable for road conditions is part of fulfilling that responsibility. Speed limits are put in place to reduce crashes and minimize a crash’s impact on the human body. Set through an engineering process, speed limits are no less important than the vehicle safety technology developed over the last decades.
Those who speed choose to do so for different reasons, including lateness and traffic. Regardless, driving above the speed limit or too fast for road conditions is an active disregard for one’s safety, the safety of others, and the law. Like impaired driving, speeding is a selfish choice that can have deadly consequences. It reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object, or an unexpected curve.
“A speeding-related crash can easily result in devastating injury or a fatality, because of the intense impact on the body,” explained Shawn Steward, public affairs manager for AAA Kansas. It may be thought of as falling from a multi-story building, with every 10 miles per hour representing one or multiple stories. Drivers in Kansas should be especially aware of this campaign and their speed, because of the tremendous dangers of speeding and the tragic results of speed-related crashes on our roads and highways.
“AAA Kansas joins our traffic safety and law enforcement partners in urging everyone to commit to keeping our roads safe by obeying all speed limits,” said AAA’s Steward. “Slowing down is the right choice. Ultimately, Speeding Catches Up With You.”