US DOT Report Confirms Speed Not Major Accident Cause

theNewspaper.com ^ | Dec. 15, 2008 | Unknown

[decimon]

US Department of Transportation study finds only five percent of crashes caused by excessive speed.

As lawmakers around the country continue to consider speed limit enforcement as the primary traffic safety measure, the most comprehensive examination of accident causation in thirty years suggests this focus on speed may be misplaced.

[Slapshot68]

I thought it was SUVs. /s off

[mewzilla]

How about fatalities...?

[the invisib1e hand]

I think people stopped using speed in the ‘80’s didn’t they?

[brytlea]

More significant factors included 22 percent driving off the edge of a road, or 11 percent who drifted over the center dividing line.

Hmmmm...distracted drivers?

[mewzilla]

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.

Wow, there are a lot of assumptions being made there.

[massgopguy]

It’s the sudden stops! b’doom boom

[djf]

Ping. Health science/social related.

[mewzilla]

I got C’s in statistics and physics, so I’m obviously not the brightest bulb in the lamp, but something about this study still seems fishy to me...

[dblshot]

Enforcement of speed laws is a revenue generator for local government.

[ClearCase_guy]

Overall, vehicles "traveling too fast for conditions" accounted for only five percent of the critical pre-crash events (page 23).

Snip

... eight percent of errors were attributed to driving too fast for conditions and five percent driving too fast for a curve (page 25).

Journalism is like throwing a hand grenade -- getting close is good enough.

[Myrddin]

Drugs, alcohol, insufficient sleep and other distractions inside the car are significant factors. Some people are just plain unskilled drivers. Speed simply magnifies the deficits.

[rfp1234]

the most comprehensive examination of accident causation in thirty years suggests this focus on speed may be misplaced.

Shhhh...don't let facts get in the way of the Kalifornia Revenue Enhancement Program (er, I mean Highway Patrol).

[decimon]

...something about this study still seems fishy to me...

Don't just carp; what's fishy?

[BenLurkin]

Most traffic collisions DO involve speed which is too fast for the conditions — and that speed can easily be less than the posted speed limit.

Inattention, failure to stay in your lane, failure to yield, etc may all be the Primary Collision Factor, but excessive speed is almost always involved.

[TexGuy]

Not fair! You read past the headline and correlated two separate sentences. Go to the back of the line!

[savedbygrace]

Less than 14%.

(Clarifying - ‘Speed too fast’ accounted for 13.7% of all fatal crashes.)

[absolootezer0]

13.7% for “speed too fast” and that’s less than for alcohol related (which is another bogus statistic)

“speed too fast” doesn’t seem to make a distinction between exceding the speed limit and merely driving too fast for conditions.

[2001convSVT]

Lowering the speed limit is more about generating revenue than keeping us safe! Durn those political blood suckers, stop the freebies and balance your budgets.

[mewzilla]

LOL. C's remember? If I could figger out what's bugging me about it, I'd've probably done better in class.

But it just seems like the study's making a lot of assumptions. Like studying accidents on highways that weren't designed for the traffic and speeds on them. That speeding wouldn't affect reaction time. That everyone knows what constitutes "unavoidable" and "reasonable". Just stuff like that. Seems like there's an awful lot of room for interpretation.

[Loud Mime]

With California’s financial crisis, I look for larger fines and increased enforcement.

I’m getting my bicycle fixed today.

[decimon]

Journalism is like throwing a hand grenade -- getting close is good enough.

I'll guess that this makes more sense in the original than in the abstract. But I'm not willing to find out.

[NRA1995]

No doubt in my mind that many accidents are caused by idiots texting while driving, or diving to the floor to pick up the dropped CD.....

[bobjam]

The speed limit is supposed to be the 85th percentile speed measured under free flow conditions. The 85th percentile speed is based on how drivers use a road. If the road has a lot of twists and turns, drivers naturally drive slower, resulting in a lower speed limit. Artificially low speed limits condition drivers to disrespect the sign- which leads to problems on roads where exceeding the speed limit could easily have fatal consequences.

[decimon]

abstract = extract

[Wil H]

and that he was indeed born in Hawaii. Do you think they're lying?

What's your point? you can go through a windshield if you hit a brick wall while travelling 25mph if you are not wearing a seat belt.

It's speed DIFFERENTIAL that causes more accidents than speed itself, ie a mix of fast and slow traffic,or the sudden slowing of the traffic flow, that is more dangerous than cars all driving at high speed.

[theDentist]

"Whiskey bottle, brand new car,
Oak tree, you're in my way..."

...."That Smell" -Lynyrd Skynyrd

[Travis T. OJustice]

I’ll bet jackasses who ride in the left lane when not passing actually cause a higher rate of accidents.

[org.whodat]

How about the A-holes driving 10 miles an hour below the speed limit in the fast lane with a cell phone stuck up their Hole.

[Wil H]

OOoops! sorry, re transmit...:-)

How about Fatalities?

What's your point? you can go through a windshield if you hit a brick wall while travelling 25mph if you are not wearing a seat belt.

It's Speed DIFFERENTIAL that causes more accidents than speed itself, ie a mix of fast and slow traffic,or the sudden slowing of the traffic flow, that is more dangerous than cars all driving at high speed.

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

“Don’t just carp; what’s fishy?”

Probably crappie data collection methods, plus grouper-think at the DOT.

I love to drive fast, just for the halibut. Anything for a cheap krill.

[oh8eleven]

Distraction and not paying attention to the road accounted for 41 percent of the errors.

[Arrowhead1952]

US DOT Report Confirms Speed Not Major Accident Cause

That is like saying no one ever dies from falling off a 25 story building. It's the suddens stop that kills people.

[mewzilla]

From the NHTSA stats I've seen, survbivability is directly affected by speed. IOW, the slower the vehicle's going, the better your chances for surviving the accident. And if you're somewhere that's not near a good trauma center when you have you're crash, maybe going that ten miles over the speed limit wasn't such a great idea.

I will admit to some bias here. We had a family member killed in an MVA when she was hit by someone exceeding the speed limit. It's left me with an interest in accident safety issues.

[Paladin2]

"I thought it was SUVs"

That's why it's not speed (except for speeding SUVs).

The ultimate cause of car crashes is building the cars in the first place, followed by actually letting people drive them.

All we have to do is drive all the auto manufacturers out of business and the issue will be resolved.

[glasseye]

“Enforcement of speed laws is a revenue generator for local government.”

Ding ding ding.....we have a winner!!!

[CE2949BB]

I'm a crappy driver and I acknowledge it, so I always drive at a safe speed and am very cautious.

I never - never - drive with even a drop of alcohol in me, either.

Putting my life at risk is one thing. Putting the lives of innocent people at risk is something else entirely. (I'd rather not be responsible for the next Jacqueline Saburido.)

[familyop]

Tailgating, improper lane changes, too fast for conditions, failures to yield: a few pushy, antagonizing bullies on the road—both men and women. ...and yes, most of them in larger vehicles for the wrong reason. ...spoiled rotten individuals. Maybe the depression will take many of them down.

[BOATSNM8]

My beloved Austin, Tx. has a somewhat new police chief(from LA) that has decided to ramp up speed enforcement. This city used to be so laid back and didn't really sweat the minor traffic stuff. Now you have to be paranoid all the time. As far as I know, we weren't a dangerous city before. Lean times account for more fines.

[Seruzawa]

The ineffectiveness of speed enforcement has been proven several times. The local govts use speed enforcement because is a lazy way to fill the local retirement fund coffers. Every time I see one of these donut munchers staring at his radar gun I think of how many REAL crimes are being committed. How many domestic abuses and school drug deals occur while these revenuers betray the public trust?

[McGruff]

US Department of Transportation study finds only five percent of crashes caused by excessive speed.

ROFL. That's our government experts for you.

[Reeses]

the slower the vehicle's going, the better your chances for surviving the accident.

Going slower doesn't usually help avoiding getting into the accident in the first place though.

[mikey_hates_everything]

“speed limit enforcement as the primary traffic safety measure”

Right, it’s for “safety”. If you had to send the fine to the federal gov’t instead of the local courthouse, there would be no more speed enforcement.

[Deaf Smith]

"everyone knows what constitutes "unavoidable" and "reasonable".

Reasonable would be that OnStar commercial where a driver doesn't want to hit the pretty deer in the road so instead he crashes his vehicle into a tree injuring/killing him and his passengers?

[Alberta's Child]

As lawmakers around the country continue to consider speed limit enforcement as the primary traffic safety measure, the most comprehensive examination of accident causation in thirty years suggests this focus on speed may be misplaced.

Anyone who has read my various posts on this subject over the years knows this already.

Speed isn't a factor in most accidents because roads are "over-designed" to accommodate vehicles traveling much faster than the posted speed limit -- which is why reducing speed limits to improve safety is ridiculous.

A posted speed limit is simply a statutory limit that has nothing to do with the safe operating speed of the roadway in question -- especially for newer roads. If you're on a highway with a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour, you can probably drive 80+ miles per hour without exceeding the "design speed" of the road. And keep in mind that the design speed under AASHTO design standards is based on stopping sight distance on wet pavement.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Overall, vehicles "traveling too fast for conditions" accounted for only five percent of the critical pre-crash events

Oh yeah? We get gazillions of single car (serious/fatal) accidents on curvy two lane roads here in rural KY. Darn near all of them are speeding. Bardstown Road between Bardstown and Louisville is positively scary at busy times when the road are wet or iced. No, actually even when the road is dry these clowns pass on uphill curves.

I've been in a long line at rush hour making that trek, where you aren't ever going to pass anyone the whole stretch. And still some di*khead stays 3 feet from my rear bumper for the whole way, even though I have 30 cars in front of me.

[musicalee]

Traffic control people are the most hypocritical people in the country. They give tickets and collect our money for going 10 miles over for safety reasons but allow unhelmeted motorcycles on the road. What really chaps me is to hear the advertisements on the radio threatening me for not wearing a seat belt. My tax money to threaten me.

[meyer]

“”I love to drive fast, just for the halibut. Anything for a cheap krill.””

................

“’....I invited her to my place for a midnight bait
I said “Come on baby, it’ll only take a few minnows”
She threw me that same old line
“Not tonight, I gotta haddock”

And she wasn’t kidding either
Cause in came the biggest, meanest looking haddock
I’d ever seen come down the pike
He was covered with mussels....’”

[LonePalm]

As lawmakers around the country continue to consider speed limit enforcement as the primary traffic safety revenue enhancement measure, ....

Fixed

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[jnsun]

When I get pulled over occasionally, I carefully explain to the officer that by going fast I am alleviating traffic congestion. Somewhat like an uphill passing lane I am filling the holes, and overall raising the average speed of the traffic, really a boon to all.

Seldom do they seem to buy into the argument, nor do the judges, who one would think would be at least more perceptive; rather it's like they all just want my money.