Dr. David Yang reports that three in ten drivers view speeding as a normalized part of daily driving.
Dr. David Yang, President and Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, revealed that 30% of drivers agree that no one actually drives the speed limit. The study highlights a growing culture where drivers often prioritize keeping up with the flow of traffic over strictly adhering to posted limits, even though speeding was a factor in nearly 30% of traffic fatalities in 2024. Yang noted that drivers are often convincing themselves that speeding is the correct choice for a given situation rather than just trying to save time. The research indicates that drivers prefer safety measures that maintain driver choice, such as increased police presence and automated speed cameras, over physical restrictions like speed humps. To improve road safety, Yang suggests that understanding these preferences is key for policymakers to develop interventions that are both effective and publicly acceptable. He emphasized that choosing the right speed is about having enough time and space to react to unexpected events.