If drivers went slower, almost 10,000 people who died in traffic accidents during 2019 might still be alive. Similar figures apply to other years. That is a lot of lives stolen because someone was in a rush.
The National Safety Council (NSC), which compiled those figures, reports that speeding accounts for a quarter of all road deaths.
Who are the speeders?
If you knew who was speeding, you could take steps to avoid them. While looking out for anyone driving a bright red or yellow sports car would be a good start, all sorts of people speed in all sorts of vehicles.
There are, however, some age groups who contribute to more road deaths while speeding. These are the percentages of fatal crashes caused by each age group speeding:
- Males aged 16-20: 31%
- Males aged 21-24: 30%
- Males aged 25-34: 26%
- Males aged 35- 44: 20%
What about girls?
The female percentages for the male age groups above were: 17%, 18%, 15% and 11%. That could mean one of two things. Either speeding women crash less than speeding males, or, women are less likely to speed than men. Another factor could be that men drive 1.6 times as many miles as women, on average. The more you drive, the more chance of a crash.
Does it matter who hits you?
If you survive a vehicle collision, the age or sex of the other driver might not seem that important. Yet it could give you an idea of where to start looking for the cause of a crash. If a young male driver hit you, there is a good chance that speed played a role. If an octagenarian female hit you, you might want to start elsewhere.