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POP Center » Problems » Speeding in Residential Areas » Page 1

The Problem of Speeding in Residential Areas

This guide addresses the problem of speeding in residential areas, one of the most common sources of citizen complaints to the police. It is often the chief concern of community groups, largely because of the perceived risks to children. Yet because speeding must compete with other problems for police attention, problems that may appear far more serious, the police often do not devote a lot of resources to it.

Speeding in residential areas causes five basic types of harm:

• it makes citizens fear for children's safety;
• it makes pedestrians and bicyclists fear for their safety;
• it increases the risk of vehicle crashes;
• it increases the seriousness of injuries to other drivers, passengers, spedestrians, and bicyclists struck by a vehicle; and
• it increases noise from engine acceleration and tire friction.

Speeding increases the risks of crashes and injuries for several reasons:

• the driver is more likely to lose control of the vehicle;
• the vehicle safety equipment is less effective at higher speeds;
• the distance it takes to stop the vehicle is greater;
• the vehicle travels farther during the time it takes the driver to react to a hazard; and
• crashes are more severe at higher speeds.1

Related Problems

Speeding in residential areas is only one of many traffic related problems the police must address. Other related problems that call for analysis and response include:

• aggressive driving (commonly referred to as "road rage"),
• speeding and traffic crashes on highways,
• speeding and traffic crashes on rural roads,
• running of red lights, and
• drunken driving.

Factors Contributing to Speeding in Residential Areas

Understanding the factors that contribute to your problem will help you frame your own local analysis questions, determine good effectiveness measures, recognize key intervention points, and select appropriate responses.

Even modestly higher speeds can spell the difference between life and death for pedestrians struck by a vehicle. The force of impact on the human body is more than one-third greater at 35 mph than at 30 mph.2 Each 1-mph reduction in average speeds translates roughly to a 5 percent reduction in vehicle crashes.3

Speeders are disproportionately involved in vehicle crashes.4 Speeding is a contributing factor in about one-eighth of all crashes and in about one-third of all fatal crashes.5 Most crashes occur in urban areas, although most fatalities occur on more remote highways.6

Beliefs and Attitudes About Speeding

Many cultures heavily promote speeding, giving it a generally positive social image. Vehicle advertisements often show driving that would be unsafe for average drivers on real roads. Most drivers do not think speeding is a particularly serious or dangerous offense, except in areas where children might be present.7 Drivers tend to overestimate their driving skills and underestimate the risks of crashing.8 Speed-related vehicle collisions are more commonly thought of and referred to as "accidents" rather than "crashes," suggesting that collisions are not drivers' fault.

Many drivers admit to speeding in residential areas.9 Their reasons for speeding include being behind schedule and wanting to make up for lost time, being unaware of the speed limit, and trying to keep up with other traffic.10 The most important factor in determining speed is the driver's perception of the road environment and of what speed it is safe to drive.11, † Whatever drivers' specific reasons, it appears they make calculated decisions to speed,12 creating opportunities for the police to alter their calculations.††

† Traffic engineers take drivers' perceptions into account in setting speed limits. The common standard for a posted speed limit is the speed at which 85 percent of drivers travel at or below, known as the 85th percentile speed (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1997).

†† For detailed information on drivers' habits, attitudes and beliefs, see National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(1998); Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1998); and Corbett and Simon (1992).

From a wider social policy perspective, reducing speed must be balanced with other goals such as promoting a healthy economy (which partly entails getting goods and services delivered quickly), reducing environmental pollution, and promoting healthy behavior (by encouraging walking, running and bicycling).13