Speeding is a major cause of injuries and deaths on North Carolina roadways. Consider these 2021 statistics:
424 people died in speeding-related crashes in North Carolina in 2021.
Speeding was a contributing factor in nearly 25 percent of all fatal crashes.
91 percent of speed-related fatalities occurred on non-interstate roads; 9 percent occurred on interstate highways.
From 2017 to 2021, males made up the largest percentage (75 percent) of speed related crash fatalities. Males under the age of 39 account for nearly half of all speeding-related crashes.
From 2017 to 2021, there was a 17 percent increase in speed-related crash fatalities.
From 2017 to 2021, 27 percent of speed related crash fatalities occurred in the Top 5 Counties (Mecklenburg, Guilford, Wake, Robeson and Cumberland)
The Governor's Highway Safety Program's Speed a Little. Lose a Lot. annual campaign reminds drivers of the dangers of speeding and the potential consequences: the loss of a life.
Dangers of Speeding
A crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or higher is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality as a crash where the speed limit it 45 or 50 mph, and nearly five times as likely as a crash where the speed limit is below 40 mph.
Speeding:
- Reduces a driver's ability to negotiate curves or maneuver around obstacles in the roadway
- Extends the distance traveled before a vehicle can stop
- Increases the distance a vehicle travels while the driver reacts to a hazard
- Increases the risk of crashes and injuries, because other vehicles and pedestrians might not be able to judge distance correctly