When it comes to the dangers of the road, few things are as deadly as speed. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, excessive speed plays a role in nearly one-third of all fatal car accidents in the United States. But what exactly is it about speed that makes it such a deadly force behind the wheel? In the United States, 10.5% of drivers nationwide have a speeding ticket on their record. Let’s take a closer look at the thrilling, yet deadly, connection between speed and fatal car accidents.
Speed is a thrilling sensation that can make us feel invincible. But as the saying goes, “speed kills.” The faster we’re going, the less time we have to react to unexpected events on the road. Imagine a pedestrian stepping out into the street or another vehicle braking suddenly in front of you. At high speeds, there’s simply not enough time to react, and the outcome can be disastrous. According to the CDC, more than 7,000 pedestrians were killed on the road involving a motor vehicle in 2021. That’s about one death every 75 minutes.
When it comes to car accidents, speed increases the severity of the impact. It’s the law of physics.
When a vehicle is moving at a higher speed, it has more energy. That energy has to go somewhere when the vehicle crashes into something else. The faster a vehicle is moving, the more force it can transfer to whatever it crashes into. So, the severity of the impact increases as the speed of the vehicle increases.
Think of it this way: if you were to drop a bowling ball on your foot from a height of one foot, it would hurt quite a bit. But if you were to drop that same bowling ball on your foot from a height of ten feet, it would hurt even more. Why? Because it has more energy (and therefore more force) behind it when it hits your foot. The same is true for a car crash: the faster the car is moving, the more energy it has, and the more force it can transfer to whatever it crashes into. This is why they say “speed kills” – because it leads to more fatal accidents.
In 2020, speeding killed 11,258 people. Next time you are speeding, don’t forget that the relationship between speed and accidents is not linear, meaning the likelihood of a fatal accident increases much more rapidly as a driver exceeds the posted speed limit. Slow down. It may save your life or the life of someone else when you stay under the speed limit.
What states drivers are involved in the most speeding accidents?
In which state were drivers involved in the most fatal crashes? Let’s look at some data. In the table below, VMT stands for vehicle miles traveled. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is a measure used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to track the amount of distance that motor vehicles travel on public roads in the United States. The VMT data is collected by state and local agencies and reported to the NHTSA on a regular basis. Simply looking at total numbers of fatal crashes can be misleading when trying to determine which state has the highest rate of fatal crashes. This is because states with larger populations will naturally have more total crashes than states with smaller populations. Therefore, it’s important to look at ratios, or the number of fatal crashes per a certain number of miles traveled, in order to make a fair comparison between states.
| State | VMT (in millions) | Fatal crashes | Deaths | Deaths per 100M VMT |
| South Carolina | 53,972 | 962 | 1,064 | 1.97 |
| Mississippi | 39,665 | 687 | 752 | 1.9 |
| Arkansas | 33,919 | 585 | 638 | 1.88 |
| Montana | 12,104 | 190 | 213 | 1.76 |
| Louisiana | 48,374 | 762 | 828 | 1.71 |
| Kentucky | 46,536 | 709 | 780 | 1.68 |
| New Mexico | 23,756 | 365 | 398 | 1.68 |
| West Virginia | 16,054 | 249 | 267 | 1.66 |
| Arizona | 65,758 | 967 | 1,054 | 1.6 |
| Florida | 208,076 | 3,098 | 3,331 | 1.6 |
| Tennessee | 76,392 | 1,119 | 1,217 | 1.59 |
| Oregon | 32,298 | 461 | 508 | 1.57 |
| Oklahoma | 42,000 | 599 | 652 | 1.55 |
| Kansas | 27,854 | 382 | 426 | 1.53 |
| Texas | 260,582 | 3,520 | 3,874 | 1.49 |
| North Carolina | 106,342 | 1,412 | 1,538 | 1.45 |
| South Dakota | 9,743 | 132 | 141 | 1.45 |
| Georgia | 115,967 | 1,522 | 1,664 | 1.43 |
| Delaware | 8,345 | 104 | 116 | 1.39 |
| Alabama | 67,921 | 852 | 934 | 1.38 |
| Missouri | 72,797 | 914 | 987 | 1.36 |
| Wyoming | 9,800 | 114 | 127 | 1.3 |
| California | 299,812 | 3,558 | 3,847 | 1.28 |
| Colorado | 48,642 | 574 | 622 | 1.28 |
| Pennsylvania | 87,982 | 1,060 | 1,129 | 1.28 |
| Illinois | 94,121 | 1,087 | 1,194 | 1.27 |
| Nevada | 25,231 | 293 | 317 | 1.26 |
| Maine | 13,086 | 151 | 164 | 1.25 |
| Michigan | 86,547 | 1,011 | 1,084 | 1.25 |
| Idaho | 17,406 | 188 | 214 | 1.23 |
| Alaska | 5,306 | 53 | 64 | 1.21 |
| Nebraska | 19,432 | 217 | 233 | 1.2 |
| District of Columbia | 3,030 | 34 | 36 | 1.19 |
| Ohio | 103,115 | 1,154 | 1,230 | 1.19 |
| Indiana | 76,608 | 815 | 897 | 1.17 |
| North Dakota | 8,768 | 96 | 100 | 1.14 |
| Iowa | 29,751 | 304 | 337 | 1.13 |
| Virginia | 76,110 | 796 | 850 | 1.12 |
| Maryland | 50,885 | 540 | 567 | 1.11 |
| Wisconsin | 57,600 | 561 | 614 | 1.07 |
| Washington | 53,658 | 525 | 560 | 1.04 |
| Vermont | 6,007 | 58 | 62 | 1.03 |
| New York | 102,477 | 963 | 1,046 | 1.02 |
| Connecticut | 29,845 | 279 | 295 | 0.99 |
| Rhode Island | 6,864 | 66 | 67 | 0.98 |
| Hawaii | 8,785 | 81 | 85 | 0.97 |
| Utah | 30,251 | 256 | 276 | 0.91 |
| New Jersey | 66,341 | 547 | 584 | 0.88 |
| New Hampshire | 11,956 | 98 | 104 | 0.87 |
| Minnesota | 51,619 | 369 | 394 | 0.76 |
| Massachusetts | 54,127 | 327 | 343 | 0.63 |
The following states have the highest number of speeding tickets:
- Ohio (16.1%)
- Virginia (15.8%)
- Iowa (15.6%)
- South Carolina (15.6%)
- Wisconsin (14.8%)
- Colorado (14%)
- Nebraska (13.8%)
- Wyoming (13.7%)
- Idaho (13.3%)
- Delaware (13.2%)
Given the data above, we’d have to say South Carolina may be the state where you have the greatest chance of dying while driving on the roads.
Videos of Speeding Drivers Crashing
Despite the clear dangers, many of us are guilty of pushing the limits when we get behind the wheel. But, it’s always important to remember that speeding isn’t only just breaking the law, it’s also playing with our lives. The next time you’re tempted to put the pedal to the metal, you should really think twice. Remember, you may be in for a thrilling ride, but it could be your last.