The Problem of Speeding in Residential Areas
This guide addresses the problem of speeding in residential areas, oneof the most common sources of citizen complaints to the police. It isoften the chief concern of community groups, largely because of the perceivedrisks to children. Yet because speeding must compete with other problemsfor police attention, problems that may appear far more serious, thepolice 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 reactto a hazard; and
- crashes are more severe at higher speeds.1
Related Problems
Speeding in residential areas is only one of many traffic related problemsthe police must address. Other related problems that call for analysisand 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 helpyou frame your own local analysis questions, determine good effectivenessmeasures, recognize key intervention points, and select appropriate responses.
Even modestly higher speeds can spell the difference between life anddeath for pedestrians struck by a vehicle. The force of impact on thehuman body is more than one-third greater at 35 mph than at 30 mph.2Each 1-mph reduction in average speeds translates roughly to a 5 percentreduction in vehiclecrashes.3
Speeders are disproportionately involved in vehicle crashes.4 Speedingis a contributing factor in about one-eighth of all crashes and in aboutone-third of all fatal crashes.5 Most crashes occur in urban areas, althoughmost fatalities occur on more remote highways.6
Beliefs and Attitudes About Speeding
Many cultures heavily promote speeding, giving it a generally positivesocial image. Vehicle advertisements often show driving that would beunsafe for average drivers on real roads. Most drivers do not think speedingis a particularly serious or dangerous offense, except in areas wherechildren might be present.7 Drivers tend to overestimate their drivingskills and underestimate the risks of crashing.8 Speed-related vehiclecollisions are more commonly thought of and referred to as "accidents" ratherthan "crashes," suggesting that collisions are not drivers'fault.
Many drivers admit to speeding in residential areas.9 Their reasonsfor speeding include being behind schedule and wanting to make up forlost time, being unaware of the speed limit, and trying to keep up withother traffic.10 The most important factor in determining speed is thedriver's perception of the road environment and of what speed it is safeto drive.11, † Whatever drivers' specific reasons, it appearsthey make calculated decisions to speed,12 creating opportunities forthe police to alter their calculations.††
† Traffic engineers take drivers' perceptionsinto account in setting speed limits. The common standard for a postedspeed limit is the speed at which 85 percent of drivers travel at orbelow, known as the 85th percentile speed (National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration 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 balancedwith other goals such as promoting a healthy economy (which partly entailsgetting goods and services delivered quickly), reducing environmentalpollution, and promoting healthy behavior (by encouraging walking, runningand bicycling).13