Most of us have had that moment on the highway where you glance at the speedometer, realize you are already over the limit, and notice that half the cars around you are still pulling away. It turns out that feeling is not just in your head. New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says speeding has quietly become the default setting for American drivers.
In this post, we walk you through what that research says, then hold it up against the numbers coming out of several individual states, because they may tell different stories. You will see how often speeding shows up in fatal crashes, why citations are falling in places where speeds are not, and what all of it looks like once it lands in an actual police report.
What the New AAA Foundation Research Actually Found
The AAA Foundation surveyed roughly 16,500 drivers aged 16 and older, and the results are hard to ignore. Seventy percent said they often or always see drivers going significantly over the limit on highways, and 74 percent reported seeing vehicles moving much faster than the flow of traffic. Thirty percent flatly agreed that “no one actually drives the speed limit, speeding is just the norm nowadays.”
Here is the part that stands out most. Nearly half of drivers believed that keeping up with traffic is safer than obeying the posted limit. Most also said the posted limits are appropriate, and many assumed 10 mph over is both acceptable and unlikely to be ticketed. In Rhode Island, 15 percent of drivers call themselves frequent speeders and another 30 percent admit they speed sometimes.
How Speeding Shows Up in Local Crash Reports
Speeding is not an abstract habit. It is a line item in the reports that fill our accident news coverage. The National Safety Council reports that 29 percent of all traffic deaths in 2024 involved speeding, which came to 11,288 lives and more than 31 deaths per day.
Young male drivers in the 15 to 20 and 21 to 24 age groups were the most likely to be speeding in fatal crashes, with at least 34 percent of males 15 to 24 speeding compared to 19 percent of females in those age groups.
Weather tends to make it worse. NSC data shows speeding is a factor in 18 percent of fatal crashes on dry roads, 23 percent on wet roads, 34 percent on snow or slush, and 38 percent on ice or frost.
The Numbers Change Depending on Where You Look
This is where things get interesting. Different reports measure different things, over several years and distinct geographies, so the picture shifts depending on which one you open.
The AAA Foundation counted more than 30,000 unsafe speed crashes in New York in 2024, with over 11,000 injury crashes and 304 fatal ones. New Jersey logged more than 13,000 unsafe speed crashes with 114 deaths, and its drivers reported the highest frequent speeding rate in the Northeast at 23 percent.
Connecticut recorded over 7,200 speeding-related crashes in 2025, including 89 fatal ones, and Massachusetts had more than 6,400 speed-factor crashes in 2024 with 66 deaths.
Connecticut’s own SHSP tech brief tells a sharper story. It found speeding caused 141 of 373 traffic deaths in the state in 2022, or 38 percent, well above the 29 percent national share that year. From 2015 to 2022, speeding accounted for 859 Connecticut fatalities, and 82 percent of those happened on non-interstate roads.
California runs higher too. SafeTREC found 32 percent of California traffic deaths in 2023 were speeding-related, or 1,303 people, compared to 29 percent nationally. Los Angeles County alone had 299. Unsafe speed was the primary crash factor in 73.7 percent of those cases, 81 percent happened in urban areas, and rear-end collisions were the most common crash type at 33 percent.
None of these figures contradict each other. They are simply built on different scopes, years, and definitions, and reading them side by side can give you a fuller view than any single one does.
Enforcement Is Going One Way While Speeds Go Another
Massachusetts offers a striking example. Reporting on state law enforcement data shows speeding citations fell from 112,503 in 2013, about one ticket per 42 licensed drivers, to roughly 65,000 a year in 2021 and 2022, or one per 75 drivers. That is a decline of about 42 percent. Meanwhile, on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Newtonville, more than half of drivers exceed the 55 mph limit on a typical day, and more than 90 percent do on weekends.
Frequently Asked Questions: Speeding Crashes
How common are speeding-related crashes in the United States?
Speeding was involved in 29 percent of all traffic deaths in 2024, or 11,288 people, according to the National Safety Council.
Are pedestrians at greater risk when drivers speed?
Yes, and dramatically so, since Connecticut’s research shows 95 percent of pedestrians survive a 20 mph impact but only 5 percent survive at 45 mph.
Where can I find a report about a speeding-related crash near me?
Local Accident Reports publishes verified crash reports nationwide, searchable by city, state, or county, with report numbers and responding agency details included.
Were You Involved in a Speeding-Related Crash? Local Accident Reports Is Here to Help
If a speeding driver upended your day, your week, or your year, you do not have to sort through it alone. At Local Accident Reports, we cover crashes across the country and can help you track down the official report, understand what it says, and connect with support resources including grief counseling and a free legal case review.
Our team knows how these reports work and are ready to guide you. Call us at 888-657-1460 anytime, or search your state on our site to find the coverage you may need after your speeding-related accident.
Local Accident Reports is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation. The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Use of this website does not create an attorney-client relationship.
