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Speed demons
By Peter Reuell / Daily News Staff
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
On U.S. highways, speed kills.
Despite a raft of auto safety improvements and an increase in safety belt use over the last decade, speed-related highway deaths have remained nearly constant, a national highway safety group found in a study released yesterday.
The study, conducted by the Washington-based Governors Highway Safety Association, found speed is a factor in nearly one of every three crashes on U.S. roads, and a prime factor in 13,000 deaths annually.
"Speed fatalities have remained pretty level, which is kind of shocking, given how many improvements (have been made) in car safety and seat belt use," association spokesman Jonathan Adkins said yesterday. "In essence, we're giving away our gains in highway safety because of speeding."
The problem, Adkins suggested, may largely be one of education.
Although speeding is largely tolerated by the public, it may not be once the average driver better understands the risks involved, he said.
"We need to educate the public about the role that speed plays. It's dangerous," Adkins said. "It's a serious issue. We need to have a national strategy like we do with drunk driving and other issues, and we don't have one."
"It's huge," Marlborough Police Chief Mark Leonard said of the danger of speeding. "The severity of injuries, and certainly fatalities, increases dramatically with increases in speed.
"People need to understand that speed kills."
Usually, though, speed isn't the only culprit.
As part of the state's "Road Respect" campaign, police are targeting drivers who combine speed with aggressive driving, like weaving in and out of traffic, which often leads to the most serious crashes.
"Trying to launch a large initiative on the issue of speeding might not be as effective as treating speeding as a larger element of aggressive driving," explained Brook Chipman, spokesman for the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau.
"We concur with the overall finding that speed is a top issue. We've always viewed speed, impaired driving and failure to use safety belts as the top three."
And though officials did not dispute the perception of a 10 mph "buffer" for speeders, a spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police said it is typically the most egregious speeders -- those traveling at up to 25 mph over the limit -- they target most often.
"Our message is reduce your speed," Lt. Sharon Costine said. "And you have to keep an eye out for people that aren't doing a reasonable speed, and the best defense you have...is your seat belt."
While suburban towns like Framingham rely on state police to patrol major highways, they still see the effects of speed on the roads.
"I can certainly say my experience as a police officer for 17 years in most accidents I've responded to (is) speed has been a factor," said Framingham Police spokesman Lt. Vincent Alfano.
By Peter Reuell / Daily News Staff
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
On U.S. highways, speed kills.
Despite a raft of auto safety improvements and an increase in safety belt use over the last decade, speed-related highway deaths have remained nearly constant, a national highway safety group found in a study released yesterday.
The study, conducted by the Washington-based Governors Highway Safety Association, found speed is a factor in nearly one of every three crashes on U.S. roads, and a prime factor in 13,000 deaths annually.
"Speed fatalities have remained pretty level, which is kind of shocking, given how many improvements (have been made) in car safety and seat belt use," association spokesman Jonathan Adkins said yesterday. "In essence, we're giving away our gains in highway safety because of speeding."
The problem, Adkins suggested, may largely be one of education.
Although speeding is largely tolerated by the public, it may not be once the average driver better understands the risks involved, he said.
"We need to educate the public about the role that speed plays. It's dangerous," Adkins said. "It's a serious issue. We need to have a national strategy like we do with drunk driving and other issues, and we don't have one."
"It's huge," Marlborough Police Chief Mark Leonard said of the danger of speeding. "The severity of injuries, and certainly fatalities, increases dramatically with increases in speed.
"People need to understand that speed kills."
Usually, though, speed isn't the only culprit.
As part of the state's "Road Respect" campaign, police are targeting drivers who combine speed with aggressive driving, like weaving in and out of traffic, which often leads to the most serious crashes.
"Trying to launch a large initiative on the issue of speeding might not be as effective as treating speeding as a larger element of aggressive driving," explained Brook Chipman, spokesman for the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau.
"We concur with the overall finding that speed is a top issue. We've always viewed speed, impaired driving and failure to use safety belts as the top three."
And though officials did not dispute the perception of a 10 mph "buffer" for speeders, a spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police said it is typically the most egregious speeders -- those traveling at up to 25 mph over the limit -- they target most often.
"Our message is reduce your speed," Lt. Sharon Costine said. "And you have to keep an eye out for people that aren't doing a reasonable speed, and the best defense you have...is your seat belt."
While suburban towns like Framingham rely on state police to patrol major highways, they still see the effects of speed on the roads.
"I can certainly say my experience as a police officer for 17 years in most accidents I've responded to (is) speed has been a factor," said Framingham Police spokesman Lt. Vincent Alfano.
