NHTSA: Speed (Still) Kills

Summer in the U.S. means road trips, lots of road trips. With roughly 82 percent of Americans planning to make at least one long sojourn on the country's highways before the fall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to remind everyone to "slow down and enjoy the ride."

It's part of NHTSA's speeding prevention campaign launched this week, which is for a good cause. According to the latest statistics, speeding was involved in 29 percent of accident fatalities in 2022, and while those numbers are expected to drop by 4 percent for 2023, safety experts--and anyone concerned about public health--would like to see them drop further.

To improve awareness of the issue, NHTSA is running a $9.5 million dollar ad campaign until July 31. To launch the program, it also trotted out a couple of sports celebrities to underscore the point. NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain, for example, recounted a couple of personal anecdotes to emphasize the importance of maintaining awareness and following the rules when you're on public roads. Chastain, who is known for his traffic safety advocacy, also reminded press conference attendees to buckle up.

The Speeding Catches Up with You theme of the NHTSA campaign isn't as catchy as the old Speed Kills slogan, and the organizers also forgot to mention one additional benefit of slowing down: fuel savings and longer ranges for EVs. So if the safety aspect doesn't motivate you, maybe the impact on your wallet will.