Motivations for Speeding, Volume II: Findings Report

Richard, Christian M.; Campbell, John L.; Lichty, Monica G.; Brown, James L.; Chrysler, Susan; Lee, John D.; Boyle, Linda; Reagle, George · 2013 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Office of Behavioral Safety Research

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Summary

This report, Volume II of the "Motivations for Speeding" series, presents findings from a naturalistic driving study conducted between 2008 and 2011 under the sponsorship of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The research aimed to identify the motivations behind speeding, model the relative influence of situational, demographic, and personality factors on travel speeds, classify distinct types of speeders, and evaluate potential countermeasures. The study sought to move beyond self-reported data by capturing actual driving behavior in real-world settings. The methodology involved 164 drivers in urban Seattle, Washington, and rural College Station, Texas, who drove their own vehicles for three to four weeks. Data collection utilized 1-Hz GPS receivers to record vehicle position and speed, combined with road network data containing validated posted speeds to identify speeding episodes. Participants also completed personal inventory questionnaires assessing demographics and personality traits, and maintained daily driving logs to capture trip-specific situational factors. The researchers defined speeding based on exceeding posted limits during free-flow driving conditions. Statistical analyses included logistic regression to predict the occurrence of any speeding and linear regression to predict the amount of speeding. Additionally, focus groups were conducted with subsets of participants classified as "speeders" and "non-speeders" to explore attitudes and beliefs regarding speeding and countermeasures. The results identified four distinct types of speeding behaviors: infrequent or incidental speeding (potentially unintentional), trip-specific situational speeding, casual speeding (many trips with small amounts of speeding), and habitual or chronic speeding. Regression models revealed that significant predictors of speeding included demographic variables such as age and gender, situational factors like time-of-day and day-of-week, and personality factors, particularly attitudes toward reckless driving. The study found that these factors varied in importance across different speed bands and locations. Focus group discussions highlighted diverse perceptions of safe speeds, interpretations of posted limits, and varying responses to potential enforcement and educational countermeasures. The significance of this work lies in its comprehensive framework for understanding speeding as a multifaceted behavior influenced by driver, vehicle, roadway, and environmental factors. By classifying speeders into distinct subtypes and identifying specific predictors, the findings provide a basis for developing targeted interventions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches. The study underscores the need for countermeasures that address the specific motivations and contexts of different driver groups, contributing to more effective strategies for reducing unsafe driving behaviors.

Key finding

Speeding behavior is predicted by a combination of demographic variables, situational factors, and personality traits, with drivers exhibiting four distinct speeding patterns ranging from incidental to habitual.

Methodology

naturalistic

Sample size: 164

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• speed choice
• sex gender
• urban rural setting
• exposure measurement
• traffic density
• speed distance perception

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, behavioral performance data
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource