National Survey of Speeding and Unsafe Driving Attitudes and Behavior: 2002: Volume II: Findings
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Summary
This report presents the findings of the 2002 National Survey of Speeding and Unsafe Driving Attitudes and Behavior, conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to update data from a 1997 baseline. The study was motivated by the significant safety and economic costs of speeding, which NHTSA estimates contributes to 30% of fatal crashes and costs society $40.4 billion annually. The primary objectives were to measure the prevalence of speeding and aggressive driving, assess public attitudes toward these behaviors, and evaluate support for potential countermeasures such as automated photo enforcement and in-vehicle speed governors. The Gallup Organization conducted telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 4,010 drivers aged 16 or older between February and April 2002. The survey utilized a three-stage sampling procedure to ensure equal probability of selection for residential telephone numbers, with results weighted to adjust for non-response bias and demographic representation. The instrument covered general driving characteristics, self-reported speeding and unsafe behaviors, perceptions of enforcement, and attitudes toward specific traffic safety interventions. Key findings indicate that speeding is a pervasive behavior, with approximately 75% of drivers reporting they exceeded speed limits on all road types within the past month. Younger drivers and males were significantly more likely to engage in speeding and aggressive behaviors, such as tailgating or making obscene gestures. Despite high rates of self-reported speeding, most drivers perceived existing speed limits as appropriate, though they believed they could drive 7–8 MPH over the limit before facing enforcement. A notable disconnect emerged regarding threat perception: while many drivers admitted to speeding, 68% viewed other drivers’ speeding as a major threat to their safety, a perception that increased with age. Comparisons with the 1997 survey revealed that while personal attitudes toward speeding remained stable, the perception that other drivers were becoming more aggressive increased from 30% to 40%. Additionally, drivers felt police enforcement was too lax for behaviors like tailgating and weaving, though 67% of those stopped for violations received a ticket in 2002, up from 55% in 1997. The study highlights significant public support for automated photo enforcement, particularly for speeding in school zones (78%) and running red lights (75%), with a majority preferring photos that identify the specific driver. Conversely, support for in-vehicle speed governors was low, with only 35% of drivers viewing them as a good idea. The report concludes that while speeding remains a widespread and accepted practice among drivers, there is strong public demand for stricter enforcement of other unsafe behaviors and greater acceptance of technological enforcement tools to mitigate the perceived threat of aggressive driving.
Key finding
Approximately 78% of drivers reported speeding on multi-lane roads in the past month, yet 68% perceived other drivers' speeding as a major threat to their personal safety.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 4010
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified_with_issues.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
- sex gender
- cultural cross national
- speed choice
- rail grade crossings
- traffic density
- incidence prevalence
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