Despite numerous studies reporting the negative impacts of increased speeds on roadways, speeding remains the top offense of aggressive driver behavior, and many states have steadily raised their posted speed limits. This is why the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAFTS) initiated a multi-phased study to investigate the effect of posted speed limit changes on traffic safety. Its findings are alarming. 

AAAFTS collaborated with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Humanetics Innovative Solutions to examine how a vehicle can withstand the impact of a crash and occupant protection. The study uncovered that small speed increases, from 5 mph to 10 mph, have huge effects on crash outcomes and severity of the occupant’s injuries.

The safety organizations conducted crashes, at Calspan Corporation’s testing facility in Western New York, at three different impact speeds (40, 50 and 55.9 mph). They found the slightly higher speeds were enough to increase the driver's risk of severe injury or death. 

• At the 40 mph impact speed, there was minimal intrusion into the driver's space. 
• But at the 50 mph impact speed, there was noticeable crush impact of the driver side door opening, dashboard and foot area. 
• At 55.9 mph, the vehicle interior was significantly compromised, with the dummy's sensors registering severe neck injuries, and a likelihood of fractures to the long bones in the lower leg.  
• As the crash speed increased in the tests, researchers found more structural damage and greater forces on the dummy's entire body. 

AAA Western and Central New York president and CEO Tony Spada, who also sits on the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Board of Directors was present for the testing at Calspan. “It’s really shocking to see the impact that the vehicle makes and what happens inside the car and then to see all the collateral effects – the windshield, the doors, the back seats – and of course what happened to the driver even though it was a dummy,” he said. “It’s shocking.” 

Three 2010 Honda CR-V EX crossovers were used because they represented the average age (11.8 years) of a typical vehicle on U.S. roadways and earned the top rating in the IIHS moderate overlap front test. At both 50 and 55.9 mph, the steering wheel's upward movement caused the dummy's head to go through the deployed airbag. This caused the face to smash into the steering wheel. Measurements taken from the dummy showed a high risk of facial fractures and severe brain injury. 

Drivers often travel faster than posted speed limits, but when officials raise limits to match travel speeds, people still tend to go faster. Today, 41 states allow 70 mph or higher speeds on some roadways, including eight states that have maximum speeds of 80 mph or more. A 2019 IIHS study found that rising speed limits have cost nearly 37,000 lives over 25 years. AAA and IIHS urge policymakers to factor in this danger from higher speeds when considering speed limit changes. 

"We conducted these crash tests to assess the effect of speeds on drivers and learned that a small increase could make a big difference on the harm to a human body," said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "A speeding driver may arrive at their destination a few minutes faster, but is the tradeoff of getting severely injured or even losing one's life worth it if a crash occurs?"

For instance, on a 5-mile trip, if you were driving 65 mph on a 45 mph road, you’d shave off only 1.9 minutes from your travel time. Drivers tend to overestimate the time saved by speeding. Speed limits should not be raised or lowered only to manipulate traffic volume on a particular roadway. States are urged to use engineering and traffic surveys when setting maximum speed limits. 

Simply put, speed kills and isn't worth the risk.