Impact of Speeds on Drivers and Vehicles – Results from Crash Tests

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February 19th, 2021

Despite numerous studies reporting on the negative impacts of increased speeds on roadways, many states have steadily raised their posted speed limits. In response to these concerns, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety initiated a multi-phased study to investigate the effect of posted speed limit changes on safety. The first phase entailed gathering feedback from traffic engineers on how posted speed limits are set and what factors they consider in changing posted speed limits. The second phase, which this report details, involved a collaborative effort with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Humanetics Innovative Solutions to examine how vehicle crashworthiness and occupant protection degrade as impact speeds increase. Towards this, three vehicle crash tests were conducted.

Read the full analysis here.