Highway safety agency runs ads in effort to curb speeding

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The U.S. government's road safety agency said it will spend $8 million on ads aimed at stemming the rising number of traffic deaths caused by speeding. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign called “Speeding Wrecks Lives” will run on television, radio and digitally, targeting drivers from ages 18 to 44. The agency said 11,258 people died in speed-related crashes in 2020, up 17% from 2019 even though there was less traffic on the roads in 2020 because of the pandemic. Speed contributed to 29% of all fatal crashes, with 87% of speed-related deaths happening on local roads, not interstate highways. The Governors Highway Safety Association, representing state traffic safety offices, said the death trend continued last year with speed killing nearly 12,000 people in 2021. “Speed-related deaths aren't inevitable," said Steven Cliff, NHTSA administrator. "They're preventable, and everyone has a role in addressing this crisis.” The ads ran in English and Spanish and were aired from July 20 until Aug. 14. The agency announced the campaign at an event in Los Angeles. Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year. That’s the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic forced many to stay at home. Traffic deaths rose 10.5% over 2020, the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection in 1975. This article was provided by The Associated Press.