The research, published in BMJ Injury Prevention, a peer-reviewed journal (DOI - https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2025/08/19/ip-2024-045575), is the first global qualitative evidence synthesis on why people speed.
With rapid growth in car and motorcycle ownership, combined with limited public transportation, speeding and its deadly consequences are worsening. These insights are highly relevant for India, which continues to record the highest number of road crash deaths worldwide. In 2023 alone, there were over 480,000 crashes and 172,000 deaths - roughly 55 crashes and 20 deaths every hour. Aligning with the UN’s Second Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030), the study notes the urgent need for smarter, stronger speed management strategies to halve deaths and injuries by 2030.
Global evidence shows that every 10 km/h reduction in average vehicle speed reduces the risk of a fatal crash by up to 40%, making speed management one of the most powerful tools for saving lives.
Elaborating on this research, Pratishtha Singh from The George Institute for Global Health, India, said “Speeding is not just an individual choice — it is shaped by culture, road design and the credibility of enforcement. If we want to save lives, we need to create systems where safe driving is the easier choice, not the harder one.”
Researchers found that simply telling people that it is dangerous to speed is not sufficient. Effective interventions must address peer pressure, challenge dangerous cultural norms linking speeding to masculinity, and design roads that naturally slow down traffic.
The study also notes that these findings reflect perceptions from diverse global contexts and may not apply equally everywhere. Importantly, there are still major gaps in high-quality research and evidence from low- and middle-income countries, including India.
Addressing Indian drivers, Dr. Jagnoor Jagnoor, Co-director of the WHO Injury Collaborating Centre, The George Institute for Global Health, said, “Reducing average speeds by just 10 km/h can cut the risk of a fatal crash by up to 40%. Speeding is not a marker of a nation’s development – the true measure is how much we value human life. Staying within limits isn’t about being slow; it’s about making sure everyone gets home safely.”
Key recommendations from the study include:
Stronger, more transparent enforcement, including automated systems like cameras and speed radars
Road design that naturally slows traffic, including narrower lanes, speed bumps, and roundabouts
Policies to reduce average speeds by at least 10 km/h, which can cut fatal crash risk by up to 40%
Stricter licensing systems for young drivers and targeted policies like in-vehicle speed limiters
Education and public health campaigns to challenge myths such as “speeding saves time” and address gender norms around risky driving
Greater investments in reliable, affordable public transport to reduce dependence on private vehicles.
With India’s recent Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act increasing penalties for speeding, success will not just depend on higher fines but on transparent, fair and technology-based enforcement, which leaves minimal scope for t petty bribes or avoidance.
This study highlights the multidimensional nature of speeding and the need for urgent, evidence-based action to improve the survival rates of road users—in India and worldwide.
The research was led by Ms. Pratishtha Singh, along with Dr. Soumyadeep Bhaumik, Dr. Jagnoor Jagnoor, and Dr. Julie Brown from The George Institute for Global Health.