Form 1538 National Survey of Speeding

PLEASE ANSWER THIS FIRST
A

What is your age?
SKIP TO QUESTION 1
18 years of age or older
17 years of age or younger
CONTINUE

B

Is there anyone living in this household who is 18
years of age or older?
Yes
Give this to the household member
who is 18 years of age or older and
has the next birthday.
No
STOP. Please return the blank
questionnaire in the postage paid
envelope as soon as possible.

We want to find out how people may change the way
they drive on different types of roads, such as
multi-lane highways, rural routes, or residential streets.
These next questions are about how you drive on some
of these different kinds of roads.
MULTI-LANE, DIVIDED INTERSTATE-TYPE HIGHWAYS
The next questions ask about your driving on
Multi-Lane, Divided Highways. These include
interstates, freeways and other highways and have a
barrier or a median separating traffic in opposite
directions.

GENERAL DRIVING INFORMATION
The next few questions ask about your general driving
experiences. For these questions, a motorcycle counts
as a motor vehicle.
1

How often do you usually drive a car or other motor
vehicle?
Every day, or almost every day
Several days a week
Once a week or less
Only certain times a year
Never
SKIP TO THE FINAL SECTION
CALLED "ABOUT YOU" ON PAGE 10

2

What kind of vehicle do you drive most often?
(If you drive two vehicles about the same amount and
can’t decide which of them you drive most often, then
answer for which of those two vehicles you drove last.)
Car
Van or minivan
SUV
Pickup truck
Other truck/box truck/semi
Motorcycle
Other
SPEED BEHAVIOR

3

5

How often do you drive on Multi-Lane, Divided
Highways?
Frequently
Sometimes
Rarely
SKIP TO QUESTION 6
Never
5a

Which of the following statements best describes
your driving?
I tend to pass other cars more often than other
cars pass me
Other cars tend to pass me more often than I
pass them
Both about equally

During the past seven days, approximately
how many miles did you drive on Multi-Lane,
Divided Highways?
Miles

5b

What do you consider to be a safe speed limit
for (most) Multi-Lane, Divided Highways in
good weather on roads with no congestion
during the day?
Miles per hour (mph)

4

When driving I tend to...
Stay with slower moving traffic
Keep up with the faster traffic
Both about equally

5c

When driving on Multi-Lane, Divided
Highways in good weather during the day,
how fast do you normally drive?
mph

1

5d

How often would you say you drive 15
miles an hour over the speed limit on
Multi-Lane, Divided Highways?

7a

Miles

Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
5e

7b

7c

At what speed would you typically be driving
on a Multi-Lane, Divided Interstate Freeway
that passes through a major town or city with
a 65 mph posted speed limit?

7d

How far above the speed limit do you think the
average driver can go on Multi-Lane, Divided
Highways before receiving a ticket?

How often would you say you drive 15 miles
an hour over the speed limit on Two-Lane
Highways?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

TWO-LANE HIGHWAYS, ONE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION
The next questions ask about your driving behavior on
Two-Lane Highways which are not divided. This means
there is only one lane traveling in each direction and no
median or barrier separating traffic traveling in
opposite directions.

When driving on Two-Lane Highways in good
weather during the day, how fast do you
normally drive?
mph

mph over the speed limit

7

What do you consider to be a safe speed limit
for (most) Two-Lane Highways in good weather
during the day?
mph

mph
6

During the past seven days, approximately
how many miles did you drive on Two-Lane
Highways?

8

How far above the speed limit do you think the
average driver can go on Two-Lane Highways
before receiving a ticket?
mph over the speed limit

How often do you drive on Two-Lane Highways that
have one lane in each direction?
Frequently
Sometimes
Rarely
SKIP TO QUESTION 8
Never

2

MAIN (ARTERIAL) ROADS
The next question asks about Main (Arterial) Roads
with two travel lanes in each direction, in a town with
a 35 mph posted speed limit.

10

How often do you drive on Neighborhood or
Residential Streets?
Frequently
Sometimes
Rarely
SKIP TO QUESTION 11
Never
10a During the past seven days, approximately

how many miles did you drive on
Neighborhood or Residential Streets?
Miles

10b What do you consider to be a safe speed

limit for (most) Neighborhood or
Residential Streets in good weather during
the day?
mph

10c When driving on Neighborhood or

Residential Streets in good weather during
the day, how fast do you normally drive?

9

At what speed would you typically be driving on a
Main (Arterial) Road with two travel lanes in each
direction in a town with a 35 mph posted speed
limit?
mph

NEIGHBORHOOD AND RESIDENTIAL STREETS
The next questions ask about your driving
behavior on streets in Neighborhoods and
Residential areas.

mph
10d How often would you say you drive 10

miles an hour over the speed limit on
Neighborhood or Residential Streets?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

11 How far above the speed limit do you think the

average driver can go on Neighborhood or
Residential Streets before receiving a ticket?
mph over the speed limit

3

DRIVING AND SPEED LIMITS
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The next few statements are about driving and
speed limits. Please tell us how much you agree or
disagree with each one.

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a. Everyone should obey the speed limits because it’s the law.
b. People should keep pace with the flow of traffic.
c. Speeding tickets have more to do with raising money than they do
with reducing speeding.
d. Driving over the speed limit is not dangerous for skilled drivers.
e. There is no excuse to exceed the speed limits.
f. It is unacceptable to exceed speed limits by more than 20 mph.
g. If it is your time to die, you’ll die, so it doesn’t matter whether you
speed.
h. I enjoy the feeling of driving fast.
i. The faster I drive, the more alert I am.
j. I often get impatient with slower drivers.
k. I try to get where I am going as fast as I can.
l. I worry a lot about having a crash.
m. I consider myself a risk taker while driving.
n. Speeding is something I do without thinking.
o. Driving within or near the speed limit makes me feel bored.

4

13

People sometimes go faster than the speed limit for different reasons. On those occasions when you do, what
do you think are the main reasons you drive faster than the speed limit? Select all that apply.
I'm late
I am unlikely to have a crash
It's a habit
I'm alone in the car
I'm unlikely to get a ticket
People I am with encourage it
I'm comfortable driving fast
It's an emergency/illness
I'm not paying attention/distracted
I'm in a hurry
I'm going with the traffic flow
I'm passing another vehicle
There is no traffic/roads are clear
The speed limit is too low
I'm avoiding accidents
Other
I never speed

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Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with
the following statements.

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a. Driving at or near the speed limit reduces my chances of an accident.
b. Driving at or near the speed limit makes it difficult to keep up with
traffic.
c. Driving at or near the speed limit makes me feel annoyed.
d. Driving at or near the speed limit makes it easier to avoid dangerous
situations.
e. Driving at or near the speed limit uses less fuel.

5

Please answer the following questions thinking about the posted speed limit, plus or minus a few miles per hour, in
the places you will be driving over the next few days.
15

How likely is it that you will drive at or near the speed
limit if you were driving in a fast or powerful car?

16

How likely is it that you will drive at or near the
speed limit if the speed limit is clearly signed?

Very likely
Somewhat likely
Neither
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely

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Please tell us how often you do the following
while driving:

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17

Very likely
Somewhat likely
Neither
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely

a. How often do you disregard the speed limits late at night
or early in the morning?
b. How often do you get involved in “races” with other drivers
on a roadway or from a stop light?
c. How often do you take risks while driving because it’s fun,
such as driving fast on curves or accelerating over
bumps/hills to “get air”?
d. How often do you drive 10-20 mph over the speed limit?

6

18

How much do you want to drive at or near the
speed limit while driving in the next week?

23

Extremely so
Quite a bit
Moderately so
A little
Not at all

23a …where it could be hazardous for a

police officer to stop a driver?
Yes
No

23b …where stopping a vehicle could cause

ATTITUDES TOWARD ENFORCEMENT
19

traffic congestion?
Yes
No

How important is it that something be done to
reduce speeding by drivers?

23c …where there have been many crashes?

Yes
No

Very important
Somewhat important
Not too important
Not at all important
20

23d …in a school zone?

Yes
No

How often do you think police should enforce
the speed limit?

23e …in a construction zone?

Yes
No

All the time
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
21

How often do you see motor vehicles that have
been pulled over by police on the streets and
roads you normally drive?
All the time
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

23f …on all roads?

Yes
No
24

Along the routes you normally drive, are there
speed cameras in use?
Yes
No
I Don't Know

25

Have you ever received a ticket in the mail for a
speed violation identified by a speed camera?
Yes
No

SPEED CAMERAS
The next questions are about speed cameras. These are
cameras set up at intersections or other locations to
take pictures of speeding vehicles. A traffic ticket is
mailed to the owner of the vehicle along with a
photograph and information about the location and
time.
22

Now, please read the next few statements and tell us
how much you agree or disagree.
26

Speed cameras are used to prevent accidents.
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neither
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

Before today, had you ever heard of speed
cameras being used to ticket drivers who speed?
Yes
No

Thinking about locations where speed cameras
might be useful, would you find it acceptable to
use them…

27

Speed cameras are used to generate revenue.
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neither
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

7

OPINIONS ABOUT REDUCING SPEEDING

Go
od

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How would you feel about using the
following measures in your community to
reduce speeding?

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28

a. More frequent ticketing for speeding.
b. Issuing higher fines for speeding tickets.
c. Increasing public awareness of the risks of speeding.
d. Road design changes, like speed humps and traffic circles, to slow down traffic.
e. Electronic signs by the road that warn drivers that they are speeding and should slow down.
f. Increased use of speed cameras in dangerous or high crash locations.

There are many new technologies in use to reduce speeding on our nation’s roads. These next questions ask what
you think about these technologies.

Go

od

A speed governor is a device which does
not allow the vehicle to go above a certain
speed. Do you think the mandatory use of
a speed governor is a good idea or a bad
idea for…

a
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29

a. Truck drivers?
b. Drivers 18 years or younger?
c. Drivers with multiple speeding tickets in one year?
d. All drivers?

8

The next questions describe some devices that can be
added to a motor vehicle to reduce speeding. For each
type of device, we will first ask you whether you think
it is a good idea or a bad idea to help reduce speeding
in general. Then we will ask you about whether you
think that device would keep you from speeding.

Please tell us how likely or unlikely you would be to use
each of the following devices on your own vehicle.
33a A device that does not allow you to drive faster

than 10 mph over the posted speed limit.
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Neither
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely

30a A device in your motor vehicle that notifies you

with a buzzer or a flashing light when you drive
faster than the speed limit. Do you think this is a...
Good idea
Neither a good idea nor a bad idea
Bad idea

33b A device that you can switch on or off, that prevents

you from driving faster than the speed limit?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Neither
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely

30b Would this device prevent you from speeding?

Yes
No
31a A device in your motor vehicle that records your

33c A device that allows parents to limit the maximum

speed of a motor vehicle, when a teenager drives
the motor vehicle.

speed data and gives you the option to provide
the information to your insurance company to
lower your premiums, if you obey the speed
limits? Do you think this is a...

Very likely
Somewhat likely
Neither
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely

Good idea
Neither a good idea nor a bad idea
Bad idea
31b Would this device prevent you from speeding?

Yes
No
32a A device in your motor vehicle that slows your

motor vehicle down when it senses another car or
object is too close to your motor vehicle. Do you
think this is a...
Good idea
Neither a good idea nor a bad idea
Bad idea

32b Would this device prevent you from speeding?

Yes
No

34

Some roadways use digital speed signs to change
the speed limit on a section of road based on
traffic or weather conditions.
Do you think it is a good idea or a bad idea to use
digital speed signs in the following situations?

34a Construction zones

Good idea
Neither a good idea nor a bad idea
Bad idea
34b School zones

Good idea
Neither a good idea nor a bad idea
Bad idea
34c Bad weather

Good idea
Neither a good idea nor a bad idea
Bad idea
34d Congested roadways

Good idea
Neither a good idea nor a bad idea
Bad idea

9

35a How many times have you been in a speeding

related accident in the past twelve months?

41

All trips
Most trips
About half my trips
Fewer than half my trips
None of my trips

Number of speeding-related accidents

IF NONE, SKIP TO QUESTION 36a IN NEXT SECTION
35b Did you receive any injuries as a result of the most

recent speeding related accident?
Yes
No

How often do you send text messages while you are
driving and the vehicle is moving?

42

How often do you read text messages while you are
driving and the vehicle is moving?
All trips
Most trips
About half my trips
Fewer than half my trips
None of my trips

SPEEDING TICKETS
36a How many times have you been stopped for

speeding in the past twelve months?

Number of times stopped for speeding

IF NONE, SKIP TO QUESTION 38 IN NEXT SECTION
36b Did you receive a ticket or warning the last time

you were stopped for speeding?

43

44

Did you change your driving behavior as a result
of receiving that ticket or warning for speeding?
Yes
No

45

39

46

In the past 30 days, have you driven a vehicle when
you thought you might have consumed too much
alcohol to drive safely?

How often do you talk on the phone while you are
driving?
All trips
Most trips
About half my trips
Fewer than half my trips
None of my trips
I don't have a cell phone

SKIP TO QUESTION 43

Are you currently married, divorced, separated,
widowed, or single?
Married
Divorced
Separated
Widowed
Single

Yes
No
40

What is the highest grade of school you have
completed?
No formal schooling
First through 7th grade
8th grade
Some high school
High school graduate
Some college
Four-year college graduate
Some graduate school
Graduate degree

When driving your primary motor vehicle how often
do you wear your seat belt?
All the time
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
My primary vehicle is a motorcycle

What is your sex?
Male
Female

GENERAL DRIVING BEHAVIORS
38

How old are you?
years old

Yes, a ticket
Yes, a warning
No
37

ABOUT YOU

47

Do you consider yourself to be Hispanic or
Latino/a?
Yes
No

10

48

Which of the following racial categories describes
you? You may select more than one.

50

American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African-American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Other
49

Which of the following categories best describes
your total household income before taxes in 2019?
Your best estimate is fine.
Less than $15,000
$15,000 to $24,999
$25,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000 to $199,999
$200,000 or more

Do you own or rent your home?
Own
Rent
Some other arrangement

That completes the survey. Please return the completed questionnaire in the postage paid
envelope as soon as possible.
If you reported that you drive a car or motor vehicle, a $5 bill will be mailed to this address
about a month after the completed questionnaire is received. If you reported never driving
a car or other motor vehicle, you are not eligible to receive the $5 bill but the responses you
provide help us make sure the data we collect is representative of the general population.
Thank you very much for your time and cooperation.

11

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