Speeding is the main cause of fatal vehicle collisions, but all crashes involving speeding are not alike. A vehicle that’s traveling at 60 miles per hour, even if that’s well over the posted limit, likely won’t cause the same severity of injuries as one traveling 100 miles per hour on a highway.
The latter may seem like an exaggeration. However, law enforcement agencies and safety advocates report that increasingly more drivers and motorcyclists are on the roads at speeds of at least 100 mph.
The faster a vehicle is traveling, the greater the impact is if it strikes another vehicle (and it can easily be fatal if it hits a bicyclist or pedestrian). If two or more speeding vehicles collide, that impact is multiplied.
What are the trends in Tennessee?
Speeds started rising significantly in the early days of the Covid pandemic when fewer vehicles (including law enforcement officers’ cars) were on the streets. Tennessee and other states implemented “slow down” campaigns to educate the public on the dangers of excessive speeding.
These have contributed to some progress. According to the Tennessee Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), the number of crashes involving “speeding, racing, reckless driving, or aggressive driving” in our state dropped beginning in 2021.
The numbers have continued going in the right direction. The Tennessee Fatality Analysis Reporting System reported that the state saw a 14% drop in traffic fatalities in 2025 compared to the prior year. The largest declines have been in urban areas.
Statistics can be reassuring or frightening, depending on what they show. Regardless, they should remind drivers to watch their own speeds and to try to get out of the way of a speeding or otherwise reckless driver. The results of a crash – particularly a high-speed one – can be devastating. That’s why anyone dealing with the aftermath of such a crash shouldn’t try to go it alone. Getting early legal guidance can make all the difference in getting needed compensation for medical costs and other expenses and damages.