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Speed influences traffic crashes in four basic ways, according to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

1. Speed reduces the reaction time drivers need to avoid crashes, which not only increases the likelihood of crashing but also increases the severity of crashes that do occur.

2. Speed increases the distance needed to stop a vehicle. In addition, speeding drivers may not be able to judge distances accurately, which puts other vehicles and pedestrians at greater risk. Drivers who run red lights are likely to be speeding.

3. Higher speeds result in higher risks of injury or death in a traffic crash, because vehicles and their occupants in motion have kinetic energy that is dissipated in a crash.

4. Higher speeds reduce the ability of vehicles and restraint systems to protect occupants. Crash severity increases disproportionately with vehicle speed, so a frontal impact at 35 mph is one-third more violent than one at 30 mph.

WHAT DOES SPEED DO?

While drivers of all ages and both sexes speed at one time or another, high-speed drivers tend to be young males. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) analysis found that nearly 40 percent of all drivers age 14-19 involved in fatal traffic crashes were in speed-related crashes, but the percentage among drivers age 70 and older decreased to 7 percent. At all ages, male drivers are more likely than female drivers to be involved in speed-related fatal crashes.

WHERE DO WE SPEED?

According to NHTSA, about 36 percent of all fatal traffic crashes on rural roads are related to speed, compared with about 30 percent on urban roads. However, while rural roads account for 40 percent of all vehicle miles traveled, they account for 61 percent of all speed-related fatal crashes.

WHAT IS CONSIDERED A SAFE SPEED?

That all depends. There are several factors that must be weighed to determine a safe speed. A roadway's design, such as a narrow two-lane byway or a modern controlled access freeway, whether the surrounding area is urban, suburban or rural, current weather conditions, and how well or poorly the road has been maintained all combine to affect safe speeds on a daily or even an hourly basis. Even in the most ideal driving conditions, high speeds can become dangerous in a hurry.

A driver speeding along on a straight stretch of a rural interstate in southern Wyoming might feel that 75 mph is safe -- until an antelope suddenly appears on the road and the driver has no time to react. Or a driver speeding along a similar roadway in eastern Colorado might believe a high speed is safe -- until last night's lack of sleep suddenly overwhelms the driver, who nods off for a second and runs off the road and into a telephone pole. A driver on one of Salt Lake City's straight downtown roads might be lulled into thinking he can speed up because of how far ahead he can see -- until a pedestrian suddenly steps into the street and the driver can't stop in time. Or a driver speeding along a road in New Mexico may be doing just fine -- until a tire blows, and the driver loses control of the car.

Safe speeds are relative, so the Insurance Information Network of California urges each driver to be aware of the current driving conditions and the posted speed limits, which typically are set based on a roadway's design. Speeding may get you there faster, or it may keep you from getting there at all!