Speeding is a dangerous driving behavior associated with increased risk of serious injury and fatalities. In 2019, speeding was associated with almost 9,500 deaths in the United States. [1] During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, traffic safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that the prevalence of extreme traffic speeds increased. [2] Our TREND 10.2 Newsletter previously analyzed crash and trauma outcomes for motor vehicle occupants involved in speed-related crashes. The analysis found that crashes on higher-speed roads (70+ MPH vs. 55-65 MPH) led to worse patient injury severity, higher hospital charges, and longer hospital stays. [3] According to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), fatal speed-related crashes are associated with drivers who are males and under 35 years of age. [4] Similar to crashes, existing research on speeding violation demographics notes that males and younger drivers are also more likely to be issued citations for speeding. [5,6] NHTSA encourages speed management through education campaigns and targeted enforcement efforts. These are better conducted when traffic safety partners have a clear understanding of the target population for prevention and intervention efforts [1]. This TREND in Focus analysis investigates the demographic information of Nevada speeding citations from 2018-2020 (N=576,407).

Results

Overview

From 2018-2020 there were 1,107,774 traffic citations issued by law enforcement in Nevada. Of those, 576,407 (52%) were speed-related. In Nevada, the maximum posted speed limit is 80 MPH, but nearly 34% of speed violations exceeded this figure as measured by law enforcement for actual speed traveled (N=198,931).

Demographics

Drivers issued a speeding citation were on average 35 years of age (median, IQR 26-49) and 50% of all speeding violators were issued to drivers ≤35 years old (Fig. 1). Men were more frequently cited than women (63.2% vs. 36.8%), and the majority of citations were issued in Clark County, NV (60%). Of those who were cited, approximately 7 of every 10 drivers had Nevada driver’s licenses and vehicles registered in Nevada. Approximately 7.9% of these drivers had expired vehicle registration. The race and ethnicity breakdown for speeding citations were: Asian (4.4%), Black (10.9%), Hispanic (9.5%), Indian (Native American) (0.6%), White (59.3%), with the remaining data missing (15.2%).

TREND in Focus: References

1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). (n.d.). Speeding.
   Retrieved from https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/speeding
2. Office of Behavioral Safety Research. (2021). Update to special reports on traffic safety During the COVID-19 public health emergency: Third quarter data. (Report No. DOT HS 813 069). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
3. Gryder, L., Slinkard, S., & Kuhls, D. (2021, March). TREND In Focus: Speed-Related Crashes Crash and Trauma Outcomes for Motor Vehicle Occupants. TREND: Nevada’s Traffic Research and Education Letter, 10.2.
4. National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2021). Speeding: 2019 data (Traffic Safety Facts. Report No. DOT HS 813 194). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
5. Liu, C., & Sharma, A. (2019). Are you going to get a ticket or a warning for speeding? An autologistic regression analysis in Burlington, VT. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 1, 100001. doi:10.1016/j.trip.2019.100001
6. Lawpoolsri, S., Li, J., & Braver, E. R. (2007). Do Speeding Tickets Reduce the Likelihood of Receiving Subsequent Speeding Tickets? A Longitudinal Study of Speeding Violators in Maryland. Traffic Injury Prevention, 8(1), 26-34. doi:10.1080/15389580601009764
7. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). (2021). Speed: Maximum posted speed limits by state.
   Retrieved from https://www.iihs.org/topics/speed/speed-limit-laws

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Spotlight

Sharing the Knowledge: Nevada Traffic Safety Research presented at National and State Conferences

By Emily Strickler, MPH

Presenters shared their experiences with speed-related traffic issues and the impacts and possible solutions from the perspective of their areas of expertise. Following this session, we received direct feedback from a young mother about to embark on a road trip with her daughter who stated she intended to drive the speed limit, showing the personal impact of this research.

Project Director Laura Gryder-Culver and student researcher Merika Charupoom joined Erin Breen of UNLV’s Road Equity Alliance Project (REAP) to present during the Vulnerable Road Users Session on Marrying Pedestrian and Bike Data with Court Education Data and Community Demographics. L. Gryder-Culver also shared the team’s research during the Safer Drivers and Passengers: Are We There Yet? session on Occupant Protection Analysis of Use of Child Restraints by Age.

American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting 2021

Also in October, Traffic Safety Research (TSR) staff virtually presented our research at the national level during the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2021 Annual Meeting. Research Assistant, Emily Strickler, presented during a virtual poster session on Nevada trauma registry data used by TSR to inform helmet use legislation. Merika Charupoom and Emily Carter, student researchers, presented during the live virtual session, Innovations in Injury Research Methods. Merika focused on the ”Pedsafe court class interactive dashboard: Survey analysis and geospatial mapping,” while Emily presented on ”Increasing accessibility through an interactive dashboard presentation of injury prevention data.” L. Gryder-Culver presented during the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services session on “Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVC) on 55+ MPH highways: An Analysis of linked Nevada trauma and crash records to inform speed legislation.”

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Community Outreach

By Emily Carter and Merika Charupoom

Trunk-or-Treat at University Medical Center
Hosted by UMC-Health Living Institute

Our traffic safety research team hosted an informational table at the Trunk-or-Treat Event organized by the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada’s Healthy Living Institute (UMC-HLI). At this festive event, families gathered in Halloween costumes to not only collect candy, but also traffic safety educational materials from our team’s table.

Our team members Emily and Ana passed out informational fact sheets, with a particular focus on child passenger safety. As of Nevada’s 81st legislative session, a new law requires children under fifty-seven inches (57″) in height to be secured in a booster seat when riding in a motor vehicle. The law will become effective January 1, 2022. (Follow these links to access information about this law in English and Spanish)

Additionally, our team members answered questions and concerns from parents as they related to traffic safety. Our team member Ana graciously communicated with Spanish speaking families and provided our translated Spanish infographics. With the mission of our research to reach marginalized and diverse populations in our local community, Ana has been instrumental in sharing our research efforts beyond the English language

Safe Santa at the Boulevard Mall (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Our team members, Laura and Ana, attended the Safe Santa Event at the Boulevard Mall. At the event, children and families received traffic safety materials, including children’s pedestrian safety and car seat safety coloring pages. Additionally, we distributed our RoadWise and TREND Newsletter infographics, which report on Nevada traffic safety statistical trends and laws. As the holiday season endures, traffic safety has become increasingly important due to shortened daylight hours and increased traffic on our community roadways.

Families were educated on the new child passenger safety law (AB118), which will be in effect starting January 1, 2022. The law introduces height requirements for children to remain in boosters and mandates that children under two must remain in rear-facing seats

Staff Feature
Kavita Batra, Ph.D., M.P.H., B.D.S.

Kavita Batra (PhD, Public Health) serves as a Research Biostatistician with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine (KSOM) at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). She provides statistical and research training and assistance to KSOM’s faculty, residents, fellows, and medical students. Additionally, Dr. Batra contributes to projects related to traffic safety which include but are not limited to the following:

• Linked Nevada traffic database research
• Analysis of improper use of child restraints on roadside injuries and hospital outcomes
• The long-term impact of an impaired and distracted driving prevention program
• Investigation of trauma volumes during COVID-19

She recently published a manuscript in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, which described the positive outcomes (improving safe driving knowledge and attitudes) of a Nevada young driver advanced training program. Dr. Batra is an expert in qualitative and quantitative research and has presented her work in several state, national, and international public health conferences. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles to investigate the far-ranging impact of COVID-19 among diverse groups. Additionally, Dr. Batra is an honorary member of Delta Omega-Delta Theta Chapter at UNLV and a member to the Sexual Misconduct Taskforce, Nevada System of Higher Education.

Infographics