NTSB: Nearly As Many Die In Speed Related Crashes As Alcohol Related Crashes

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- A federal agency is now calling for action after an extensive report reveals an alarming number of people die in speed related crashes, nearly as many as in alcohol related crashes.

The NTSB is recommending adding more speed cameras and adding a foreign form of technology that's already being used in the UK.

A study from the NTSB showed between 2005 and 2014, 112,580 people died in speed related crashes.

That's nearly as many killed in alcohol related crashes.

In Maryland, overall traffic fatalities decreased over the last decade, but the MVA says the 522 fatalities in 2016 are still a concern.

"Speeding, it happens all too often. You might think you're just going a few miles too fast, but really in a crash it can make the difference in the serious injury or a fatality," says MVA administrator Chrissy Nizer.

As the NTSB tries to shine a spotlight on the deadly factor of speed, they're saying there's more states can do to prevent fatalities.

The NTSB recommends more speed cameras. Only 14 states and D.C.  currently use the technology.
Maryland is on that list, with speed cameras in some counties and cities and occasionally on highways around work zones.

Another suggestion is point to point enforcement. It's already being used in Australia and the U.K.

Drivers are tracked from point A to point B and if you get to point B too soon, that's a give away you're speeding.

Drivers say they were not surprised speeding is almost as deadly as drunk driving.

"I think a lot of times people are speeding and don't even realize it. They are too busy doing other things," says David Teneyuca of Baltimore.

"You're not in control of your faculties as well as you think you are. Getting behind the wheel is a dangerous place to be anyway," says Meg-Ann Skilton of Baltimore.

The NTSB also found that there isn't enough national emphasis on just how dangerous speeding really is.

The NTSB also calls on numerous local, state and federal agencies to join forces to reduce speeding related fatalities.

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