---

Speed Demons ... One-third of Americans Speed More Than Half the Time

1 December 1999

Speed Demons ... One-third of Americans Speed More Than Half the Time

    PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 30 -- Eight out of ten Americans drive
at least part of the time at speeds faster than the posted speed limits and
about one-third speed at least half of the time, according to a recent
CARAVAN(R) survey.
    The survey of adults found that 27% of respondents drive faster than the
speed limit 10% or less of the time, 18% speed 11 to 49% of the time and
one-third speed more than half of the time.  Only 16% say that they never
drive faster than posted speed limits.
    The study also shows that the younger the driver, the greater the
percentage of time spent driving over the speed limit.  Those 18 to 24 years
of age speed over half the time, those 25-64 years of age speed almost
one-third of the time, while senior citizens speed, on average, only 14% of
the time.
    CARAVAN(R), Opinion Research Corporation International's weekly national
telephone survey is in its fourth decade making CARAVAN(R) the oldest
continually running consumer omnibus survey in the nation.  These results are
from a CARAVAN survey conducted earlier this year among a national probability
sample of 1005 adults, 18 years and over.  The margin of error is +/- 3
percentage points.