Speed cameras aren't enough to fix dangerous roads

We've seen a surge in speeding in recent years. During the early days of the pandemic, empty highways gave way to reckless driving at alarming rates. But even as traffic congestion returned, speeding has remained dangerously high compared to pre-pandemic levels. 

Speed cameras have been widely deployed as one solution to help alleviate the problem. Research shows these interventions can be effective in getting drivers to slow down and reducing the number and severity of road collisions.

But it's simply not realistic to monitor every stretch of road across the country. True road safety will require more than speed enforcement. It will take data-driven insights and collaboration across the entire transportation ecosystem – including insurers, public agencies, transportation leaders, and their data partners – to improve overall road safety.

Speeding is a persistent issue — we need more permanent solutions

In 2024, there were more than 39,000 traffic deaths in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That marks a much-welcomed decrease from recent years, but the broader trend still points in the wrong direction: Traffic fatalities have risen by a shocking 30% over the past decade — and we know that even one death on our roadways is one too many. 

Speeding is a factor in nearly one-third of these fatal crashes. Yet, Arity research found that only 42% of drivers view speeding as "extremely unsafe." It's a dangerous disconnect we must address. 

Speed cameras have proven to be one of the most effective tools for identifying speeding vehicles and reducing dangerous driving. In Washington, D.C., for instance, speeding citations dropped by more than 95% after cameras were installed. In New York City, speed cameras in school zones led to a 30% reduction in speeding violations and a 25% drop in injury crashes. 

However, this enforcement strategy has its limitations. For one, speed cameras are limited to specific zones where they are installed, which means that areas outside of monitored zones may still experience high-speed driving and other dangerous behaviors.  

It's also difficult to tell whether speed cameras create lasting changes in drivers' habits or whether they simply promote temporary compliance in monitored areas. Drivers might slow down as they approach speed cameras, only to speed up again once they've passed. Or they may even change their routes altogether to avoid camera-monitored areas. 

As a result, cameras can simply move speeding problems to other areas — much like speed humps on one road can cause drivers to divert to neighboring streets.

While speed cameras are an important tool for reducing dangerous driving, true road safety requires more than the efforts of transportation planners and public agencies. A broader, more comprehensive strategy is needed — one that moves beyond isolated enforcement zones to tackle the underlying causes of speeding and reckless behavior. 

To get there, we need a better understanding of how people behave on the road, when risky driving behavior occurs, and where safety interventions will have the greatest impact. 

How insurers can help make speed cameras better

Accurate, comprehensive mobility intelligence can help reduce speeding and improve safety beyond monitored zones. Leveraging data insights across the entire transportation ecosystem can ensure that safety measures drive meaningful, long-term change in speeding across entire communities. 

As an insurer, you can play a critical role in that effort. By encouraging drivers to share their driving behavior data, incorporating actionable mobility intelligence, and opening up opportunities to improve collaboration across the entire transportation ecosystem, you can help planners and public agencies improve the effectiveness of speeding mitigation strategies and identify new opportunities to enhance safety. 

Consider the following data-driven strategies that can make speed mitigation measures more effective — and more beneficial for our entire transportation ecosystem. 

1. Champion equitable speed mitigation measures

There are growing concerns about the disproportionate impact speed camera programs may have on certain neighborhoods or communities. Telematics data and mobility intelligence can play a key role in addressing these concerns by helping cities address locations where risk is truly elevated and avoid perpetuating existing inequalities based on available data. 

Rather than relying on flawed assumptions or historical placement patterns, driving data can help public agencies identify proven risk hot spots based on actual crash rates, traffic volumes, and unsafe driving behaviors. 

This isn't about using telematics data to catch speeders or punish individual drivers. Rather, aggregated data and mobility insights can provide a better view of holistic trends that ensure speed reduction measures are deployed where they're most needed, and not where they may unintentionally target specific communities.

2. Complement speed cameras with telematics data

Speed cameras alone capture only a fraction of risky driving behavior. You can empower cities to take a more dynamic, comprehensive approach by integrating other driving behaviors like distracted driving and hard braking into their speed reduction strategies. With greater data collaboration (and the right data partner), you can help ensure mitigation efforts are focused in areas where they will have the biggest impact.  

The good news is that the appetite for driving behavior data sharing already exists: Arity found that 86% of U.S. drivers are willing to share their driving behavior data if it helps prevent traffic fatalities. 

By leveraging mobility data through close partnerships, public agencies can make more informed traffic decisions and ensure speed mitigation efforts are fair, justified, and effectively improve the entire transportation ecosystem. 

3. Support a broader approach to road safety

Speed cameras alone won't solve the problem of road risk. However, they are an important component of a broader traffic safety strategy that includes infrastructure improvements, education, and behavior-based interventions.

As an insurer, promoting road safety can go beyond incentivizing safer driving behaviors through opt-in telematics programs. You have an important role in creating a feedback loop for customers, sharing how they're driving and determining which driving behaviors – like speeding and distracted driving – are contributing to road risk. 

A smarter strategy for safe streets

We need a more comprehensive approach to reduce speeding and prevent fatal crashes on our roadways. 

Every part of our transportation ecosystem has a role to play in that effort — from insurance carriers to public agencies to drivers themselves. Working together, all these groups can create a smarter, data-driven approach that maximizes traffic safety.

We have the insights at our fingertips to reduce speeding, improve safety, and save lives on our roads. It's time to put them to better use.