AAA of Michigan is taking aim at speeding in a new campaign intended to help make the roads safer.

AAA Spokesperson Adrienne Woodland tells us through its new campaign, “Crashes Hit Different,” the organization aims to change public perception and highlight the real consequences of excessive speed. She says federal statistics from 2024 show speeding is nearly as deadly as drunk driving.

“Drunk driving accounted for about 30% of traffic fatalities, while speeding was responsible for about 29%,” Woodland said. “So pretty much speeding and drunk driving are almost the same percentage of traffic fatalities in the U.S.”

Woodland says there’s a perception problem at the root of the issue here.

“Speeding remains socially acceptable, and that’s a dangerous double standard and it’s time we treat speeding with the same urgency and accountability as impaired driving.”

A AAA survey done this summer found 69% of drivers will admit to speeding, while 68% blame their speeding on trying to keep up with the flow of traffic. In other words, “Everyone else is speeding, so I also have to.”

Woodland says 80% agreed that speeding increases the chances of severe injury or death, while 37% believe going just a few miles an hour over the speed limit doesn’t count. AAA’s message is that it does count, and everyone should just obey the posted speed limit.