Speeding doesn’t save time

Speeding feels like it saves time, but the maths shows the benefit is tiny—while the safety risks rise sharply.

• We misjudge time savings: People assume a simple “faster = much quicker” relationship, but travel time doesn’t decrease linearly with speed.  Small increases in speed (e.g. 110 → 120 km/h) save very little time.
• Real-world driving cancels gains: Traffic lights, congestion, and stops mean much of a trip isn’t spent moving fast anyway.  In one study, drivers saved on average just 26 seconds per day by speeding.
• Psychological bias: Humans tend to underestimate travel time (“planning fallacy”) and rely on mental shortcuts, leading us to overvalue speeding.

Safety risk increases dramatically:  While time savings are minimal, the risk of serious crashes rises steeply with speed:

• Higher speed = more kinetic energy → more severe injuries or fatalities.
• Each small increase in speed significantly raises the chance of death in a crash.
• For pedestrians, even modest speed increases sharply increase fatality risk.

Non-linear danger: Risk doesn’t rise gradually—it accelerates, especially above around 30 km/h, making even small speed increases much more dangerous.

Bottom line trade-off: Speeding typically saves seconds, but multiplies the likelihood and severity of harm, making it a poor and risky trade-off.

The maths shows speeding is largely pointless for saving time—but from a safety perspective, it’s one of the most dangerous choices a driver can make.

This is a summary of the article “Speeding doesn’t save time– here’s the maths to prove it” from The Age, Sunday 5 April 2026

Nick Szwed