Highway safety agency running ads in effort to curb speeding

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government’s road safety agency says it will spend $8 million on ads aimed at stemming the rising number of traffic deaths caused by speeding. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign called “Speeding Wrecks Lives” will run on television, radio and digitally, targeting drivers from ages 18 to 44. The agency says 11,258 people died in speed-related crashes in 2020, up 17% from 2019 even though there was less traffic on the roads in 2020 because of the pandemic. Speed contributed to 29% of all fatal crashes, with 87% of speed-related deaths happening on local roads, not interstate highways.