Road users’ safety attitudes towards speeding across 39 countries

Speeding remains a major contributor to road traffic crash risk and injury severity, yet its behavioural, attitudinal, and cultural determinants vary across populations and contexts. This study analyses speeding-related behaviours and safety attitudes using the ESRA3 survey, a harmonised international questionnaire administered across 39 countries in 2023. Self-reported speeding behaviours (both exceeding posted limits and driving too fast for conditions), acceptability beliefs, perceived social norms, risk perceptions, self-efficacy, and support for enforcement and policy measures were examined through descriptive analyses at the regional level (Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Oceania) and Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) with random intercepts capturing heterogeneity across all 39 countries. Descriptive results indicate that speeding is widely reported, with younger drivers and males consistently declaring higher speeding frequencies across road types. Driving too fast for road/traffic conditions is reported less often than exceeding limits in built-up areas. Acceptability of speeding is generally low; however, respondents tend to believe that others view speeding as more acceptable, suggesting a social-norm mismatch. While intentions to respect speed limits are high overall, self-efficacy in managing high speeds varies by region. GLMM findings show that higher perceived personal/social acceptability is associated with higher self-reported speeding, whereas stronger intentions to comply and greater support for stricter enforcement are associated with lower speeding. These findings support a multifaceted approach combining enforcement, policy, and targeted communication, particularly for younger and male drivers, while accounting for cross-country differences in perceptions and confidence.