Defensive Driver Academy Practice Test

Speeding increases the energy involved in a crash andReduce your reaction and stopping ability, making outcomes more severe. As speed goes up, the energy released in a collision grows rapidly (roughly with the square of speed), so higher speeds produce more force on impact and more serious injuries or fatalities. You also have less time to notice hazards and more distance needed to stop, so you’re more likely to crash at a higher speed and with greater severity.

The other statements imply that speeding is the leading cause in every crash or that factors like alcohol or weather alone dominate all crashes, which isn’t true—crashes result from a mix of factors and not all are caused by speeding. Among the options, the claim that speeding is the leading factor in causing more serious injury and death best captures how speed directly affects crash severity.