The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says America’s obsession with speeding may not just come from drivers themselves. According to a new study from the safety group, the automotive advertising industry is playing a major role in normalizing aggressive driving behavior across the United States.
Researchers analyzed more than 2,500 television, online, and social media vehicle advertisements aired between 2018 and 2022. What they found was a heavy and growing emphasis on speed, power, traction, and performance rather than safety or responsible driving.
The study concluded that 43 percent of all vehicle advertisements focused primarily on performance themes. By comparison, only 8 percent highlighted safety, despite speeding-related crashes continuing to account for a major share of roadway fatalities nationwide.
IIHS executives argue that while these commercials may appear harmless on the surface, they reinforce a deeper cultural message that fast and aggressive driving is exciting, aspirational, and socially acceptable.
Speed Was Promoted Far More Than Safety
According to the IIHS findings, advertisements emphasizing speed and vehicle capability became even more common over the study period.
Ads centered around speed or speeding rose from 14 percent in 2018 to 19 percent by 2022. Commercials highlighting traction and off-road capability increased even more dramatically, climbing from 20 percent to 38 percent during the same timeframe.
Meanwhile, safety-focused advertising moved sharply in the opposite direction. IIHS researchers found that ads emphasizing safety dropped from 11 percent to just 3 percent over those four years.
The organization says many commercials portray vehicles powering through dirt trails, mountain terrain, heavy rain, or slippery conditions without placing those capabilities in a safety context. Instead, the scenes are often framed as exciting demonstrations of performance and control.
IIHS Says The U.S. Has Weak Advertising Standards
Unlike countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States does not heavily regulate how automakers market vehicle performance.
In Britain, regulators restrict advertisements that encourage dangerous driving or glorify excessive speed unless those features are clearly tied to safety situations. The IIHS says American standards are far more vague and easier for advertisers to work around.
The study points to major broadcasters whose advertising guidelines prohibit “risky behavior” but fail to clearly define what qualifies as unsafe driving. Some networks specifically mention seat belt use while largely ignoring excessive speed or aggressive maneuvering.
IIHS President David Harkey said many commercials effectively encourage viewers to imagine themselves driving the same way they see on screen, even when disclaimers mention professional drivers or closed-course filming.
Researchers argue this contributes to a normalization of speeding in American driving culture, particularly compared to other dangerous behaviors like drunk driving, which now carry much stronger social stigma.
Pickup Trucks And Sedans Were Major Focus Areas
The study found that performance themes appeared across virtually every vehicle category, though the emphasis varied depending on the type of vehicle being advertised.
Pickup truck commercials leaned heavily into towing power, traction, rugged terrain capability, and aggressive imagery. SUVs increasingly adopted similar themes as they evolved from family-focused vehicles into lifestyle and adventure-oriented products.
Sedan advertisements, however, featured the highest concentration of outright speeding imagery. In 2020, nearly half of all sedan ads studied included themes directly related to speed or fast driving.
Researchers noted that even viewers who never purchase these vehicles are still exposed to the messaging repeatedly, potentially influencing broader attitudes toward road behavior and acceptable driving habits.
America’s Speeding Problem Continues To Worsen
The IIHS study arrives amid continuing concerns about dangerous driving trends in the United States. According to the organization, more than 11,000 people were killed in speed-related crashes during 2024, accounting for roughly 29 percent of all roadway deaths nationwide.
Safety experts have repeatedly warned that speeding has become increasingly normalized following the pandemic-era spike in reckless driving behavior.
IIHS Research Scientist Amber Woods said many Americans underestimate how dangerous speeding truly is because it remains deeply embedded in entertainment, advertising, and car culture.
The report stops short of directly blaming automakers for reckless driving, but it does call on both manufacturers and broadcasters to rethink how vehicle performance is marketed. IIHS argues that unsafe speed should be treated with the same seriousness as impaired driving or failing to wear a seat belt.
For enthusiasts, performance has always been part of automotive passion and identity. The challenge now is balancing that excitement with a growing national road safety crisis that continues to claim thousands of lives every year.