Whilst exceeding speed limits is part of road traffic and criminal law, this paper points to the tremendous social harm that can result from speeding, and argues that it has not been taken seriously by most drivers. In fact, it has been socially constructed as almost a `non-crime' or as not `real' crime. A range of interrelated factors - broadly, at the levels of the individual, society and the state - are held to explain the majority perception of the low seriousness of speeding, and these are illustrated and discussed. In view of its pervasiveness, efforts to reduce and control excessive speed will need determination and imagination, and present and future countermeasures are considered at the close. Ultimately, a change of attitude towards the desirability of speed will not be achieved simply by locating the problems it causes with individual `deviant' drivers, and governments are enjoined to lead the way in taking speeding more seriously. (A)
Abstract