Speed Ads Outpace Safety Messages, IIHS Study Finds

Why It Matters

Prioritizing performance over safety in advertising can shape driver attitudes, potentially increasing risky behavior and traffic fatalities. The findings pressure regulators and broadcasters to tighten ad standards and curb the cultural glorification of speed.

Key Takeaways

• 43% of ads highlighted speed, power, or handling in 2022
• Safety mentions dropped to just 3% across the three-year sample
• SUV ads with performance themes rose from 28% to 45%
• Industry self‑regulation lacks clear rules on speed‑related content

Pulse Analysis

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s latest analysis shines a light on a persistent marketing bias: performance over protection. By scanning roughly 1,500 TV spots and 1,000 digital placements from 2018, 2020 and 2022, the study found that 43 % of ads foregrounded speed, traction, power or handling, while safety cues fell to a mere 3 %. This shift coincides with a rise in speed‑related fatalities—11,288 lives lost in 2024—suggesting that the glorification of velocity in media may be reinforcing risky driving habits among American consumers.

Unlike the United Kingdom, where regulators ban ads that encourage dangerous driving and require performance claims to be tied to safety, the United States relies largely on voluntary broadcaster standards. Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS) and NBCUniversal have issued internal guidelines, yet they stop short of defining “risky behaviour” or restricting speed‑centric imagery. The gap leaves automakers free to showcase high‑performance attributes without substantive safety context, creating a regulatory blind spot that industry watchdogs argue fuels a cultural obsession with speed.

For manufacturers, the data presents both a branding challenge and an opportunity. While performance messaging drives excitement and sales—especially for pickups and SUVs—the growing public scrutiny could prompt a pivot toward safety‑focused narratives. Automakers might pre‑empt stricter rules by integrating crash‑avoidance technology highlights or emphasizing seat‑belt usage alongside power specs. Policymakers, meanwhile, could look to the UK model or introduce clearer federal guidelines to balance consumer appeal with road‑safety objectives. Continued monitoring of ad content will be essential to gauge any shift in industry practice.