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Inappropriate high speeds are associated with increases in crash probability and severity, and we need to understand why they happen if we are to design workable interventions. Thirty-six drivers participated in four focus groups: one of professional drivers, two of drivers on a speed awareness course, who had been previously convicted for speeding, and one of motorcyclists. The method used an amalgam of qualitative approaches to thematic analysis. The principal aim was to elicit driver experiences and perceptions regarding speed choice and speeding behaviour. A second aim was to determine the extent to which the themes identified by participants could be explained using the concepts of the Task-Capability Interface (TCI) model, which was developed from its original instantiation as a result of a review of the research literature on speed choice published in the period 1995 to 2006 (Fuller et al., 2008). A third and final aim was to examine the implications of the results for the content of speed-related media safety campaigns and the identification of potential target groups.

All groups reported using their speed in order to control safety margins and to obtain a ‘comfortable’state. Driving capability was regarded as being affected by experience, stress, age, concentration and fatigue. Driving task demand was seen to be influenced by road and traffic conditions, including familiarity with the road, vehicle characteristics, weather conditions, the behaviour of other road users and secondary tasks such as the use of a mobile phone. There was an awareness that high speeds reduced the time available to deal with contingencies and bikers in …