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National Maximum Speed Limit Repeal: Ten Years Later

Increasing Speeds Have Limited Highway Safety Progress

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- On December 8, 1995, the repeal of the National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) went into effect. The repeal ended the federal requirement that states keep speed limits at a maximum of 65 miles per hour (mph) in rural areas and 55 mph in urban areas. A recent survey of Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) members indicated that 40 GHSA jurisdictions had increased their speed limits since the repeal. Of particular concern is information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicating 31 states have increased their speed limits to 70 mph or higher on some portion of their roadways.

While national statistics indicate fatalities have remained level since the NMSL repeal, this is hardly cause for celebration. According to GHSA Chair Lt. Colonel Jim Champagne, "The nation should have experienced a significant decline in total fatalities and injuries given the tremendous increase in safety belt use coupled with the increasingly safe design of vehicles. However, it appears these benefits have been offset both by increasing speed limits and the public exceeding these increased posted limits." He says, "Drunk driving, failure to wear safety belts and speeding- these are the big three killers on our roadways. These three issues deserve priority of attention if we are going to make significant progress in reducing deaths."

Research by IIHS and others around the world consistently shows that when speed limits are increased, highway deaths on the roads involved also show increases. In 1999, IIHS researchers compared the number of motor vehicle occupant deaths in 24 states that raised speed limits with corresponding fatality counts in the six years before the speed limits were changed. The study estimated that there was a 15 percent increase in deaths on interstates and freeways.

"When speeds are higher, stopping distance increases making crashes more likely, and crash severity is greater," says Susan Ferguson, IIHS Senior Vice President for Research. "There is a price we pay for higher speeds, and that is more lives lost on our highways." IIHS speed surveys show that the proportion of vehicles traveling 80 mph or higher on rural interstates has increased. "If drivers perceive there's a low likelihood of getting a ticket, speeds will be higher -- in some cases much higher -- than the posted limit" says Ferguson.

The challenge with speeding is not just the increased posted speed limits but also the fact that the public feels comfortable driving above the posted limits, even when road conditions are less than ideal. GHSA's 2005 survey indicated there exists a "cushion" of 5-10 mph, not only in the minds of the public but also in law enforcement practice. Champagne states, "This has caused a 'double-whammy' for safety-speed limits have been increased and on top of that the public is going well above those new higher limits."

GHSA and IIHS agree that in order to reduce speeding-related fatalities and significantly reduce overall highway deaths, there must be a coordinated enforcement and public education effort between the national, state and local governments. Champagne says, "We have seen how this type of integrated program works effectively in increasing safety belt use and reducing drunk driving. We need to apply those lessons to the speeding issue." Ferguson adds, "There is a recognition around-the-world that in order to significantly reduce motor vehicle deaths, you need to reduce speeds. It is time we apply that lesson in this country."

CLICK4 the report Survey of the States: Speeding

IIHS speeding-related resources.

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