Did The 65 MPH Speed Limit Save Lives?
Lave and Elias, www.uctc.net/papers/069.pdf, University of California – Irvine, This research looked at 1987 when the federal government allowed states to raise their speed limits to 65 mph. The research states, “We find that the 65 mph speed limit reduced the statewide fatality rate by 3.4%-5.1% compared to states that did not raise their speed limits and maintained 55 mph. Federal Highway Administration, http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/sl-irre0.html Driver Speed Behavior on U.S. Streets and Highways, This study was conducted on 52 roads in four states: Delaware, North Carolina, Colorado, and Arizona. This research reported: “speed limits which are set artificially low tend to be ignored.” The assumption was that as you increased the speed limit by up to 15 mph drivers would automatically drive the increased limit. The answer was no. “Raising the speed by various amounts up to 15 mph has little or no effect on speeds over a broad range of road types and speed levels. Conversely, lowering t
