Does reducing a speed limit result in safer driving conditions?
Not necessarily. Reducing the limit below the warranted speed can actually be hazardous and unsafe. Studies have shown that merely reducing a speed limit has little effect on the speed at which motorists will travel. Furthermore, no published research findings have established any direct relationship between posted speed limits and accident frequency. When determining speed limits, engineers attempt to set a realistic limit that the majority of drivers will obey and that can be reasonably enforced.
