55 - A Decade of Experience

Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
TRB Special Report 204: 55 -- A Decade of Experience evaluates the benefits and costs of the 55 mph speed limit and assesses the effectiveness of state laws in inducing compliance.

The findings and recommendations of the committee are presented in this report, along with the unresolved issues that surround the appropriate speed limit for selected roads. The committee findings on the consequences of the 55 mph speed limit relate to safety, energy, taxpayer costs, and travel time. Recent trends in motorist compliance and pressures for change are also discussed. Recommendations of the committee are that the 55 mph speed limit should be retained on almost all of the nation's highways and that the federal government should measure state compliance with the speed limit through a point system that attaches more significance to high-speed violations than to violations just above the speed limit.

Drive 55 if you want, but get out of my way!

Written by Administrator
Saturday, 02 August 2008

Sometimes people say that drivers can go 55 MPH now and they just need to stay right and get out of the way so those that want to speed can. There are a number of problems with this attitude.

• It is a PUBLIC road and we all must share.
• In most states the speed limit for trucks and vehicles pulling trailers is already 55-60, so what should these do? In fact, most drivers observe the basic courtesy of "Slower traffic keep right" but it is not always possible and not at all on two lane divided highways.
• Why should someone observing the law "get out of the way" so someone else can break the law?
• Wasted energy drives up the cost for everyone.
• Increased pollution is bad for evryone.
• Speed differential between vehicles creates an unsafe situation, if driver 1 is at or below the limit, and driver 2 is 15 MPH over the limit, which driver should change course to avoid collision?
• Speeding is a major cause of accidents
• Chance of a collision increases with speed.
• Property damage increases with speed.
• Injuries, severity and fatalities increase with speed.

Safety tips?

Written by Tim Castleman
Monday, 29 November 1999
It can be unnerving to drive 55 in traffic so always observe the "slower traffic keep right rule". If you can fall in behind and follow a truck that is doing 55 that is ideal. Remember to stay back far enough to see the truck drivers mirrors - if you can't see the mirrors the driver can't see you.

Traffic fatalities trend

Written by Administrator
Saturday, 02 August 2008

Traffic fatalities have been steadily declining for decades as technology and safety have improved, however a look at the data reveals the downward trend that mandatory airbags* brought was reversed in 1992 at the historic low of 39,250 fatalities and has been rising since then. Had a downward trend of 2,500 fewer deaths per year continued since 1992 there would have been 991,433 less traffic fatalities since then.   

Critics argue the upward trend is due to increases in population and miles traveled, but then how does one explain the historic downward trend as population and mileage traveled increased in the decades prior to the period since 1992? Did we hit a "safety plateau" where a certain percentage of about 42,000 traffic deaths per year is acceptable?

What about the last ten years? Here we clearly see the upward trend since congress repealed the national speed limit law in 1996.

 

The Governors Highway Safety Association has set a goal of zero fatalities in testimony to congress on July 16, 2008 and asks for federal help.

"The goal of zero fatalities. The loss of one life is one too many. Over time, and with education, enforcement, safety infrastructure improvements, vehicle improvements, and technological advances, such an ambitious goal can be achieved."

To help achieve this ambitious goal, among other requests, they want:

"A new speed management incentive grant. Speeding is a factor in an estimated one-third of all crashes, and costs society an estimated $40 billion annually. Reducing speed not only saves lives, but it also saves energy. A new speed management program should provide incentives for states that undertake speed enforcement, conduct speed management workshops, implement automated speed enforcement programs, or conduct public information campaigns about speeding."

One may ask then, what if the downward trend had not been reversed in 1992 and had continued towards the goal of zero deaths at the same pace it had been, how many fewer fatalities would that have been?

 

* On 11 July 1984, the U.S. government required cars being produced after 1 April 1989 to have driver's side airbags

DOT HS 810 818 - Traffic Safety Facts 2006
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/CMSWeb/index.aspx

Governors Highway Safety Association
http://www.ghsa.org/html/media/pressreleases/2008/2008.07.16.testimony.html