You have GOT to be kidding! The national speed limit was set for one purpose – to save gasoline. Remember those long gas lines during the oil embargo in the late 70’s? President Carter came up with a few ideas on how to save gas… one was to set thermometers to 76 instead of 72. Another… to enforce a 55 MPH national speed limit. A 55 MPH “limit” was enacted in 1973 under the Nixon administration…To backup the 55MPH speed limit, “data” was used, to show that reduced speeds showed a trend toward reduced fatalities. DUH! A slower moving vehicle is less likely to suffer damage… But, no direct correlation has been linked between collision FREQUENCY and higher speed. Only that going faster means higher chance of death IF a collision occurs. And more so, even the Federal government admits that most “speed related” fatal accidents also involve… DRUNK DRIVING. Here’s what the government says… “In 2001, 43 percent of the intoxicated drivers (BAC = 0.10 or
higher) involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with only 14 percent of the sober drivers (BAC = 0.00) involved in fatal rashes.” Well, There’s a no-brainer for you! 86% were DRUNK! They didn’t die because they were speeding… They were drunk!
DRUNK DRIVING killed them… not speed. Collisions involving speeding drunk drivers are classified as being caused by… speeding. But, guess who helps to gather “reliable” traffic data…. aside from police that is… INSURANCE COMPANIES… and what do they make by having lower speed limits … MONEY.
Speed limits are set based on “the average” driver’s speed
Nope. There is a nice little requirement created by the United States Department of Transportation called … The 85th Percentile. A word about 85th percentile speed is in order. Traffic studies have shown that speed on a roadway resembles a bell-shaped curve. The standard deviation can be determined by the difference between the average speed and the 85th percentile speed. The difference contains 35 percent of the distribution.”
Put simply, the 85th percentile speed is the speed at which most people drive. BUT… most limits are lower than this number by about 10 MPH. Further, conclusive studies by the NHTSA shows that most people “drive at a speed at which they feel most comfortable.” And, it also shows “Fines do not deter drivers from their ‘driving comfort zone.'”
And even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration admits… “Various studies seeking to prove that the 55 mph limit has had a long-term positive effect on highway safety have come up with mixed results. Given the present federal law, however, more than local considerations are at stake whenever a police administrator considers a speed enforcement program, because a state has much to lose by not complying with the federal law and regulations.”
Money, not safety, is the primary reason for speed compliance programs… Speeding tickets = MONEY And, there is more…. Manual On Uniform Traffic Control Devices – Section 2B-10 (1988) When a speed limit is to be posted, it should be the 85th-percentile speed of free-flowing traffic, rounded up to the nearest 10 km/h (5 mph) increment.
Gee… The States and local governments break the law in posting invalid limits and then want US to comply with the invalid limits. Nice, huh?
This myth makes me the most angry. Why aren’t the speed limits set at average? It’s all about money. I won’t stand for it, and you shouldn’t either. Fight the good fight, and show the government you won’t lay down like a dog. You will fight against this unfair ruling. More information on this website