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Re: Repeal of the National Speed Limit Law
People who argue that "speed kills", because going faster is
more dangerous, entirely miss the point. The issue not
whether to have any speed limits at all, it is an issue of
where to draw the line.
The Federal Highway Administration performed experiments on
speed limits, concluding in their final report on "Effects
of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits" Report No. FHWA-RD-92-
084 that "the majority of motorists do not alter their speed
to conform to speed limits they perceive as unreasonable for
prevailing conditions." People neither slow down for speed
limits they feel are too low, nor do they speed up for speed
limits which are too high. This study also shows "Lowering
speed limits more than 5 mi/h below the 85th percentile
speed of traffic did not reduce accidents." The 85th
percentile speed is the speed below which 85 percent of the
people drive. The abstract and finding of this report are
available on
http://www.clark.net/pub/kevina/sl/sl-irrel.html
On the Denver-Boulder Turnpike the 85th percentile is about
65 mph. In good weather, this is a safe speed on this
limited access highway. Setting the speed limit at 65 mph
would bring the law into conformance with the speed that
most people think is safe.
Most drivers pick a reasonably safe speed. To set the speed
limit below the 85th percentile does nothing but make
violators out of otherwise law-abiding citizens. It creates
disrespect for the law, when the laws are so unreasonable
that most people violate them. We should set the speed
limits on limited access highways no lower than the 85th
percentile.
-Ted Weverka
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