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Table of Contents The Speed Limit Debate on the Web
Carlene Yee (g10) provides summaries of three student reports and three speed-limit debate related web sites. Through her research Carlene does not change her initial position which is that speed limits should be raised in certain areas. Obviously speed limits should not be increased in residential or school zones, or on dangerous or narrow roadways. She feels however, that it is the norm to speed on the highways and that she herself travels ten to fifteen miles per hour on average over the posted speed limit. Carlene sees education as the key to safe driving, not added caution, though she does not feel that it is practical or reasonable to require a traffic psychology course for licensure. Bernadette Jambaro (g10), a "reformed" speeder herself, refers to excessive speeders as "risk-takers, reckless, and ignorant." She also feels that education if vital to the speed issue and that traffic cameras should be implemented along with the posting of more speed-limit signs to deter speeding on our roadways. Bernadette?s report contains a plethora of links to various web sites and student reports which she uses to support her position that speeding is an aggressive behavior related to the adrenaline rush a fast moving vehicle effects on the driver. She calls for strict police action and enforcement of speed limit laws and more self-control on the part of drivers as a civic responsibility. Michelle Kim (psy 499/Fall 1996) cites the federal government?s original justification for the imposition of the 55 mph speed limit as being a fuel conservation effort following the 1973 oil embargo. According to her report, a drop in highway travel and fatalities was attributed by federal officials to the decreased speed limit. Federal officials claim a 60-70 percent drop in paralyzing spinal cord injuries and a decrease of 90,000 severe head injuries due to the decrease in travel speed imposed on the nation?s roadways. She also points out the interesting statistic that only seven hours of travel time are saved by drivers doing 65 mph as opposed to those traveling 55 mph. The majority of Michelle?s report is a very detailed transcription of her own self-witnessing experiment on driving.
Cherilyn Okazaki posits question regarding the total abolishment of speed limits altogether. Currently states have the right to legislate their own individual speed limits, a control given to the states by President Clinton. Since given the ability to regulate their own roadway speeds, only three states have retained the 55 mph limit. Twenty-eight states post 65 mph limits, while nine states each enforce 70 and 75 mph limits. Only one state has since abolished the speed limit entirely. Cherilyn researched the pros and cons of that states decision and found that a lack of maximum road speed allowed does not have an impact on insurance rates and that speed limits are often unrealistic as people choose to exceed posted limits regularly. On the con side of the argument, Michelle found more argument, including the higher rate of fuel consumption which results from increased travel speed. She also points out that existing transportation infrastructure is inadequate and not designed for greater speeds, and that higher rates of speed result in more severe accidents when they occur. No mention was made of how many accidents have occurred in states with increased or abolished speed limits compared to the number of accidents in 55 mph states. Cherilyn sides with the anti-abolishment argument, pointing out that Hawai'i in particular needs a speed limit because of its relatively small size and the design of its freeways.
There is no question in my mind that speed limits should exist in residential and school zones as a matter of safety. The question of whether speed limits serve a positive safety function on highways and interstates is another matter. It does seem to me that most people choose to ignore speed limits and that the signs on which they are posted are a waste of the money spent to make them. The issue is twofold: will people abide by speed regulations and do the regulations actually accomplish a safety function? Seeing as how it is a driving norm to exceed posted speed limits in our society, the behavior itself should be addressed. The students in these reports all agree that education is necessary to provide realistic information on which responsible drivers can base their judgment of appropriate driving speed. I too believe that if people are made aware of the risk they present to themselves and others through statistics and probability figures and if they are given insight into human nature which helps them question their own rationalizations, most would make a conscious effort to adjust their attitude and driving style. As to whether speed regulations actually accomplish a safety function, I do not see that they do. Speed limit signs serve as little deterrent to speeding drivers because the risk of getting caught is not significant enough to outweigh their individual rationalizations. People routinely drive 10-15 miles above the speed limit anyway, but if the limit were raised to reflect that, would people then increase their speed another 10-15 mph? Does raising the speed limit encourage people to drive faster? Does it matter if it does? People drive very very fast in Germany on the autobahn and they seem to make it home safely. Our roads are not designed to handle great speeds however and it would be the roads that present a safety hazard, not speed. I was very interested to learn that the original justification for a 55 mph speed limit was as an energy conservation measure in response to the oil embargo. We already consume fossil fuels in this country at a phenomenal rate and engage in international politics and military conflict over the price of fuel for our cars. Were we, as a nation, to collectively drive faster we would definitely increase our national fuel consumption, as well as our reliance on fossil fuels and the countries that provide them. My answer is this: more people need to ride motorcycles. Motorcycles are statistically less likely to be involved in an accident than cars, they use way less fuel, and people can still ride FAST!
The Speed Limit Debate on the Web The Effects of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits page, part of the Reasonable Drivers Unanimous site presents the results of a study, the objective of which was to determine the effects of raising and lowering posted speed limits on driver behavior and accident rates. Results indicate little effect on motorists? speed when speed limits were raised as much as 15 mph or lowered as much as 20 mph. Results also indicate that drivers are not likely to exceed raised speed limits or reduce their speeds in response to lowered limits. Research also shows that lowering speed limits does not reduce accidents, though it does increase speed violations. Nor does raising the speed limit effect an increase in speeds or accidents. Driver Alert: A Publication by the Auto Safety Alliance, volume 1, issue 1, November 1997 is titled "Breaking the 55 miles per hour speed limit: pro/con proponents express their views. This site contains a short summary of the issue and debate surrounding the controversy over increasing speed limits. Statistics by the Transportation Department are cited saying that 6,400 additional people will die each year with the abolishment of the federal speed limit and that one third of fatal accidents are speed related. The fuel consumption issue and accident statistics are also addressed. Proponents of abolishing the speed limit are quoted as saying that speed limits in certain places are unnecessary and dangerous. Edmund?s Speed Limit Discussion Forum contains a wealth of information on the subject of speeding and its related safety issues. Many studies are cited to show that higher speed limits present a significant safety hazard. These results show that with increased speed limits comes a higher average traffic speed, greater numbers of people traveling at excessive speeds, and an increase in accident severity. What they do not say is if a greater number of cars are actually involved in accidents. The increased death rate may be attributable to the laws of physics which require greater severity of accidents at greater speeds. People are more likely to die in accidents if the speed limit is raised, but are they more likely to get in an accident in the first place? This site also addresses the cost issue of a speed limit increase, providing dollar figures for each state on increases in speed-related highway fatality economic costs. A study done in May 1995 by McKeon and Associates found that most people do not want to pay for unnecessary highway injuries and that 64.2 percent of respondents opposed raising the speed limit above 65 mph. The Speed Related Argument Database proposes the argument that "everyone will drive 10 to 15 mph over the limit." In a short essay, the point is made that drivers gauge their speed on road conditions and drive at speeds they feel comfortable rather than abide by posted limits. This site offers the idea that the reason it is the driving norm to exceed the limit by 10-15 mph is because the limits are simply set too low and gives Montana as an example where daytime speed limits have been abolished and the average speed has increased only 2 mph. This site also provides links to five other documents on the web related to the subject of speeding and speed limits.
I still believe that people will drive the way the do regardless of posted speed limits. I do not believe that raising the speed limit encourages people to drive faster any more than lowering the limit makes them drive more slowly. Rapid speed is not necessarily dangerous. People drive rapidly as a course of habit as things stand. Those who drive at excessive speed represent the true danger and speed limits are of no consequence to this type of driver. Education is therefore the key.
Several groups exist on usenet which discuss transportation and driving and many of those have threads related to the speed limit debate issue. One group in particular that I visited was misc.transport.road which contained a thread relating to the 80 mph speed limit. Much of the discussion in this group was related to specific areas and roads. People who know those roads argue back and forth about how fast they should be allowed to drive there and why. The basic sentiment among group members is that speed does not kill, "boneheadedness" kills. Most contributors agree that a 55 mph speed limit is too low, but they do not feel that the limit should be raised higher than 65. Statistics are tossed back and forth and the occasional original point is raised. One person points out that speed limits at night should reflect the decreased reaction time secondary to reduced visibility. The agreement among this group is that speed limits should be set on road design, traffic conditions, and development density rather than be an arbitrary universal designation.
Writing this report has made me consider a trait in myself I had not previously given much conscious regard. I have always been one to drive fast and justify my speed with any number of reasons. Since I have discovered actual evidence in the form of statistics and theories on the subject of speeding, I have an awareness of the issue and its implications. With that awareness comes a conscious effort to stay alive on the road which may not necessarily equate to improved driving habits. I am aware as I ride now more than I had previously considered that I place myself at greater risk by riding fast. My actions, I must admit, have changed little. Future generations should be aware of their own driving habits and the reasons they tell themselves they behave as they do on the road. There are countless places on the internet you can go to to learn more and make informed decisions. Start this project early because it takes a long time to get through all of the information posted out there and pick the sites you are going to use. |
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