Illinois study: U.S. speed limits directly impact deaths

[StlouisX50]

Illinois study: U.S. speed limits directly impact deaths by William Atkins Tuesday, 21 July 2009 Page 1 of 2

In 1995, the maximum speed limit on interstate highways in the United States was changed from 55 miles per hour (mph) nationwide to a state-regulated system (that resulted in many speeds of 65 mph or above). A research study concludes that the change directly caused an extra 12,500 deaths over the next ten years on U.S. interstates.




The study performed by researchers at the School of Public Health of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is to be published in the September 2009 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

According to the July 16, 2009 UIC press release Higher Speed Limits Cost Lives, “It is the first long-term study to evaluate the impact of repealing the National Maximum Speed Law on road fatalities and injuries in fatal crashes between 1995 and 2005.”

The authors of the study are Lee Friedman (assistant research professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at UIC and lead author of the study), Donald Hedeker (UIC School of Public Health), and Elihu Richter, (Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel).

In 1974, the maximum speed limit on U.S. interstate highways was restricted to 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) per hour. It was primarily instituted as a consequence of the oil embargo.

The oil crisis began on October 17, 1973, when nations comprising OAPEC (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) declared an oil embargo based on the decision by the United States to supply the military of Israel during the Yom Kippur war.

OAPEC consists of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) plus the countries of Egypt and Syria. OPEC consists of the countries of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

In the first year that the new speed law was enacted, according to the Illinois researchers, there was a 17% reduction in the number of deaths on interstate roads in the United States. However, the law was modified in 1987 to allow states to raise the speed limit on some U.S. interstates to 65 miles per hour.
Illinois study: U.S. speed limits directly impact deaths by William Atkins Tuesday, 21 July 2009 Page 2 of 2


Then, in 1995, the 1974 law was repealed and all fifty U.S. states were allowed to set their own speed limits on interstate highways that exist within their state boundaries. Consequently, the speed limits were raised to speeds much higher than 55 miles per hour.


For instance, in 2009, many interstate highways in Illinois is 65 miles per hour, and on Michigan interstates the maximum interstate speed is 70 miles per hour.

Dr. Friedman and his team concluded in their study that: "The primary finding of our study was that over the 10-year period following the repeal of National Maximum Speed Law, there were approximately 12,500 deaths due to the increased speed limits across the U.S.” [UIC press release]

Within the UIC press release, it notes: “The researchers suggest that policy makers reevaluate national policy on speed and road safety and consider reduced speed limits and improved enforcement with speed camera networks to save lives.”

And, the article adds, “Speed camera programs have been implemented in England, France and Australia and have shown immediate reductions in motor vehicle crash fatalities, said Friedman.”

Dr. Friedman states, "This is a failed policy because it was, in essence, an experiment over 10 years. People assumed that increasing the speed limit would not have an impact. We've shown that something has happened and it's quite dramatic."

The UIC article concludes with a comparison of these 12,500 deaths and the people that died on September 11th. He states, "That tragic event has led to a whole foreign policy. We estimate that approximately 12,500 people died as a result of a policy to deregulate speed enforcement -- four times what happened on September 11th -- and yet changing the policy to reduce speed limits may be very difficult."

[StlouisX50]

And, the article adds, “Speed camera programs have been implemented in England, France and Australia and have shown immediate reductions in motor vehicle crash fatalities, said Friedman.”

"

He needs to do less research and more reading. This is not the case. In fact the cameras have caused more crashes. Whether or not they cause more fatalities is not really a factor in my personal opinion. Injuries, damage, loss of vehicle and property is still a huge issue. I just posted an article today in AU stating that once they put speed limits up in areas more crashes occurred.

[lidper24]

Funny how he wants BOTH the speed cameras AND lowering the speed limit to 55--in most of Europe it is 130 km/h, which is 81. Parasite.

I'll see if I can read the study at some point. I wonder how the hell he tied in the speed limit increase by itself to the increased fatalities.

[StlouisX50]

I wondered how he tied the speed to be the cause myself.

Things like medical issues, drunk driving, un attentive driving, weather, falling asleep, gas prices, population, sure would not have an effect now would it.

[lugnuts]

this guy must not drive on Chicagoland highways at all. nobody obeys the 55 mile speed limit on any highway in the city or burbs. I can cruise in the middle lane at 70-75 and get passed all day long.

also I love these types of articles that give not actual data to prove their point except a blanket statement and a #.

how many accidents on the highway were caused by weather? snow, Ice, rain...etc. how many accident involved buses? drivers falling aseep at the wheel? 20-30 illegals being transported in a small cargo van? how many were drunk driving related?

how many more driver are on the road today then 10 years ago, 20 years ago? makes a huge difference, he uses % for the early data and a total death # for later data. hmmm could their be a reason. maybe the death rate went up but maybe the # of drivers went up tenfold making the death rate % a negative #.

this guys "study" is all propaganda to justify the states in their quest to generate more revenue.

there are a lot of factors, information and facts purposly left out of this guys so called "study" and there is good reason for it, he gets his grant money to do these silly useless studies from the Government!!! lol

[kpatz]

Once again, my BS detector is going off...

First of all, 12,500 deaths is how much percentage wise? I'm guessing pretty small.

Second, how do the number of deaths correlate to the number of miles driven/number of cars on the road? I'm sure the amount of traffic/miles driven has increased dramatically more than the death toll.

If anything, the toll probably went DOWN when the speed limit went up, taking other variables into account. When the limit is closer to the 85th percentile speed, there's less speed differential between cars which translates to fewer crashes. Plus drivers tend to be more alert when they're driving faster.

Somehow this all ties back to revenue. They fudge the numbers in order to reduce limits/install cameras/increase enforcement, which leads to more $$$ in their pockets...

how many more driver are on the road today then 10 years ago, 20 years ago?

How many more CELL PHONES are on the road today than 10 years ago, 20 years ago?... And how about the quality of driver education today compared to 20 years ago?

It always irks me how everytime a "study" is made regarding accident rates, speed is always brought to blame. Never drunk driving, inattentive driving, road rage, falling asleep at the wheel, not signaling, running red lights/stop signs, etc. etc. etc.

[lugnuts]

It always irks me how everytime a "study" is made regarding accident rates, speed is always brought to blame. Never drunk driving, inattentive driving, road rage, falling asleep at the wheel, not signaling, running red lights/stop signs, etc. etc. etc.

there is a reason for that. speeding is the easiest traffic violation to collect revenue from, well until recent years with the advent of red light cameras.

politicians have never cared about safety, they care about three things Revenue, power and votes! that's it nothing more. they come up with elaborate schemes to take more of our money weather it through fines, fees or taxes. there is one clear example which proves they don't care about safety, school buses, none have seat belts in any state yet in every state except NH we are required by law to wear seat belts. why is that you ask? because there is no point in fining a school bus, they would make no money since it would be basically them fining themselves.

[supercowpowers]

there is one clear example which proves they don't care about safety, school buses, none have seat belts in any state yet in every state except NH we are required by law to wear seat belts. why is that you ask? because there is no point in fining a school bus, they would make no money since it would be basically them fining themselves.

I've heard there are a few reasons for that.

1) Buses mostly operate on suburban roads where the greatest risk of collision is with a vehicle much less massive than the bus, so the bus wouldn't experience the sudden (negative) acceleration that would necessitate restraining the occupants.

2) If an evacuation of the bus would be necessary, the smaller children might have trouble unbuckling themselves.

3) Cost.

4) Enforcement. What are they going to do, rig up a sensor system like in your car that lights up when an occupied seat doesn't have its seatbelt fastened? That goes back to (3) cost.

But yes, I don't know how they determined that higher speed limits caused the increase. Someone failed statistics.

In the first year that the new speed law was enacted, according to the Illinois researchers, there was a 17% reduction in the number of deaths on interstate roads in the United States.

NFS. You mean accidents go down when gasoline suddenly doubles in price and you have to wait in line for hours to get it? Nope, the speed limit did it.

[Eloi]

'' If anything, the toll probably went DOWN when the speed limit went up, taking other variables into account. When the limit is closer to the 85th percentile speed, there's less speed differential between cars which translates to fewer crashes. Plus drivers tend to be more alert when they're driving faster. ''

X2 ... this is why I use all cms available ...I adapt my speed to the
situation , second by second , instead of relating to a dumb speed
sign ....

Today I got shot by one Lti and one 35.5 i/o ...in both case I was psl + 5 ,
not because I was afraid of a ticket , no... because the situation was
not proper for speeding

There is a mondial stream of thinking against speed .
In the ''official mind'' speed is a devil which has to be destroyed
at all cost ....while psl is the salvation ...yeah psldrivers can
eat/drink/sleep/daydream/ except checking the road ...it is a shame

[9500ier]

Bullsh¡t