Speed Limits

(Part of the Reasonable Drivers Unanimous site)

In summary they are generally set too low. Not only on interstates but almost every road known in existence. An intense federal study proves just that. Speed limits should be set at the prevailing speed of traffic or higher.

The NMA's Model Speed Zoning Law
A set of standards that address the true problem by catching dangerous speeders and leaving safe speeders alone.

Effects of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits
A study that finds low speed limits are irrelevant!

They Say Speed Kills: We ask, 'How do you know?'
An excellent article by Car & Driver.

Speed Related Argument Database
A database that will help you disprove almost anything that the insurance companies or the like can throw at you.

Discussion Papers on Speed Limits and related issues
A lot of useful info touching on almost every major question.

Lying with Science
So you think those "speed kills" studies are valid? Think again!

Did the 65 mph Speed Limit Save Lives?
Yes, when you look at the big picture.

States' Attitudes Toward Speed Limits
What states' new speed limits will be now the the NMSL is a goner,
what their limits use to be and more!

Do Speed Limits Matter?
Yes, they generate pointless traffic tickets, undeserved insurance surcharges
and they disrupt traffic flow, among other things.

The Facade Crumbles
The argument that speeders have more accidents no longer holds water.

The Edge of the Wedge for Photo Radar
"Although most people remain opposed ... if the idea is packaged right, it can be sold"

Montana: The Great Experiment
An exclusive by me.

A legal Civil Defense sign

Others positions on Speed Limits

• FHwA Speed Limit Synthesis: Limit Should Reflect Traffic Speed
• ITE Speed Zoning Guidelines
• AAA: For or Against more sane speed limits
• AASHTO Policy Resolution: The National Statutory Speed Limit - "...AASHTO urges Congress to allow states to set reasonable speed limits..." (also a good summary of the arguments to use when debating the NMSL)
• Society of Automotive Engineers Report that says Highway Speed Limits Should be set to the 85th Percentile Speed.
• Improve Traffic Safety: Repeal Federal Speed Limits - A Heartland Perspective

Studies

• Traffic Speed Trend Report before NMSL - A post from GEnie showing a report and the average speed of highways. The author of the post then estimated the 85th percentile speed on roads with a given speed limit.
• Study of Ohio 835 after speed limit change - study done by Duke Ganote (an Ohio traffic engineer) that showed first-hand that speed limits are irrelevant.
• Summary of other studies on the effect of raising and lowering speed limits
• Driver Speed Behavior on US Streets and Highways - A preliminary report of the study Effects of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits
• Connecticut's accident report - A report that does not once mention speeding as a major cause of accidents!

State DOT Studies

• Montana - people are not driving 100 mph!.
• South Dakota
• Michigan
• Wisconsin
• Maryland - Speed Limit Up, Fatalities Down
• West Virgina

Lists

• International Speed Limits
• Motor Vehicle Laws in 1949 - Speed Limits, Driving Age and the Gas Tax
• What Speed Limits Used to Be on Freeways and other roads.
• Old States' Attitudes Toward Speed Limits - When they adopted the 65 limit, Old Freeway State Limits, Speeding Tax.

Misc

• Reasons Why People Deviate from the Prevailing Speed of Traffic and how a higher limit will change there behavior
• Raise the Speed Limit to 35 mph! - How Duke Ganote got the speed limit raised in his town!
• Informal vs. Formal Traffic Laws (at PDE) - an interesting article talking about how absolute traffic laws are not the answer (please not that I don't necessarily agree with everything in this article, especially the last parts)

Speed Limit News

• Final Report : Automated Speed Enforcement Pilot Project for the Capital Beltway: Feasibility of Photo-Radar - full of crap but you will probably be hearing a lot about it.
• NHTSA Admits Faulty Statistics for Autobahn
• Speed Limits Rise, But Accidents Don't, Driving may even have improved in California
• 'Snail' caravan crawls along at 55 mph to make a point - Michigan NMA members protest the speed limit by driving at the limit.

Arguments

• Introduction I used for a Debate on the NMSL
• Making Our Point [with Speed Limits] - by the President of the NMA.
• Speed Limits: Fear vs. Fact - An Argument for almost every Speed Limit "fear".

Takes on Speed Limits

• Driving the Montanabahn
• What others though of Montana's new lack of speed limit.
• A mathematical analysis of the "speed kills" arguments
• Lets Sue the Insurance Companies
• GEICO Science
• Traffic: like bumper cars or particle physics
• Speed Limits - A Revenue Generator
• How Bruce Johnson Feels Speed Limits should be Set
• Bruce Johnson's take on Speed Limit Related Issues - The 85th percentile rule is better for law enforcement, too; The so-called Safety Advocates and their bag of tricks; Respect for Police and Laws; Slow Pokes; Why the NMSL Didn't work; and more
• Responses to All Interstes should be at least 70mph
• Responses to Speed Limits and Stop Lights
• We Need to Hire More Police? - They're Already Available!
• 55 - It saves lives?
• Police Officer--Friend or Foe?

Speed Limit Enemies

• Mr. Traffic - If the limit is 75, people will do 85-90 automatically. If the limit is 65, people will do 75-80.
• Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety - They're for almost everything we are against!
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - shall I say more, safety my foot.
• Victoria Police Speed Camera Program - "Don't fool yourself, speed kills." Blaah!
• Auto Insurance Industry - the people who are the most responsible for artificially low speed limits.
• Others

Law and Driving in Other Countries

• California Speed Trap Laws - laws that make it rather difficult for a cop to set you up!
• Guide to Montana Traffic Laws - the state that has no daytime speed limit and had a $5 energy waste daytime speeding ticket during the NMSL.
• UK Speed Limits and Passing Laws
• South Africa Speed Limits and such
• European Navigator
• German Driving Licenses
• Driving in Australia

NMSL

• Fourteen-Year Battle Ends National Speed Limit - NMA's Press Release on the Repeal
• The NMSL is like a band-aid
• Q&A On the Repeal of National Maximum Speed Limit from the Federal Highway Administration
• National maximum speed limit - Full text of hated law that has finally joined Prohibition.
• Why did we have to slow down in the first place? - from US News and World Report
• Congressional Record of the House debate on Sep. 20, 1995 that completely repealed the NMSL. (Text Version 512k, NMSL section only 76k)
• Congressional Record of the Senate debate on June 20, 1995 that repealed the NMSL for cars only. (Text Version 176k)
• Fair Speed Limit Act: Flawed?
• Fair Speed Limit Act of 1994
• Fair Speed Limit Act of 1993

CNN's Coverage of the NMSL Repeal

• Speed limits on the way up - Dec. 8, 1995
• Feedback on speed limits - Dec. 8, 1995
• Highway bill - Nov. 25, 1995
• States get power to set speed limits - Nov 28, 1995
• Congress poised to eliminate federal speed limits - Oct. 6, 1995

Editorials

• Speed Limit Rhetoric Plays Fast and Loose with Facts
  Michael Fumento
• It's Only Speeding If You Get Caught
  Rick Finley (Nov 29, 1995)
• Why the speed limit has nothing to do with speeds
  (Car & Driver, Jan96)
• Speeding tickets: merely a tax on getting there
  (Car & Driver, Dec95)
• Widely Ignored 55-MPH Limit May Be Junked
  Nichole M Christian (Wall Street Journal)
• Driving in the USA
  Guest Editor by Dr. Bernhard Haisch
• Clocking the 55 mph Debate
  (Washington Times, June 7, 1995)
• Why Do We Still Have to Drive 55?
  (Washington Times, June 20, 1995)
• Please Call Me a Professional Speeder
  (November/December 1992 NMA News)
• Free the speed slaves (The Steering Column)
  (Car & Driver, Nov93, Vol. 39 Issue 5, p9, 1p, 1c)
• Paying the Speeding Tax (Right of Way)
  (Motor Trend, April 1994, p8, 1p)
• The Apathy of The Motorized Majority
  (Car & Driver, Jun94, Bol. 40 Issue 1, p29, 1p, 1c)
• Auto Insurance: Figures Don't Lie, But Liars Figure
  (Car & Driver, Mar94, Vol. 39 Issue 9, p20, 2p, 1c)
• Looking For Running Room
  (Car & Driver, Sep93, Vol 39, Issue 3, p16, 1p, 1c)
• It's Time to Dump the 55, Or Take on Our National Speed Limit, Please
  (Road & Track, Nov 94, Vol. 46 Issue 3, p32, 3p, 1c)

Other Related Articles

• How to Lie with Statistics
  (NMA News, January/February 1995)
• Inside Edition Expose
  Police Speed and Inside Edition Proved it.
  (NMA News, January/February 1992)
• IIHS Plants Seed for Speed Limiters
  (NMA News, November/December 1993)
• One of the Top 10 Ways to Toss Away Money: Speeding
  Gives fines for all the states and a brief location of a few speed traps.
  (Money, Jun94, Vol. 23 Issue 6, p14, 4p, 1 chart, 2c)
• Defend Your Right To Drive
  Survey on various traffic laws of the states and a few Canadian provinces
  (Motor Trend, Jun88, p109 7p, 1c)
• Let's Raise the Speed Limit to 100 mph & A Responsible 100-mph Speed Limit
  A proposal for a Super License that will allow qualified drivers to go 100mph.
  (Car & Drive: Sep89, p8 and Oct89, p12)
• Apoplexy On Demand
  Patrick Bedard gives the 10 reasons why the speed limit should be 100mph. He has a few good points but most of them are silly and/or impractical.
  (Car & Driver, January, 1993, p20-21)

Related Pages

• Avoiding the Speeding Tax
• Drivers Education and Testing in America

Related Sites

• NMA's Speed limits page
• SENSE - Safety by Education Not Speed Enforcement
• James M. Mullins, Jr. Speed Limits page

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