EFFECTS OF THE NEW 65 MILE-PER-HOUR SPEED LIMIT ON RURAL HIGHWAY FATALITIES: A STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS

The paper examines the effects of the new 65 mph speed limit on U.S. rural highway fatality counts. Separate analyses are conducted for each of the 40 states that had adopted the new (higher) limit by mid-1988. Using monthly FARS data from January 1976 through November 1988, time-series regression equations - including policy variables, seasonal variables, and surrogate exposure variables - are estimated for each state. The results suggest that the new laws have increased both rural interstate and rural non-interstate fatalities in most states, but also that these effects differ substantially across the states.

• Corporate Authors:

  Harvard University

  Cambridge, MA  United States  02138
• Authors:
  • Garber, S
  • Graham, J D
• Publication Date: 1989-7

Media Info

• Pagination: 38 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Fatalities; High speed ground transportation; High speed vehicles; Legislation; Rural highways; Speed; Speed limits; Studies; Traffic speed
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Old TRIS Terms: Speed studies
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00493981
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-807 452
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 1990 12:00AM