High mortality rates due to abolition of speed control

The cancellation of federal speed control law in 1995 led to a significant increase in traffic deaths and injuries, according to researchers at Illionis University, Chicago School of Public Health.

The study is published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health. This is the first long-term study to assess the impact of the abolition of the National Maximum Speed ​​Law on traffic accident and death rates from 1995 to 2005.

This law, which limits the maximum speed to 55 mph (miles per hour) on all US federal roads, began in 1974 in response to the oil embargo, and immediately worked. News.

Lee Friedman, a professor of research in environmental and occupational health at UIC and the lead author of the study, said: 'In the first year, the death rate dropped by nearly 17% after restriction. The speed is reduced to 55 mph '.

This law was amended in 1987 and allowed some states to increase the speed limit to 65 mph for some federal routes. In 1995, this 55mph speed limit was abolished, allowing states to set their own speed control laws.

Friedman said : 'The biggest finding of that study was in the period of more than 10 years after the National Speed ​​Control Law was abolished, there were about 12,500 deaths due to the speed limit being raised. '.

The increase in the number of traffic deaths and injuries was rotated for the cancellation of the federal speed control law in 1995, which limits the maximum speed to 55 mph on all federal routes. USA. (Photo: iStockphoto / Micah Bowerbank)

The researchers used a combined regression model to calculate the time when the speed limit was changed in each bag and the various characteristics in and between states, such as the number of cars, population, type of vehicle on the road, vehicle quality (newer vehicles and old vehicles), as well as characteristics of drivers.

The biggest mistake of previous studies is that they only focus on certain states or regions, or they use a simple analysis to assess the status before and after taking the law for a while. Very short time.

Researchers believe that policy makers need to re-consider national speed and safety policy on the road, while considering reducing speed limits and improving law enforcement systems with networks. speed camera.

Speed ​​camera programs have been applied in the UK, France and Australia, and immediately reduce deaths from traffic accidents, Friendman stressed.

He said: 'This is a completely failed policy because it has been tested for over 10 years. People thought that increasing the speed limit would have no consequences, but we showed that the current situation is quite serious. '

Friedman used for example 3,000 people died in the September 11 terrorist attack.

He said: 'That tragedy led to a series of new policies. We estimate that about 12,500 people died due to abolition of speed control - four times the September 11 event - but changing policies to reduce speed limits still proved difficult. '

The co-authors include Donald Hedeker, UIC School of Public Health and Elihu Richter, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.