Examination of Media Coverage of Increasing the Speed Limit to 65 Mph
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1988-09-01
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Alternative Title:Examination of media coverage of increasing the speed limit to 65 miles per hour
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Edition:Final report
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Abstract:Heightened newspaper and television coverage of the proposed 65 mph limit may have encouraged increased travel speeds which in turn could have produced an increase in fatalities prior to passage of the national legislation. To pursue this further, NHTSA awarded a contract to Carol Walcoff & Associates, Inc. to examine media coverage of the speed limit issue in 1987 as it related to the passage of state and national laws for increasing the speed limit. The study included seven states that raised their speed limit in 1987 (Texas, California, Washington, New Mexico, Michigan, Florida, Utah) and one that did not (Pennsylvania). Radio, television, and newspapers were reviewed. Investigation revealed that radio data for 1987 were inaccessible, television data were limited, and newspaper data were easily accessible. Newspaper and television coverage were selected for the study. In the eight states studied, newspaper coverage of a possible speed limit increase was minimal in January 1987 but rose dramatically during February and March, the two month period immediately prior to the passage of the national law. The issue frequently received front page attention. Opinion pieces generally favored a speed limit increase. Individual states appeared to repeat the national pattern of increased coverage in the month before their law was passed. These findings are consistent with the assumption that high media coverage of a potential speed limit increase could have contributed to higher speeds and increased fatalities prior to the actual change in the legal speed limit. /Abstract from report summary page/
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