Evaluating the impacts of speed limit policy alternatives.

Details

• Creators:
  Savolainen, Peter ; Gates, Timothy ; Hacker, Elizabeth ; Davis, Amelia ; Frazier, Sterling ; Russo, Brendan ; Rista, Emira ; Parker, Martin ; Mannering, Fred ; Schneider, William
• Corporate Creators:
  Wayne State University
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Benefit Cost Analysis Crash Rates Crash Risk Forecasting Fatalities Highway Safety Recommendations Rural Highways Speed Limits Surveys Traffic Crashes
• Publication/ Report Number:
  RC-1609
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Michigan
• Corporate Publisher:
  Michigan. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Research Administration
• Abstract:
  As of June 2014, Michigan is one of eight states with a differential speed limit in place on its rural
  
  freeways, which sets a maximum speed of 70 mph for passenger vehicles and 60 mph for trucks and
  
  buses. In select urban environments, these speed limits are both reduced to a uniform 55 mph limit.
  
  Legislation was introduced in early 2014 that proposed increases to these speed limits. In order to
  
  ascertain the potential impacts of these proposed speed limit increases, this research examined a broad
  
  range of traffic safety, operational, environmental, and economic data. This study involved a
  
  comprehensive state-of-the-art review of prior research on the relationships between traffic speed, safety,
  
  and crash risk. A survey was conducted of state agency practices with respect to speed limit
  
  establishment and another survey was conducted to obtain feedback on proposed changes from the
  
  trucking industry. National fatality data were collected and analyzed to ascertain the effects of speed
  
  limit policies on traffic fatalities, with specific emphasis on maximum speed limits and the effects of
  
  uniform vs. differential limits on urban and rural interstates. Further analyses were conducted at the
  
  disaggregate level to examine crash trends on Michigan freeways. These results were supplemented by
  
  the analysis of field speed data that were collected on freeways in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
  
  Differences in mean speeds, 85th percentile speeds, and the standard deviation in speeds among passenger
  
  cars, trucks, and buses were examined with respect to the speed limit policies in place at each of 160
  
  roadway locations. Based upon the results of the fatality and speed data analyses, a benefit-cost analysis
  
  of the proposed speed limit change was conducted in consideration of both road user and agency costs.
  
  Recommendations were presented to aid in decision-making related to speed limit policies.
  
  
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  2013-0070
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:908c699c5e5c4b6ae6398112ec3ea55b48c29a37d07cf62f1213a233d2f9aa27fe09595b03d0ab32a2fd6b3471ed1b97a4484c24822d99714fd7ed1f856fdcfa
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/27845/dot_27845_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.78 MB ]