I will warn you up front that I have done research on this topic, but I can not quote it to you. If you really feel like I'm being stupid, then I will go find you some research. Otherwise, we'll just let this be what it is, an editorial on a geocities page.

I think speed limits are a conspiracy to milk the American out of more money. The ticket industry is a multi-billion dollar cash cow both for governement and insurance companies. The way I see it, there is a vicious cycle between the two. The insurance companies are able to increase rates for those who speed. Government, can become dependent on insurance lobby (apparently they contribute a lot to lobby because of their vested interest in all sorts of policy). So, government as it is will not likely alter the speed limit policy because of this symbiosis.

There seems to be a further hypocrisy in insurance "rate-raising" due to "unsafe" driving. The justification for raising rates is that tickets and accidents prove drivers to be a higher risk. I hardly know anyone who has not had a wreck or received a ticket. Essentially, a wreck or ticket is not characteristic of dangerous driving, it's simply a result of driving in the US. There are very few (if any) perfect drivers. Thus, a strict fiscal burden for speeding and wrecks seems unfair. It is more justified in cases where there are several tickets and/or wrecks.

Additionally, speed limits are not the safest speed at which to travel. The American Motorist Association (AMA), one of the primary proponents of speed limit legislation, have conducted extensive studies to prove that the safest speed is not necessarily the speed limit, but what 85% of the drivers drive. They further concluded that this speed is often 10 to 15 MPH higher than the speed limit on a given road. These findings have been accepted nationally, and theoretically, speed limits are set according to the "85th percentile rule." In reality, this is rarely the case. Most speed limits have existed for years, with no regard to the rate of speed at which motorists travel, or can safely travel. For example, in Dallas, Hillcrest Rd runs from North Dallas, all the way to the University area, nearly 25 to 30 miles south. It is one of the major roads in Dallas. It's speed limit is 35 MPH and 30 in some places. It is often a two or three lane road in each direction. I believe: 1. That 85% of motorists drive faster than 35 MPH on Hillcrest; 2. That a speed as high as 50 or 55 MPH would be a safe speed on Hillcrest. Thus, the speed limit is not set with public safety in mind, but more often how to entrap motorists, or often with no regard to anything in particular.

Speed limits also give people a false sense of security. People feel like if they're driving the speed limit, they are driving safely. As demonstrated, this is not necessarily true. Furthermore, it is people who are driving slower than the flow of traffic that cause the most problems. In fact, the US Highway Patrol estimates that nearly twice the accidents that are caused by speeders are caused by people driving either the speed limit or under (this excludes drunk driving). When people are driving at higher rates of speed, they are more aware, and often more in command of their vehicle, thus creating a safer situation. Many times, those who "safely" travel at the speed limit are not paying as much attention to driving because of a false feeling of security.

Finally, on interstate highways, and major freeways, roads without speed limits are often safer than roads with speed limits. In Germany, there is a lower accident rate, and lower fatality rate per capita on the Autobahn than on American highways (even excluding drunk driving). This indicates that if drivers are given freedom to operate their vehicles as they see fit, then they will be more safe than if the government attempts to regulate their speed.

A safe speed on the roadway exists independent of speed limits. It is the rate at which 85% of the drivers are operating their vehicles, rather than any government mandated speed. Ironically, government takes on speed limits in order to increase public safety. It appears, on the contrary, that speed limits can cause people to operate outside of the 85th percentile and assume a false sense of safety, decreasing their awareness of the road. Unfortunately, speed limit change seems unlikely, as both government and insurance companies are locked in a vicious cycle. Maybe if we can convince government and insurance companies to stop continually milking us for more money via speed limits, we can make a true step towards public safety.

Coming Soon: Links to some speed limit sites.