MORE ROAD KILL
WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
MORE ROAD KILL
SANTA, UT: Christmas week Jane and Bob stopped for fuel and a leg stretch. They got into a safe driving/speed conversation with the station owner. She disbelieved that in a crash the risk of death increases with the speed. The probability of death at 55 mph is 40%. It jumps to 73% at 65 mph. In the 42 states which increased the Interstate limit to 65 mph in 1987 there were 348 more killed in 1992 than were in 1986. In the eight 55 mph states there were 245 fewer killed in 1992 than in 1986.
Irene, the station owner, said that since then autos have much better safety construction and devices. Thus, says she, higher speeds are not as deadly. Perhaps, but they are still deadly enough. As shown above, in CT, DE, HI, MD, NJ, NY, PA, and RI the deaths decreased at the 10 mph lower limit with these more safely built cars. These same cars were more deadly in the higher speed states.
Higher speeds may, or may not, increase the frequency of crashes somewhat but do increase greatly the severity of them. We need extra vigilance for the new breed of high speed drivers permitted by the 1996 Federal changes adopted now in most states. The Interstate speed limit is anywhere from 55 mph to no limit* whatever, depending upon the state legislature's idea of how many highway deaths are acceptable.
*Effective Memorial Day weekend 1999 the State of Montana reduced its no limit day-time speed to 75 mph. In 1997 after the no limit day speed was enacted 265 persons died on Montana roads. This was more than a 33% increase over 1996.
GHD58 all rights reserved wellnessebooks.com/ebookstore.asp
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
MORE ROAD KILL
SANTA, UT: Christmas week Jane and Bob stopped for fuel and a leg stretch. They got into a safe driving/speed conversation with the station owner. She disbelieved that in a crash the risk of death increases with the speed. The probability of death at 55 mph is 40%. It jumps to 73% at 65 mph. In the 42 states which increased the Interstate limit to 65 mph in 1987 there were 348 more killed in 1992 than were in 1986. In the eight 55 mph states there were 245 fewer killed in 1992 than in 1986.
Irene, the station owner, said that since then autos have much better safety construction and devices. Thus, says she, higher speeds are not as deadly. Perhaps, but they are still deadly enough. As shown above, in CT, DE, HI, MD, NJ, NY, PA, and RI the deaths decreased at the 10 mph lower limit with these more safely built cars. These same cars were more deadly in the higher speed states.
Higher speeds may, or may not, increase the frequency of crashes somewhat but do increase greatly the severity of them. We need extra vigilance for the new breed of high speed drivers permitted by the 1996 Federal changes adopted now in most states. The Interstate speed limit is anywhere from 55 mph to no limit* whatever, depending upon the state legislature's idea of how many highway deaths are acceptable.
*Effective Memorial Day weekend 1999 the State of Montana reduced its no limit day-time speed to 75 mph. In 1997 after the no limit day speed was enacted 265 persons died on Montana roads. This was more than a 33% increase over 1996.
GHD58 all rights reserved wellnessebooks.com/ebookstore.asp
posted by WRECK-LESS at Saturday, February 26, 2005
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