The Origins and Evolution of Speed Limits
To some people, speed limits are an absolute necessity for keeping our roads safe, but is that actually the case? The concept of speed limits has been around for over a century, with one of the first speeding infractions recorded as far back as 1899. On that day, a bike cop pulled over Jacob German in his electric taxi, who was going 12 miles per hour in an area where the speed limit was 8. The officer's reaction to German's reckless behavior is still amusing today, with the officer saying "You're so reckless. There are people and horses and vegetables. Think about the cantaloupes!" This incident marked one of the first times a speeding infraction was recorded, but it wouldn't be long before speed limits became a more formalized concept.
The First Speed Limits
By 1930, about half of the states in the United States had their own speed limit laws. However, during World War II, a nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour was enacted to conserve fuel and rubber for the war effort. This speed limit remained in place until after the war, when states began to question whether the federal government had the right to tell them what laws to put on their roads.
The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act
In 1974, the federal government mandated new legislation in response to the oil crisis. The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act (EHCA) was enacted to limit federal highway project funding for states with speed limits over 55 miles per hour. This meant that states were forced to set their maximum speed limit at 55 miles per hour in order to receive federal funding. Many states reluctantly agreed to this limit, and Washington D.C. predicted that lower speeds would mean lower fuel consumption. And it did - about one percent less.
The Repeal of the EHCA
In 1995, the EHCA was repealed, allowing states to set their own speed limits once again. However, how would they decide? The answer lies in a method known as the "85th Percentile Speed". This involves measuring the speed of each vehicle passing by on a road and selecting the 85th highest speed. This number is then used as a guideline for setting speed limits.
The 85th Percentile Speed Method
According to this method, drivers tend to follow speed limits within plus or minus 5 miles per hour of the 85th percentile speed. For example, if the measured speed limit for a particular stretch of road is 70 miles per hour, most drivers will stick to speeds between 65 and 75 miles per hour. This method has been found to be effective in setting reasonable speed limits that balance safety with driver convenience.
The Debate Over Speed Limits
While some argue that higher speed limits are necessary for improved traffic flow and reduced congestion, others believe that the increased risk of fatal accidents outweighs any benefits. In fact, research suggests that raising speed limits can lead to an increase in fatalities on the road. The Autobahn in Germany, which has almost no speed limit, is often cited as a counterexample to this argument. However, it's worth noting that getting a driver's license in Germany is much more difficult and expensive than in the United States, with a cost of $2000 compared to just $300.
The Importance of Following Speed Limits
Despite the debate over speed limits, one thing is clear: following speed limits is crucial for maintaining road safety. The passing lane, in particular, is an area that requires caution and attention from drivers. "Stay out of the passing lane" is a common warning to be mindful of when driving on highways or interstates.
Conclusion
Speed limits have their place, as long as they're done correctly. While there are arguments both for and against raising speed limits, it's clear that following speed limits and being aware of one's surroundings on the road is essential for maintaining safety on our roads. Whether you agree with higher or lower speed limits, there's no denying the importance of responsible driving practices.
WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enTo some people, speed limits are an absolutenecessity for keeping our roads safe, Butis that actually the case?Where’d they come from, How do we setthem, and do they work?I’m Nolan Sykes and this is WheelHouse.One of the first speeding infractions fora car was written in 1899.A bike cop pulled over Jacob German in hiselectric taxi.Yes, electric cars were around in 1899, butwe’ll talk about some other time.And yes, he was pulled over by a bike cop.German was going 12 in an 8; dude what wereyou thinking?You’re so reckless.There are people and horses and vegetables.Think about the cantaloupes!By 1930, about half of the states had theirown speed limit laws.But in 1942, a nationwide speed limit of 35was enacted to save fuel and rubber for thewar effort.But after WWII, States started to questionwhether the Federal Government even had theright to tell them what laws to put on theirroads.From '42 to '74, state speed limits varied greatly,but in 1974 the Federal government mandatednew legislation in response to the oil crisis.But they couldn’t set a national speed limit outright,because states would get pissed.So, they enacted The Emergency Highway EnergyConservation Act or EHCA.It didn’t set a national speed limit, butit did limit federal highway project fundingfor states with speed limits over 55 milesan hour.To the dismay or most drivers in the US, statesset their maximum speed limit to 55 milesan hour, because they needed that Federalmoney to maintain their roads.Washington thought that lower speeds wouldmean lower fuel consumption.And it did...about one percent lower . So...itkinda worked.In the end, the states won out, and The EHCAwas repealed in 1995, and states were againfree to set the limits to whatever they wanted.But how would they decide?Believe it or not, We play a part in how speedlimits are set.As a general rule we’ll drive faster ifa road is wider and less congested; and slowerif a road is narrower and there has more sightmarkers subconsciously telling us how fastwe’re going.Knowing this, A stretch of road is can bemonitored by a state’s transportation department.The speed of each vehicle passing by is thenmeasured and recorded.Let’s say 100 cars were observed.In an increasing order, we choose the 85thhighest speed.What we find is that a wide majority of driversfall within plus or minus 5 miles an hourof this number.We round to the nearest five and by this method,that should be our speed limit.It’s called the 85th Percentile Speed, andit’s how most local and state governmentsdetermine speed limits.Pretty smart.But by the time the suggested speed limitgoes through politicians, community actiongroups and outraged soccer moms, the speedlimit gets set lower, On average, up to 15miles an hour lower.Let’s say we measure a stretch of freewaywith the 85th percentile method, and we findthat most drivers stick to around 70 milesan hour.But this stretch runs through a populatedsuburb, so the speed limit gets set to 60.Because of this artificial reduction of speedsthat people actually drive, the drivers travellingat the speed their brains tell them is safe,are now breaking the speed limit.That’s not good.This makes the speed limit seem arbitrary.The problem gets worse when you consider peopledriving under the speed limit, which is somethingwe see everyday.What happens if someone driving 5 miles anhour under the speed limit changes lanes infront of someone driving 5 miles over the85 percentile?In our case that could be a difference of20 miles an hour.And if they’re not paying attention, thatcould be an accident.So it’s easy to see how not following the85th percentile rule can make things tricky.But does that necessarily mean the politiciansand soccer moms are wrong?It makes sense that driving faster would bemore dangerous, right?Let’s look at some data.The department of transportation looked attotal accidents at a bunch of sites in a numberof states, before and after their speed limitswere altered.Turns out, there was no statistical differencein the number of accidents relative to thespeed limit.So, they found lower speed limits did not meanfewer accidents.Another study, this time from the Nationalinstitutes of Health, looked at the Long-TermEffects of Repealing the National MaximumSpeed Limit .Their study didn’t contradict the one fromthe DOT, but they found that the accidentsthat did happen were more likely to be fatal.So it’s just as safe and more fatal to raisespeed limits.Are there advantages to higher speed limits?Yes.speeding infractions would likely go down,and traffic flow would improve in some areas.But is that worth the increased risk of fatalaccidents?One example we can look to is the AutobahnThe Autobahns are famous for having almostno speed limits.For the most part, Germans can drive as fastas they want.And the crazy part is, is it’s safer.But can this be attributed to speed limitsalone?No.Getting a driver’s license in Germany iswaaay harder than it is in the US.Getting a driver’s license costs $2000.Yeah. over here its like 300 bucks. and driversfollow the rules.In Germany, the left lane is meant exclusivelyfor passing and the drivers follow that rulereligiously.To sum it all up, Speed limits have theirplace, as long as they’re done correctly.The issue of whether or not we should we raisethem isn’t black and white.It depends on the road and if the people whodrive decide the increased risk of a fatal accidentis worth it.And if speed limits aren’t raised, they’llprobably just drive the speed they want anyway.Oh and one last thing: Stay out of the passing lane.Thanks for watching WheelHouse.If you liked the video, like the video!Share it if you think other people might like it.Remember to subscribe to Donut.We got a lot of shows.Monday is WheelHouse with me.Tuesday is Field Prep with Matt FieldHe's building a Formula Drift Corvette, which is crazy.Wednesday is Science Garage with my buddy BartThursday is Up to Speed with James Pumphrey, he tells you everything you need to know about your favorite cars,Friday is The Bestest with Tony, he's doing a Top 10 countdown of the coolest stuff in the car world.WheelHouse answers the questions you never thought to ask. But what have I not thought to ask?Let me know in the comments! Get in there, write something!I'll check it out!If you want a Donut shirt we're selling those @ Shop.Donut.MediaYou can get yourself your own.We're also selling stickersPut one on your car, like me.Thanks for watching!
