Citation

Najjar Y, Russell E, Stokes R, Abu-Lebdeh G. J. Transp. Res. Forum 2002; 56(4): 119-147.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Transportation Research Forum)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Speed limits on most Kansas highways were raised in March 1996 after the federal mandate for a national maximum speed limit was abolished and speed limit authority was returned to the states. This paper reports on a research study that analyzed the before-and-after Kansas accident databases using a three-step sequential analysis approach. The analysis showed that, as of 1998, no statistically significant increases in crash, fatal crash and fatality rates were observed on the two-lane rural highway network. Subsequent detailed analysis of the two-lane highway database filtered out all highway sections that have experienced, during the after period, the most significant increases in crashes (MSICR). These MSICR sections, which represent 7% of the entire two-lane rural highway network, have accounted for a significant portion of the overall statistically projected annual increase in crashes and about four times the overall statistically projected annual increase in fatal crashes. The remaining 93% of the network experienced significant decreases in fatal crashes and a statistically insignificant increase in crashes during the after period.