Citation

Fieldwick R, Brown RJ. Traffic Eng. Control 1987; 28(12): 635-640.

Affiliation

Nationall Institute for Transport and Road Research, South Africa

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Hemming Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The setting of national speed limits, especially on rural roads, is a contentious matter that leads to a great deal of debate, much of it tending to be unscientific and emotional. In this study, the numbers of fatalities and casualties in 21 countries have been regressed against their population, their number of vehicles and their posted urban and rural speed limits. It is demonstrated that speed limits, and particularly those posted for urban areas, have a considerable effect on safety. It is estimated that reducing the rural speed limit from 100 to 90 km/h and the urban limit from 60 to 50 km/h would reduce fatalities and casualties by up to one-third. It is concluded that speed limits are a powerful safety tool available to governments, but, as is demonstrated by the wide disparity in rural speed limits in different countries, the relationship between speed limits and safety is not yet fully recognized.

Language: en