Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to set the legal maximum or minimum speed at which road vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum or minimum permitted expressed as kilometres per hour and/or miles per hour. Speed limits are commonly set by the legislative bodies of national or provincial governments and enforced by national or regional police and judicial authorities. Speed limits may also be variable, or in some places unlimited, such as on most of the Autobahn in Germany. '''
The first numeric speed limit for automobiles was the limit introduced in the United Kingdom in 1861.
The highest posted speed limit in the world is, which applies to two motorways in the UAE. Although speed limit and safety distance are poorly enforced in this country specifically on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai motorway resulting in dangerous traffic according to a French government travel advisory, while "drivers often drive at high speeds. Unsafe driving practices are common, especially on inter-city highways. On highways, unmarked speed bumps and drifting sand create additional hazards" according to an American government travel advisory.
There are several reasons to regulate speed on roads. It is often done in an attempt to improve road traffic safety and reduce the number of casualties from traffic collisions. In the "World report on road traffic injury prevention", the World Health Organization identified speed control as one of a number of steps that can be taken to reduce road casualties. This followed a report in which the WHO estimated that some 1.2 million people were killed and 50 million injured on the roads around the world in 2004.
Speed limits may also be set to reduce the environmental impact of road traffic and as a political response to local community concerns for the safety of pedestrians. For example, a draft proposal from Germany's National Platform on the Future of Mobility task force recommended a blanket 130 km/h speed limit across the Autobahn to curb fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Some cities have reduced limits to as little as for both safety and efficiency reasons. However, some research indicates that changes in the speed limit may not always alter average vehicle speed.
History
In western cultures, speed limits predate the use of motorized vehicles. In 1652, the American colony of New Amsterdam passed a law stating, "No wagons, carts or sleighs shall be run, rode or driven at a gallop." The punishment for breaking the law was "two pounds Flemish," the equivalent of US $50 in 2019. The 1832 Stage Carriage Act introduced the offense of endangering the safety of a passenger or person by "furious driving" in the United Kingdom.A series of Locomotive Acts created the first numeric speed limits for mechanically propelled vehicles in the UK; the 1861 Act introduced a UK speed limit of on open roads in town, which was reduced to in towns and in rural areas by the 1865 "Red Flag Act." The Locomotives on Highways Act 1896, which raised the speed limit to is celebrated by the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
On 28 January 1896, the first person to be convicted of speeding is believed to be Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent, UK, who was fined 1 shilling plus costs for speeding at.
In 1901, Connecticut was the first state in the United States to impose a numerical speed limit for motor vehicles, setting the maximum legal speed to 12 mph in cities and 15 mph on rural roads. Speed limits then propagated across the United States; by 1930 all but 12 states had established numerical limits.
In 1903, in the UK, the national speed limit was raised to 20 mph; however, as this was difficult to enforce due to the lack of speedometers, the 1930 "Road Traffic Act" abolished speed limits entirely. In 1934, a new limit of 30 mph was imposed in urban centers, and in July 1967, a 70 mph national speed limit was introduced.
In Australia, during the early 20th century, there were people reported for "furious driving" offenses. One conviction in 1905 cited a vehicle furiously driving when passing a tram traveling at half that speed.
In May 1934, the Nazi-era "Road Traffic Act" imposed the first nationwide speed limit in Germany.
In the 1960s, in continental Europe, some speed limits were established based on the V85 speed,.
In 1974, Australian speed limits underwent metrication: the urban speed limit of 35 mph was converted to 60 km/h; the rural speed limits of 60 mph and 65 mph were changed to 100 km/h and 110 km/h respectively.
In 2010, Sweden defined the Vision Zero program.
Regulations
Most jurisdictions use the metric speed unit of kilometers per hour, while others, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, use speed limits given in miles per hour. Although there have been discussions about a switch to using metric units in countries' other systems, there are currently no proposals to change these laws.Basic rule
Vienna Convention on Road Traffic
In countries bound by the Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic, Article 13 defines a basic rule for speed and distance between vehicles:Reasonable speed
Most legal systems expect drivers to drive at a safe speed for the conditions at hand, regardless of posted limits.In the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in common law, as the reasonable man requirement.
The German Highway Code section on speed begins with the statement :
Any person driving a vehicle may only drive so fast that the car is under control. Speeds must be adapted to the road, traffic, visibility and weather conditions as well as the personal skills and characteristics of the vehicle and load.
In France, the law clarifies that even if the speed is limited by law and by local authority, the driver assumes the responsibility to control a vehicle's speed, and to reduce that speed in various circumstances.
In the United States, this requirement is referred to as the basic rule, as outlined by US federal government law, which applies in all states as permitted under the commerce clause and due process clause. The basic speed law is almost always supplemented by specific maximum or minimum limits but applies regardless. In California, for instance, Vehicle Code section 22350 states that "No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at speed greater than is reasonable ... and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property". The reasonable speed may be different than the posted speed limit. Basic rule speed laws are statutory reinforcements of the centuries-old common law negligence doctrine as specifically applied to vehicular speed. Citations for violations of the basic speed law without a crash have sometimes been ruled unfairly vague or arbitrary, hence a violation of the due process of law, at least in the State of Montana. Even within states, differing jurisdictions choose to prosecute similar cases with differing approaches.
Excessive speed
Consequential results of basic law violations are often categorized as excessive speed crashes; for example, the leading cause of crashes on German autobahns in 2012 fell into that category: 6,587 so-called "speed related" crashes claimed the lives of 179 people, which represented almost half of 387 autobahn fatalities in 2012. However, "excessive speed" does not necessarily mean the speed limit was exceeded, rather that police determined at least one party traveled too fast for existing conditions. Examples of conditions where drivers may find themselves driving too fast include wet roadways, reduced visibility, uneven roads, construction zones, curves, intersections, gravel roads, and heavy traffic. Per distance traveled, consequences of inappropriate speed are more frequent on lower speed, lower quality roads; in the United States, for example, the "speeding fatality rate for local roads is three times that for Interstates".For speed management a distinction can exit between excess speed which consist in driving in excess of the speed limit, and inappropriate speed which consist is going too fast for the conditions.
Maximum speed limits
Most countries have a legally assigned numerical maximum speed limit which applies on all roads when no other speed limit indications are present; lower speed limits are often shown on a sign at the start of the restricted section, although the presence of streetlights or the physical arrangement of the road may sometimes also be used instead. A posted speed limit may only apply to that road or to all roads beyond the sign that defines them depending on local laws.The speed limit is commonly set at or below the 85th percentile operating speed, and in the US is frequently set below that speed. Thus, if the 85th percentile operating speed as measured by a "Traffic and Engineering Survey" exceeds the design speed, legal protection is given to motorists traveling at such speeds. The theory behind the 85th percentile rules is that, as a policy, most citizens should be deemed reasonable and prudent, and limits must be practical to enforce. However, there are some circumstances where motorists do not tend to process all the risks involved, and as a mass, choose a poor 85th percentile speed. This rule, in practice, is a process for "voting the speed limit" by driving, in contrast to delegating the speed limit to an engineering expert.
The maximum speed permitted by statute, as posted, is normally based on ideal driving conditions and the basic speed rule always applies. Violation of the statute generally raises a rebuttable presumption of negligence.
On international European roads, speed should be taken into account during the design stage..
| Road classification | 60 km/h | 80 km/h | 100 km/h | 120 km/h | 140 km/h |
| Motorway | x | 80 | 100 | 120 | 140 |
| Express road | 60 | 80 | 100 | 120 | x |
| Road | 60 | 80 | 100 | x | x |
Minimum speed limits
Some roads also have minimum speed limits, usually where slow speeds can impede traffic flow or be dangerous. The use of minimum speed limits is not as common as maximum speed limits, since the risks of speed are less common at lower speeds. In some jurisdictions, laws requiring a minimum speed are primarily centered around red-light districts or similar areas, where they may colloquially be referred to as kerb crawling laws.Variable speed limits
In Germany, the first known experiments with variable speed limit signs took place in 1965 on a 30 kilometer stretch of German motorway, the A8 between Munich and the border city of Salzburg, Austria. Mechanically variable message signs could display speeds of 60, 80 and 100 km/h, as well as text indicating a "danger zone" or "accident". Personnel monitored traffic using video technology and manually controlled the signage. Beginning in the 1970s, additional advanced traffic control systems were put into service. Modern motorway control systems can work without human intervention using various types of sensors to measure traffic flow and weather conditions. In 2009, 1,300 kilometers of German motorways were equipped with such systems.In the United States, heavily traveled portions of the New Jersey Turnpike began using variable speed limit signs in combination with variable message signs in the late 1960s. Officials can adjust the speed limit according to weather, traffic conditions, and construction. More typically, variable speed limits are used on remote stretches of highway in the United States in areas with extreme changes in driving conditions. For example, variable limits were introduced in October 2010 on a stretch of Interstate 80 in Wyoming, replacing the winter season speed reduction from that had been in place since 2008. This Variable Speed Limit system has been proven effective in terms of reducing crash frequency and road closures. Similarly, Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass and other mountain passes in Washington State variable speed limits are used to slow traffic in severe winter weather. As a response to fog-induced chain-reaction collisions involving 99 vehicles in 1990, a variable speed limit system covering of Interstate 75 in Tennessee was implemented in fog-prone areas around the Hiwassee River. The Georgia Department of Transportation installed variable speed limits on part of Interstate 285 around Atlanta in 2014. These speeds can be as low as 35 mph but are generally set to 65 mph. In 2016, the Oregon Department of Transportation installed a variable speed zone on a 30-mile stretch of Interstate 84 between Baker City and Ladd Canyon. The new electronic signs collect data regarding temperature, skid resistance, and average motorist speed to determine the most effective speed limit for the area before presenting the limit on the sign. This speed zone was scheduled to be activated November 2016. Ohio established variable speed limits on three highways in 2017, then in 2019 granted the authority to the Ohio Department of Transportation to establish variable limits on any of its highways.
In the United Kingdom, a variable speed limit was introduced on part of the M25 motorway in 1995, on the busiest section from junction 10 to 16. Initial results suggested savings in journey times, smoother-flowing traffic, and a decrease in the number of crashes; the scheme was made permanent in 1997. However, a 2004 National Audit Organisation report noted that the business case was unproved; conditions at the site of the Variable Speed Limits trial were not stable before or during the trial, and the study was deemed neither properly controlled nor reliable. Since December 2008 the upgraded section of the M1 between the M25 and Luton has had the capability for variable speed limits. In January 2010 temporary variable speed cameras on the M1 between J25 and J28 were made permanent.
New Zealand introduced variable speed limits in February 2001. The first installation was on the Ngauranga Gorge section of the dual carriageway on State Highway 1, characterized by steep terrain, numerous bends, high traffic volumes, and a higher than average accident rate. The speed limit is normally.
Austria undertook a short-term experiment in 2006, with a variable limit configuration that could increase statutory limits under the most favorable conditions, as well as reduce them. In June 2006, a stretch of motorway was configured with variable speed limits that could increase the general Austrian motorway limit of. Then Austrian Transport Minister Hubert Gorbach called the experiment "a milestone in European transport policy-despite all predictions to the contrary"; however, the experiment was discontinued.
Roads without speed limits
Just over half of the German autobahns have only an advisory speed limit, 15% have temporary speed limits due to weather or traffic conditions, and 33% have permanent speed limits, according to 2008 estimates. The advisory speed limit applies to any road in Germany outside of towns which is either a dual carriageway or features at least two lanes per direction, regardless of its classification, unless there is a speed limit posted, although it is less common for non-autobahn roads to be unrestricted. All other roads in Germany outside of towns, regardless of classification, do have a general speed limit of 100 km/h, which is usually reduced to 80 km/h at Allée-streets. Travel speeds are not regularly monitored in Germany; however, a 2008 report noted that on the autobahn in Niemegk "significantly more than 60% of road users exceed more than 30% of motorists exceed ". Measurements from the state of Brandenburg in 2006 showed average speeds of on a 6-lane section of autobahn in free-flowing conditions.Prior to German reunification in 1990, accident reduction programs in eastern German states were primarily focused on restrictive traffic regulation. Within two years of reunification, the availability of high-powered vehicles and a 54% increase in motorized traffic led to a doubling of annual traffic deaths, despite "interim arrangements involved the continuation of the speed limit of on autobahns and of outside cities". An extensive program of the four Es brought the number of traffic deaths back to pre-unification levels after a decade of effort, while traffic regulations were conformed to western standards.
Rural roads on the Isle of Man have no speed limits on many rural roads; a 2004 proposal to introduce general speed limits of 60 mph and 70 mph on Mountain Road, for safety reasons, was not pursued following consultation. Measured travel speeds on the island are relatively low.
The Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana also do not have speed limits.
Roads formerly without speed limits
Many roads without a maximum limit became permanently limited following the 1973 oil crisis. For example, Switzerland and Austria had no maximum restriction prior to 1973 on motorways and rural roads, but imposed a temporary maximum limit in response to higher fuel prices; the limit on motorways was increased to later in 1974.Montana and Nevada were the last remaining U.S. states relying exclusively on the basic rule, without a specific, numeric rural speed limit before the National Maximum Speed Law of 1974. After the repeal of federal speed mandates in 1996, Montana was the only state to revert to the basic rule for daylight rural speed regulation. The Montana Supreme Court ruled that the basic rule was too vague to allow citation, prosecution, and conviction of a driver; concluding enforcement was a violation of the due process requirement of the Montana Constitution. In response, Montana's legislature imposed a limit on rural freeways in 1999.
Australia's Northern Territory, had no rural speed limit until 2007, and again from 2014 to 2016. Sections of the Stuart Highway had no limits as part of an open speed limit trial.
Method
Several methods exist to set up a speed limit:- Engineering
- Harm minimization
- Economic optimization
- Expert system
The Operating speed method set the maximum speed at or around the 85th percentile speed. This reduces the need to enforce a speed limit, but let drivers not select the appropriate travel speed, when they misjudge the risk their environment induces. This method is used in the United States of America. As soon as drivers drive faster than the speed limit, the speed limit is no more the 85th percentile.
Enforcement
is the action taken by appropriately empowered authorities to check that road vehicles are complying with the speed limit. Methods used include roadside speed monitoring, set up and operated by the police, and automated roadside speed camera systems, which may incorporate the use of an automatic number plate recognition system.In 2012, in the UK, 30% of drivers did not comply with speed limits.
In Europe, between 2009 and 2012, 20% of European drivers have been fined for excessive speed.
In 2012, in Europe, 62% of people supported the idea of setting up speed-limiting devices, with adequate tolerance levels in order to limit driver confusion. One efficient scheme consists of penalty points and charges for speeding slightly over the speed limit.
Another possibility is to alter the roadway by implementing traffic calming measures, vehicle activated signs, or safety cameras.
The city of Munich has adopted self-explaining roads: roadway widths, intersection controls, and crossing types have been harmonized so that drivers assume the speed limit without a posted sign.
Effectiveness
Compliance
To be effective and applied by drivers, the speed limits need to be perceived as credible; they should be reasonable regarding factors such as the view ahead and the view to the right. Speed limits also need to conform to road infrastructure, education, and enforcement activity.In the UK, in 2017 the average free flow speed for each vehicle type is correlated with the applicable speed limit for that
road type and for motorways and national speed limit single carriageway roads, the average free flow speed is below
the designated speed limit for each vehicle type, except motorcycles on motorways.
Relationship with crash frequency
A 1998 US Federal Highway Administration report cited a number of studies regarding the effects of reductions in speed limits and the observed changes in speeding, fatalities, injuries and property damage which followed. Some states increase penalties for more serious offenses, by designating as reckless driving, speeds greatly exceeding the maximum limit.A 2018 OECD-ITF case study established a strong relationship between speed and crash frequency: when the mean speed decreases, the number of crashes and casualties decreases; to the contrary, when speed increases, the number of crashes and casualties increases. In no case was an increase in mean speed associated with a decrease in the number of crashes or casualties.
| Country | Speed limit reduction | Reported change | - |
| Australia | 110 km/h to 100 km/h | Injury crashes declined by 19% | - |
| Australia | 5–20 km/h decreases | No significant change | - |
| Denmark | 60 km/h to 50 km/h | Fatal crashes declined by 24% Injury crashes declined by 9% | - |
| Germany | 60 km/h to 50 km/h | Crashes declined by 20% | - |
| Sweden | 110 km/h to 90 km/h | Speeds declined by 14 km/h Fatal crashes declined by 21% | - |
| Switzerland | 130 km/h to 120 km/h | Speeds declined by 5 km/h Fatal crashes declined by 12% | - |
| UK | 60 mph to 40 mph /100 km/h to 65 km/h | Speeds declined by 6 km/h Crashes declined by 14% | - |
| US | 5 mph to 15 mph decreases | No significant changes | - |
| NYC, US | 50 km/h to 40 km/h decreases | 28% reduction in all fatalities and 48 percent reduction in pedestrian fatalities | - |
| Country | Speed limit reduction | Reported change | - |
| France | Speed reduced from 90 km/h to 80 km/h since July 2018, on 400,000 kilometers of the secondary network covered by 1,000 speed cameras. Five million euro have been spent on communication to explain the benefits of the speed reduction to 80 km/h, using various media, including television, radio, and social media. | Effective median speed was reduced from 87.0 km/h in June 2018 to 82.6 km/h in July 2018. Median speed was reduced of 3.9 km/h from 87.0 km/h to 83.2 km/h in September 2018. France to reach its historical best year for road fatalities, stopping a sequence of five years of increasing fatalities:
However results were not repeated in oversea territories. Final report considered speed limit change induced a 3.5 km/h speed decrease and saved 349 lives during the two years which last 20 months | text = |
| Spain, 2019 | Decrease speed from 100 km/h to 90 km/h | In Spain the year 2019 was the best year with the fewest people killed outside a built-up area. The number of people killed outside built-up areas decreased by 7.6% while the number of people killed on regular roads decreased by 9.5%. The number of people killed in cars outside built-up areas decrease by 16% from 598 to 503. | - |
South Dakota increased its maximum speed limit from 65 to 75 mph in 1996. Annual surveys of speed on South Dakota Interstate roads show that from 2000 to 2011, the average speed rose from 71 to 74 mph. A 1999 study found that the U.S. states that increased speed limits in the wake of the repeal of federally mandated speed limits had a 15% increase in fatalities.
The Synthesis of Safety Research Related to Speed and Speed Limits report sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, published in 1998, found that changing speed limits on low and moderate speed roads appeared to have no significant effect on traffic speed or the number of crashes, whilst on high-speed roads such as freeways, increased speed limits generally resulted in higher traffic speeds and more crashes. The report stated that limited evidence suggests that speed limits have a positive effect on a system wide basis.
Research in 1998 showed that the reduction of some United Kingdom speed limits to had achieved only a 1 mph drop in speeds and no discernible reduction in accidents; 20 mph speed limit zones, which use self-enforcing traffic calming, achieved average speed reductions of 10 mph; child pedestrian accidents were reduced by 70% and child cyclist accidents by 48%. Zones where speeds are set at 30 km/h are gaining popularity as they are found to be effective at reducing crashes and increasing community cohesion.
Studies undertaken in conjunction with Australia's move from speed limits to in built-up areas found that the measure was effective in reducing speed and the frequency and severity of crashes. A study of the impact of the replacement of with speed limits in New South Wales, Australia, showed only a 0.5 km/h drop in urban areas and a 0.7 km/h drop in rural areas. The report noted that widespread community compliance would require a combination of strategies including traffic calming treatments. Information campaigns are also used by authorities to bolster support for speed limits, for example the Speeding. No one thinks big of you. campaign in Australia in 2007.
Justification
Speed limits are set primarily to balance road traffic safety concerns with the effect on travel time and mobility. Speed limits are also sometimes used to reduce consumption of fuel or in response to environmental concerns. Some speed limits have also been initiated to reduce gas-oil imports during the 1973 oil crisis.Road traffic safety
According to a 2004 report from the World Health Organization, 22% of all injury mortality worldwide was from road traffic injuries in 2002, and without "increased efforts and new initiatives" casualty rates would increase by 65% between 2000 and 2020. The report identified that the speed of vehicles was "at the core of the problem", and recommended that speed limits be set appropriately for the road function and design, along with the implementation of physical measures related to the road and the vehicle, and increased effective enforcement by the police. Road incidents are said to be the leading cause of deaths among children 10–19 years of age.Maximum speed limits place an upper limit on speed choice and, if obeyed, can reduce the differences in vehicle speeds by drivers using the same road at the same time. Traffic engineers observe that the likelihood of a crash happening is significantly higher if vehicles are traveling at speeds faster or slower than the mean speed of traffic; when severity is taken into account, the risk is lowest for those traveling at or below the median speed and "increases exponentially for motorists travelling much faster".
can be effective on lower speed roads
It is desirable to attempt to reduce the speed of road vehicles in some circumstances because the kinetic energy involved in a motor vehicle collision is proportional to the square of the speed at impact. The probability of a fatality is, for typical collision speeds, empirically correlated to the fourth power of the speed difference at impact, rising much faster than kinetic energy.
;Kinetic energy:
;Braking distance during danger
Typically motorways have higher speed limits than conventional roads because motorways have features which decrease the likelihood of collisions and the severity of impacts. For example, motorways separate opposing traffic and crossing traffic, employ traffic barriers, and prohibit the most vulnerable users such as pedestrians and bicyclists. Germany's crash experience illustrates the relative effectiveness of these strategies on crash severity: on autobahns 22 people died per 1,000 injury crashes, a lower rate than the 29 deaths per 1,000 injury accidents on conventional rural roads. However, the rural risk is five times higher than on urban roads; speeds are higher on rural roads and autobahns than urban roads, increasing the severity potential of a crash. The net effect of speed, crash probability, and impact mitigation strategies may be measured by the rate of deaths per billion-travel-kilometers: the autobahn fatality rate is 2 deaths per billion-travel-kilometers, lower than either the 8.7 rates on rural roads or the 5.3 rate in urban areas. The overall national fatality rate was 5.6, slightly higher than urban rate and more than twice that of autobahns.
The 2009 technical report An Analysis of Speeding-Related Crashes:Definitions and the Effects of Road Environments by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that about 55% of all speeding-related crashes when fatal listed "exceeding posted speed limits" among their crash factors, and 45% had "driving too fast for conditions" among their crash factors. However, the authors of the report did not attempt to determine whether the factors were a crash cause, contributor, or an unrelated factor. Furthermore, separate research finds that only 1.6% of crashes are caused by drivers that exceed the posted speed limit. Finally, exceeding the posted limit may not be a remarkable factor in the crash analysis as there are roadways where virtually all motorists are in technical violation of the law.
The speed limit will also take note of the speed at which the road was designed to be driven, which is defined in the US as "a selected speed used to determine the various geometric design features of the roadway". However, traffic engineers recognize that "operating speeds and even posted speed limits can be higher than design speeds without necessarily compromising safety" since design speed is "based on conservative assumptions about driver, vehicle and roadway characteristics".
Vision Zero, which envision reducing road fatalities and serious injuries to zero by 2020, suggests the following "possible long term maximum travel speeds related to the infrastructure, given best practice in vehicle design and 100% restraint use":
| Type of infrastructure and traffic | Possible travel speed |
| Locations with possible conflicts between pedestrians and cars | |
| Intersections with possible side impacts between cars | |
| Roads with possible frontal impacts between cars, including rural roads | |
| Roads with no possibility of a side impact or frontal impact | + |
In 2018, an IRTAD WG published a document which recommended maximum speed limits, taking into account forces the human body can tolerate and survive.
Fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency sometimes affects speed limit selection. The United States instituted a National Maximum Speed Law of, as part of the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, in response to the 1973 oil crisis to reduce fuel consumption. According to a report published in 1986 by The Heritage Foundation, a Conservative advocacy group, the law was widely disregarded by motorists and hardly reduced consumption at all. In 2009, the American Trucking Associations called for a 65 mph speed limit, and also national fuel economy standards, claiming that the lower speed limit was not effective at saving fuel.Environmental considerations
Speed limits can also be used to improve local air quality issues or other factors affecting environmental quality. The European Union is also increasingly using speed limits as in response to environmental concerns.European studies have stated that, whereas the effects of specific speed reduction schemes on particulate emissions from trucks are ambiguous, lower maximums speed for trucks consistently result in lower emissions of CO2 and better fuel efficiency.
Advocacy
Speed limits, and especially some of the methods used to attempt to enforce them, have always been controversial. A variety of organisations and individuals either oppose or support the use of speed limits and their enforcement.Opposition
Speed limits and their enforcement have been opposed by various groups and for various reasons since their inception. In the UK, the Motorists' Mutual Association was formed initially to warn members about speed traps; the organisation would go on to become the AA.More recently, advocacy groups seek to have certain speed limits as well as other measures removed. For example, automated camera enforcement has been criticised by motoring advocacy groups including the Association of British Drivers, and the German Auto Club.
Arguments used by those advocating a relaxation of speed limits or their removal include:
- A 1994 peer-reviewed paper by Charles A. Lave et al. titled Did the 65 mph Speed Limit Save Lives? which states as evidence that a higher speed limit may create a positive shift in traffic to designated safer roads.
- A 1998 report in the Wall Street Journal titled "Highways are safe at any speed", stating when speed limits are set artificially low, tailgating, weaving and speed variance make roads less safe.
- A 2007 ePetition to the UK government calling for speed cameras to be scrapped on the basis that the benefits were exaggerated and that they may actually increase casualty levels, conducted by Safe Speed, a UK advocacy organisation campaigning for higher speed limits, which received over 25,000 signatures.
- A 2008 declaration by the German Automobile Manufacturer's Association calling general limits "patronizing," arguing instead for variable speed limits. The Association also stated that "raising the speed limits in Denmark and Italy had no negative impact on traffic safety. The number of accidental deaths even declined".
- A 2010 German Auto Club report that an autobahn speed limit was unnecessary because numerous countries with a general highway speed limit had worse safety records than Germany. However, other data show that Denmark and Austria have less fatalities per billion vehicle kilometers traveled on their motorway than Germany, when Belgium has more. ETSC considers that those data are not comparable, because estimations of the number of kilometers traveled are not estimated the same way in different countries.
Support
Signage
Most countries worldwide measure speed limits in kilometres per hour, while the United Kingdom, United States, and several smaller countries measure speed limits in miles per hour instead. Signs in Samoa display both units simultaneously.There are two basic designs for speed limit signs: the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals specifies a white or yellow circle with a red border, while the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices published by the United States Federal Highway Administration specifies a white rectangle with the legend SPEED LIMIT. Vienna-style speed limit signs originated in Europe and are used in most of the world, including many countries that otherwise follow the MUTCD. Variations on the MUTCD design are used in Canada, Guam, Liberia, Puerto Rico, the United States, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In most of the United States, speed limit signs bear the words SPEED LIMIT above the numeric speed limit, as specified in the MUTCD. However, in Alaska and California, speed limits are often labeled MAXIMUM SPEED instead. In Oregon, most speed limit signs are simply labeled SPEED. Canada has similar signs bearing the legend MAXIMUM, which has a similar meaning in English and French, the country's two main languages. Signs in Australia, Mexico, Panama, and Peru are rectangular but inscribe the numeric limit within a red circle like on Vienna Convention signs. The MUTCD formerly specified an optional metric design that included the words SPEED LIMIT and the numeric limit inscribed within a black circle, though it was rarely used in the United States; this design is still occasionally found in Liberia.
In the European Union, large signposts showing the national speed limits of the respective country are usually erected immediately after border crossings, with a repeater sign some after the first. Some places provide an additional "speed zone ahead" ahead of the restriction, and speed limit reminder signs may appear at regular intervals, which may be painted on the road surface.
In Ontario, the type, location, and frequency of speed limit signs are covered by regulation 615 of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act.