Safety Culture in the News

Safety Culture in the News

Safety culture aspects of Proposed Illinois bill would increase interstate speed limit

Proposed bill would increase interstate speed limit

There is a financial cost too. NHTSA estimates that the economic cost of speed-related crashes is more than $52 billion each year. There is data that clearly highlights the negative impact of raising the speed limit. A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study examined longer-term changes in 41 states. During 1993-2013, a 5 mph increase in the maximum state speed limit was associated with an 8 percent increase in fatality rates on interstates and freeways.

Motorists often drive faster than the speed limit. The AAA Foundation’s Traffic Safety Culture Index found that a large proportion of drivers confess to exceeding posted speed limits with nearly half of drivers (45.6%) saying they have driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway in the past month.

For these reasons, AAA will oppose these legislative proposals. Illinois’ highly congested roads and poor infrastructure coupled with higher speeds will only lead to more crashes and greater danger to the motoring public.