This literature study is the second part of a four-part study in preparation of research into the relationship between driving speeds and road safety. The study into the relationship between driving speed and road accidents from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s was considered. The studies discussed have shown that the accident rate of motor vehicles on the motorways is largely dependent on their relative speeds. The results of Dutch research relevant to the relationship between driving speeds and road accidents are also described. The most notable results were derived from a study concerning automated speed enforcement on 80 km/h roads. In addition, an overview is given of the results of a study into driving speed and road accidents in Scandinavian countries. By the end of the year 1987, 38 American states had raised the speed limit on most rural interstate highway sections. American research into the effects of this increased speed limit on both driving speeds and on accidents is discussed. This is followed by a discussion of research into the effects of raising the speed limit in both the Australian state of Victoria and in New Zealand. See also IRRD 868891 (C 3153), 868893 (C 3155), and 868894 (C 3156).
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