A federal Highway Bill, enacted in April 1987, permitted states to raise the maximum speed limit on most rural interstate highways to 65 mph. The state of Indiana reacted promptly to the enabling legislation and, on June 1, 1987, raised the maximum speed limit on rural interstate highways in Indiana to 65 mph. This report presents the results of an analysis of extensive accident, speed, and other data relevant to highway safety that were collected from various Indiana state agencies for the period 1981-1987. The data were used to estimate statistical models of the incidence and severity of highway accidents. The basic finding from this analysis is that, during the first seven months in the post law environment, higher rural interstate speed limits in Indiana had very litte effect on interstate highway safety. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting