Managing Speed - Review of Current Practice for Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits - Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits - Special Report 254

Sep 18, 2026

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Managing Speed: review of current practice for setting and enforcing speed limits examines how U.S. states establish and apply speed limits following the repeal of the National Maximum Speed Limit. The report frames the policy and operational context shaped by advances in vehicle safety, highway design, emergency medical response, and changes in driver behavior. It addresses renewed state responsibility, evolving speed patterns, and resulting implications for traffic safety performance and fatality and injury trends.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages441

Reading Time18 h 31 min

AccessFree to download

Managing Speed

Review of Current Practice for Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits

Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits

Preface

S P E C I A L R E P O R T 2 5 4 MANAGING SPEED Review of Current Practice for Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD National Research Council NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS WASHINGTON, D.C. 1998 Transportation Research Board Special Report 254 Subscriber Categories IVA highway operations, capacity, and traffic control IVB safety and human performance Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering individual publications directly from the TRB Business Office, through the Internet at [http://www.nas.edu/trb/](http://www.nas.edu/trb/)[ ](http://www.nas.edu/trb/)[index.html](index.html), [or by](or by) annual subscription through organizational or individual affiliation with TRB. Affiliates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information, contact the Transportation Research Board Business Office, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418 (telephone 202-334-3214; fax 202-334- 2519; or e-mail [aarcher@nas.edu](aarcher@nas.edu)) . Copyright 1998 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils ofthe National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The views expressed in the individually authored papers that are included in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the committee, the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the project’s sponsors. The study was sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Managing Speed : review of current practice for setting and enforcing speed limits / Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy Press. [p. cm](p. cm).—(Special report (National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board) ; 254) ISBN 0-309-06502-X 1. Speed limits—United States. 2. Roads—United States—Safety measures. I. National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board. Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits. II. Series. HE5620 . S6M36 1998 388.3􀀁 144􀀁 0973—dc21 98-40323 CIP Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits John G. Milliken, Chairman, Venable, Baetjer & Howard, McLean, Virginia Forrest M. Council, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Terrance W. Gainer, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C.* Nicholas J. Garber, University of Virginia, Charlottesville Kristine M. Gebbie, Columbia University School of Nursing, New York Jerome W. Hall, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Charles A. Lave, University of California, Irvine John M. Mason, Jr., The Pennsylvania State University, University Park Frederick Mosteller, Harvard University, Cambridge Sharon D. Nichols, Western Highway Institute, Casper, Wyoming Clinton V. Oster, Jr., Indiana University, Bloomington Richard A. Retting, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlington, Virginia Thoma

FAQs

What changed in the U.S. speed-limit policy after 1995?

After repeal of the National Maximum Speed Limit of 55 mph, states regained responsibility for setting appropriate speed limits on major highways.

Why is the report concerned with current speed-limit practice?

It reflects major changes over the prior decades, including vehicle crashworthiness, highway safety improvements, better emergency medical services, and shifts in driver behavior and operating speeds.

What safety-related factors does the report highlight as having improved since the NMSL era?

It notes more crashworthy passenger vehicles, increased safety features such as airbags, improvements in highway design and roadside safety, and more rapid assistance for crash victims.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Đào