tbul@trsvax.UUCP (08/29/84)
#N:trsvax:55200100:000:1400 trsvax!tbul Aug 29 12:07:00 1984 This was taken from FORBES, August 27, 1984. "Seat belts and airbags may work, but the only effective way to reduce traffic injuries and deaths may be the most obvious and least popular: Make drivers slow down. That, at least, is what studies in various countries with seat belt laws seem to indicate. In the U.K., where 95% of the drivers buckle up but the speed limit is 70mph, injuries were reduced only 23% in the first 11 months of the law's enforcement--instead of the expected 34%, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Sefety, an industry group. In France, which started enforcing seat belt laws in July 1973, the death rate continued to rise until the speed limit was slowed from no-limit to 70mph in December 1973. A year later the death rate had dropped a dramatic 57%. Studies in Canada, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand have come to the same conclusion: Seat belts alone won't do the trick; reducing speed does. The U.S., with its well-enforced speed limits, proves the point, too. Since going from 65mph and 70mph state limits to a national 55mph rule, traffic fatality rates have dropped from 3.5 per 100 million vehicle miles in 1975 to 2.9 in 1982, with or without safety devices, the National Safety Council says." Thomas Bulkowski "Find an aim in life before you run out of ammunition." - Arnold Glasow allegra!convex!ctvax!trsvax!tbul Fort Worth, Texas
ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (08/31/84)
I cannot think of any argument that can reasonably be advanced to favor a 55 MPH speed limit that cannot also be advanced to favor a 35 MPH speed limit.
john@hp-pcd.UUCP (john) (09/09/84)
< 35 MPH...Its a law we can live with > The best way to pick the safest speed is to first figure out the function of the "Probability of having an accident" vs "Speed"..P(s). If P(30) is not at least twice as small as P(60) then you will have more accidents at 30 due to the fact that the driving time is twice as long. You can then argue that 60 is safer than 30. John Eaton !hplabs!hp-pcd!john
mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) (09/10/84)
> If P(30) is not at least twice as small as P(60) then you will have more > accidents at 30 due to the fact that the driving time is twice as long. This would only be true if the probability were calculated per unit time. More likely, it would be per unit distance, and therefore the travel time is irrelevant. Besides, having personally participated in a high-speed accident (circa 50 MPH), I would rather have the two accidents at 30 MPH. Charley Wingate