Effects of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits on Selected Roadway Sections

摘要

The objective of this research was to examine the effects of raising and loweringposted speed limits on driver behavior for urban and rural nonlimited access highways. Sites selected for study were furnished by the participating States. The study was conducted during the period from October 1985 to September 1992, when the maximum speed limit was 55 mi/h (89 km/h) on nonlimited access highways. During this period the States and localities lowered and raised posted speed limits on short roadway segments, typically less than 2 mi (3.2 km) in length. The general types of sites included in the study were short sections, i.e., 0.5-mi (0.8-km) segments in rural communities, 1-mi (1.6-km) sections in urban and