Speed Limits Kill ?

[denny]

Montana state press release: "In 1999, after 4 years of no numerical or posted daytime speed limit on these classifications of highways, outside of urban areas, Montana recorded its lowest fatality rate. For the last 5 months of no daytime limits in Montana [...] reported fatal accident rate declined to a record low. Fixed speed limits were reinstated on Memorial Day weekend 1999. Since then, fatal accidents have begun to rise again."

Sounds like the statistics might have been a bit selectively interpreted to me - why only the last five months, odd number to choose - but still interesting.

Not sure how old this is - I saw it here: http://www.pistonheads.com/speed/default.asp?storyId=11256

Comments

[zotz]

After further reading, it seems that the return to a clearly-defined speed limits was for other legal reasons. If you look at the graph on page 6, though, you'll see that while the period without a numerical speed limit was characterised by a stable fatality rate, it also signalled the end of a falling trend. Was it responsible for the end of that trend? I think we'd need to know a lot more to say.

It would also be interesting to see what has happened since. Somewhere in that report it says that the rate in the next year after the graph finishes was expected to have fallen. It would be good to know whether it actually did.

So, basically, the original statement was based on a highly partial reading of the statistics.