[Index][Thread]
Pre NMSL data, shows what people drove with NO LIMIT!
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Subject: Pre NMSL data, shows what people drove with NO LIMIT!
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From: kevinatk@home.com (Kevin Atkinson)
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Date: 6 Aug 1995 19:07:06 -0400
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Newsgroups: ca.driving
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Organization: Clark Internet Services, Inc., Ellicott City, MD USA
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References: <1995Aug3.230739.5911@cmkrnl> <3vuhal$80a@news-e1a.megaweb.com> <leobDCts39.4Ip@netcom.com> <4016i6$rb@news-e1a.megaweb.com>
Kenny Morse:
You are constanyly arguring that people drive 10 to 15 mph above the
limit. Well I hate to tell you this, your wrong. Here is a post from
Genie proving that very point! Take a VERY close look at it.
Yes at the end he says that people may drive faster with better cars
however he does not say that people will drive above the comfort level of
the road.
Category 13, Topic 3
Message 7 Sat Apr 24, 1993
D.GANOTE [DUKE.GANOTE] at 17:38 EDT
Jim,
Just to put the 85th percentile speed in perspective -- although you may
have already seen this stuff -- let me show most data "pre-NMSL".
The "Traffic Speed TrendS reports of the Federal Highway Administration
(FHwA)
for the years just before the 55-mph National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) may
be of interest.
Two participating States had no speed limit, eight had 75-mph limits, 22 had
70-mph, two had 65-mph, three had 60-mph.
AVERAGE SPEEDS OF FREE-MOVING VEHICLES AND PERCENTAGES OF PASSENGER CARS
TRAVELING IN EXCESS OF VARIOUS SPEEDS:
ON LEVEL, STRAIGHT SECTIONS OF THE COMPLETED PORTIONS OF THE RURAL INTERSTATE
SYSTEM FOR 1973
(NOTE: speeds were measured in the summer, before the embargo and oil price
RcrisisS in the fall.)
STATE ---- Avg ---- %>55 -- %>60 -- %>65 -- %>70 -- %>75
(NO SPEED LIMIT)
Mont. 70.2 mph 93 85 68 48 26
Nev. 70.1 mph 97 92 78 54 28
(75-MPH)
Ark. 65.8 mph 93 82 60 26 8
AZ 69.1 mph 92 82 67 46 22
Iowa 67.0 mph 92 76 60 28 11
Kans. 69.4 mph 97 91 76 52 18
Nebr. 69.8 mph 96 89 75 51 19
N.D. 69.2 mph 95 86 69 47 21
S.D. 65.3 mph 87 72 50 26 7
Tenn. 62.0 mph 86 69 32 11 1
(70-mph) -- slowest, fastest, and Ohio speeds
Flor. 65.0 mph 93 80 53 23 6
Ohio 66.6 mph 96 89 63 31 6
N.Mex 69.0 mph 94 86 72 45 19
(65-mph)
Penn 61.8 mph 86 60 26 5 -
N.C. 65.4 mph 95 78 44 - -
(60-mph)
Conn 65.6 mph 100 84 49 15 0
RI 62.7 mph 88 54 35 11 6
NJ 59.5 mph 85 56 12 3 1
I estimate the prevailing (85th percentile) speeds as following:
SPEED LIMIT Prevailing speed Average speeds
============= =================== =================
-NONE- 76- to 77-mph 70-mph
75-mph 72- to 76-mph (*) 65- to 70-mph (*)
70-mph 71- to 76-mph 65- to 69-mph
65-mph 66- to 69-mph 62- to 65-mph
60-mph 64- to 70-mph 60- to 66-mph
(*) ignoring Tennessee, which was the only State east of the Mississippi to
post 75-mph.
I conclude there's little point in a limit lower than 70-mph or higher
than 75- mph.
People may feel more comfortable driving faster nowadays -- it was 20 years
ago this summer the speeds were taken.
--
* Kevin Atkinson, Clarknet I'net Serv., Maintainer of the Usenet Info Center *
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