Increase in motorway speed limit poses risks to health

Submitted by Robert-Huxford on Tue, 10/01/2012 - 10:32am

An editorial in the BMJ raises the issue of an "exponential" increase in crashes (resulting in injury and death) linked to a rise in speed limits.  In the US, higher speed limits introduced in 1995 resulted in a 16.6% increase in deaths due to vehicle accidents. The speed limit increase followed a reduction in speed back in 1975 in response to the 1974 oil crisis. The laws on highways and freeways changed from 65mph to 70-75mph and from 55mph to 60-65mph.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/bmj-iim010412.php