Kara Kockelman, civil engineering professor, along with John Bottom and other contributors, prepared a report on the costs associated with the repeal of the 55 mph speed limit for the Transportation Research Board (the gold standard of transportation bodies). It showed that being on a road with a 65 mph limit instead of 55 mph means a 3 percent higher probability of a crash taking place.
Much more significant is the fact that the extra speed makes the crashes that do occur far more deadly, says the transportation researcher who holds the William J. Murray Jr. Fellowship in Engineering. Read more.
