An opinion paper in favor of increasing the speed limit for safety concerns.
This paper argues that highway safety speed limit should be raised to 80 mph on the basis of safety issues alone, including the 85% rule, speed variance as a danger factor and the inability of police officers under the artificially low limits to deal with dangerously slow drivers. Additionally, it notes that the low speed limit “criminalizes” good citizens needlessly
“There has been much debate in recent years over two highway safety issues, drunk driving and aggressive driving. While both of those certainly result in fatalities, there is another highway safety issue that seems to need dusting off; posted highway speed limits. In 1995, the National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) was repealed, meaning states were at liberty to set maximum highway speeds above the 55 mph limit that had been imposed, largely as a result of the 1970s gas crisis. Proponents of raising the limit cite real science to support their claim. Opponents of raising it argue that then people would still drive even faster. Unfortunately, the facts to not support the contentions of the opponents of raising the speed limit to 80 mph. It is clear, from the evidence, that the speed limit in many states, including California, should be raised to 80 mph, if for safety reasons alone.”