IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cdl/itsdav/qt8h09c504.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Assessing the Safety Implication of Alternative Speed Limits in California

Author

Listed:
  • Musabbir, Sarder Rafee
  • Zhang, Michael PhD

Abstract

This project combined the statewide crash data (SWIRTS) and traffic data (PeMS) to develop statistical models to determine the safety impacts of alternative speed limits on California highways. The models examined whether various factors about crashes, including average traffic speed and truck-involvement, correlated with outcomes such as crash severity. The models were then used to test the impact of four alternative speed limit policies (B-E) on the predicted number of fatal crashes and unsafe-speed related crashes in urban and rural areas. The policies were: (A) Existing differential speed policy for cars (65 mph) and trucks (55 mph); (B) Raising the speed limit on interstates for trucks from 55 to 65 mph; (C) Raising the speed limit on interstates from 55 to 75 mph for trucks and 65 to 75 mph for cars; (D) Lowering the existing differential speed on interstates from 55 to 50mph for trucks and 65 to 60 mph for cars; (E) Raising the existing differential speed on interstates from 55 to 70 mph for trucks and 65 to 80 mph for cars. The policy analysis shows a difference in the predicted number of crashes (fatal, unsafe speed) in and between urban and rural areas. The percentage increase/decrease in predicted fatal crashes in rural areas is lower than urban areas across all policy alternatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Musabbir, Sarder Rafee & Zhang, Michael PhD, 2020. "Assessing the Safety Implication of Alternative Speed Limits in California," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt8h09c504, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt8h09c504
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/8h09c504.pdf;origin=repeccitec
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Neeley, G.W. & Richardson Jr., L.E., 2009. "The effect of state regulations on truck-crash fatalities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(3), pages 408-415.
    2. Friedman, L.S. & Hedeker, D. & Richter, E.D., 2009. "Long-term effects of repealing the national maximum speed limit in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(9), pages 1626-1631.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rafee Musabbir, Sarder & Zhang, Michael PhD, 2023. "Assessing the Economic Impact of Speed Limit Changes on Safety and Mobility in California," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt7r94h26c, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    2. Joseph Aldy & Matthew J. Kotchen & Mary Evans & Meredith Fowlie & Arik Levinson & Karen Palmer, 2021. "Cobenefits and Regulatory Impact Analysis: Theory and Evidence from Federal Air Quality Regulations," Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(1), pages 117-156.
    3. Gilpin, Gregory, 2019. "Teen driver licensure provisions, licensing, and vehicular fatalities," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 54-70.
    4. Rachel Soloveichik, 2024. "Studies on the Value of Data," BEA Papers 0124, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
    5. Albalate, Daniel & Bel, Germà, 2012. "Speed limit laws in America: The role of geography, mobility and ideology," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 337-347.
    6. repec:ipf:psejou:v:42:y:2018:i:42:p:45-65 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & Castro-Nuño, Mercedes & Pedregal-Tercero, Diego J., 2014. "Temporary speed limit changes: An econometric estimation of the effects of the Spanish Energy Efficiency and Saving Plan," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 44(S1), pages 68-76.
    8. Mercedes Castro-Nuño & José I. Castillo-Manzano & Xavier Fageda, 2015. "Do more trucks lead to more motor vehicle fatalities in European roads? Evaluating the impact of specific safety strategies," ERSA conference papers ersa15p306, European Regional Science Association.
    9. Anthony R. Mawson & E. Kenneth Walley, 2014. "Toward an Effective Long-Term Strategy for Preventing Motor Vehicle Crashes and Injuries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-14, August.
    10. Noland, Robert B., 2013. "From theory to practice in road safety policy: Understanding risk versus mobility," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 71-84.
    11. Mercedes Castro-Nuno & José I. Castillo-Manzano & Diego J. Pedregal-Tercero, 2013. "The Speed Limits Debate: Is Effective A Temporary Change? The Case Of Spain," ERSA conference papers ersa13p160, European Regional Science Association.
    12. Pavel A. Yakovlev & Margaret Inden, 2010. "Mind the Weather: A Panel Data Analysis of Time-Invariant Factors and Traffic Fatalities," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 30(4), pages 2685-2696.
    13. Pavel A. Yakovlev & Christina M. Orr-Magulick, 2018. "On the road again: traffic fatalities and auto insurance minimums," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 42(1), pages 45-65.
    14. Anderson, Jason R. & Ogden, Jeffrey D. & Cunningham, William A. & Schubert-Kabban, Christine, 2017. "An exploratory study of hours of service and its safety impact on motorists," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 161-174.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Engineering; Speed limits; trucks; highway safety; policy analysis; crash riskforecasting; traffic speeds; logits;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt8h09c504. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Lisa Schiff (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/itucdus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.