AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Higher Speed Limites lead to more Deaths
But . . .

A study just released concluded that raising speedlimits caused 1,900 more highway deaths over a three year period.

Study Links Higher Speed Limits to Deaths

Here's the problem. You can say that any speed will cause more deaths than a slower speed. If everyone stood still, there would be no highway deaths. Of course, nobody would get anywhere. You have to do a cost/benefit comparison.

A quick few minutes with a calculator suggested that, assuming that the 1900 fatalities gave up 50 years of life each, the 260 million americans who didn't die and gained the benefit of the higher speed limit would have to save the equivalent of .00036 years worth of utility (spread over a three year period.) How much is this? 3.2 hours, or a little over an hour a year.