- A new study suggests that increasing speeds on highways could have a ripple effect on local roads.
- The study examined crashes before and after speed limit increases in Georgia, Michigan and Oregon.
- The results were inconclusive as some areas saw a decrease in the number of speed-related accidents following an increase in speed limits.
A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that increasing highway speed limits could lead to more accidents on local roads. This “spillover” is one of the possible unintended consequences of a seemingly minor change.
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AAA wanted to find out whether increasing highway speeds were also causing drivers to “engage in risky speeding behavior on local roads.” As part of this effort, researchers examined crash data before and after speed limits were increased on highways in Georgia, Michigan and Oregon.
More: Study says raising speed limits won’t deter speeding, but it will increase the risk of injury and death
The organization focused on streets less than a mile from highways, i.e. within the radius of entrances and exits. They found “many cases where speed-related crashes on nearby roads increased following the interstate speed limit change, suggesting that drivers exiting the highway continued to trend toward faster speeds.”
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While this is just a brief overview of the 94-page study, the picture is not entirely clear, as some areas – such as local roads along I-75 in northern Michigan – actually saw significant reductions in speed-related crashes was. The report found that there were 526 speed-related accidents in the “before” period and only 407 speed-related accidents in the “after” period. The number of total accidents also fell.
Elsewhere, the results were different, as local roads around I-69 in the Mitten state saw an increase in speed-related crashes. The study also found that “hot spots” in accidents sometimes changed or varied in intensity.
David Yang, president of the AAA Foundation, said: “Increasing speed limits on highways can improve traffic flow, but could also lead to safety concerns in neighboring communities if speeding drivers continue onto neighboring roads.” He added: “Local roads around our homes are designed for slower speeds and a variety of road users such as pedestrians and cyclists – not fast-moving drivers.”
For this reason, AAA recommends a series of technical and behavioral countermeasures to reduce speeding and the number of accidents. This includes everything from landscaping and awareness campaigns to the dreaded speed cameras.
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