Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Debate About Speed Limits

Last week, in a 65 to 35 vote, the U.S. Senate rejected a proposal to continue the federally mandated maximum speed limit of 55 m.p.h. on the nation’s highways. The law, enacted by Congress in response to the 1973 energy crisis, went into effect Jan. 4, 1975, and states defying it can lose federal highway funds.

The law was last amended in 1987, when Congress voted to allow states to increase speed limits to 65 m.p.h. on rural stretches of highway. Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) then authored a law, which was approved by the state Legislature, raising the limit on the state’s rural highways to 65.

State Sen. Quentin L. Kopp. (I-San Francisco,) chairman of the state Senate Transportation Committee, has promised to introduce legislation to raise speed limits to 65, and under some circumstances, 70 m.p.h., if Congress lifts the 55 m.p.h. maximum limit.

Should the speed limit be raised?

Maury Hannigan, commissioner, California Highway Patrol:

“Maximum speed, in and of itself, is not a major traffic hazard. It’s driving at unsafe speeds for conditions. I would say I don’t see anything that would convince me to go above 65 miles an hour. And there are some roads posted at 55 that can’t be raised to 65.”

State Sen. Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco):

“The policy behind that condition was to conserve energy. It wasn’t safety. It was never safety. Secondly, of course, 55 m.p.h. is honored in the breach rather than in the observance, and that is injurious to the public psyche because it condones violations of the law, and even promotes violation of laws.

“The circumstances respecting energy have changed demonstrably in 19 years or 20 years. Less fuel is consumed by reason of more efficient engines and an increasing spirit of conservation manifests itself in customs and practices now that were different 20 years ago. We try to avoid unnecessary trips. We try to buy cars which travel farther on a gallon of gasoline. We probably get 100% more miles per gallon of gasoline.

“The evidence is disputed as to where the safety is improved by raising the limit or degraded by raising the limit . . .”

Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar):

“It makes a lot more sense for the California Highway Patrol to determine what it should be . . . than some bureaucrat sitting behind a desk in Washington.

“There are roads where 55 is appropriate and where 65 is inappropriate, and where if we could go even 40 or 45 miles an hour we’d be thrilled.

“You have to look at the accident rate. I don’t think it’s right to say every single route should be 65 m.p.h. There are places where it shouldn’t be.”

Rick Miller, psychologist and clinical training director of the Cal State Northridge counseling service:

“If you move the limit up to 65, I don’t think you would have any fewer speeders. My impression is it [the current limit] slows down the speeders . . . It has to do with people’s sense of themselves being in a hurry. It’s not a matter of choosing to speed, as much as keeping up with the flow of traffic.

”. . . My sense is all that [raising the speed limit] would do would have people speed at 70 miles an hour rather than at 60, and very quickly people would become habituated to doing that. People would normally travel at 70 and you quickly see that as the norm.”