Study finds speeding tolerated
06-13-2005 | 08:03 AM
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From: Houston, TX
Study finds speeding tolerated
June 13, 2005, 7:14AM
Study finds speeding tolerated
Some motorists are allowed to go 10 mph above the limit before they are pulled over
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Authorities patrolling U.S. highways tend to give motorists a cushion of up to 10 miles per hour above the speed limit before pulling them over, says a survey by a group of state traffic safety officials.
This practice creates an unsafe comfort level at high speeds and is a potential safety hazard, according to the report being released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association. The group found that 42 states allow drivers to regularly exceed the speed limit before they are stopped.
"This cushion truly exists across this country and in some cases is more than 10 mph above posted limits,'' said Jim Champagne, the association's chairman.
"Law enforcement needs to be given the political will to enforce speed limits and the public must get the message that speeding will not be tolerated,'' said Champagne, who also is executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
Since 1994, 38 states have increased their speed limit, the report said. Congress in 1995 allowed states to raise limits above 55 mph in urban areas and 65 mph on rural roads.
A study released in 1999 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimated an increase in deaths on interstates and freeways of about 15 percent in the 24 states that had raised their speed limit in late 1995 and 1996.
The survey's release comes ahead of the association's forum this week on ways to address speeding. The goal is to make recommendations for states to consider.
"As a country, if we are going to reduce the carnage on our roadways, speeding must be given the same level of attention that has been given to occupant protection and impaired driving,'' Champagne said.
States reported that highway patrol officers and other authorities said enforcing traffic laws has become difficult because of uncertainty in highway safety budgets, the focus on homeland security and a shortage of officers due to retirements.
Nineteen states lack a statewide database to log speed-related citation data, the survey found. That makes it hard for policy-makers to reach conclusions about the effectiveness of their enforcement efforts.
The survey said 10 states have some kind of aggressive driving law: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Utah and Virginia.
Source: Houston Chronicle
Study finds speeding tolerated
Some motorists are allowed to go 10 mph above the limit before they are pulled over
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Authorities patrolling U.S. highways tend to give motorists a cushion of up to 10 miles per hour above the speed limit before pulling them over, says a survey by a group of state traffic safety officials.
This practice creates an unsafe comfort level at high speeds and is a potential safety hazard, according to the report being released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association. The group found that 42 states allow drivers to regularly exceed the speed limit before they are stopped.
"This cushion truly exists across this country and in some cases is more than 10 mph above posted limits,'' said Jim Champagne, the association's chairman.
"Law enforcement needs to be given the political will to enforce speed limits and the public must get the message that speeding will not be tolerated,'' said Champagne, who also is executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
Since 1994, 38 states have increased their speed limit, the report said. Congress in 1995 allowed states to raise limits above 55 mph in urban areas and 65 mph on rural roads.
A study released in 1999 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimated an increase in deaths on interstates and freeways of about 15 percent in the 24 states that had raised their speed limit in late 1995 and 1996.
The survey's release comes ahead of the association's forum this week on ways to address speeding. The goal is to make recommendations for states to consider.
"As a country, if we are going to reduce the carnage on our roadways, speeding must be given the same level of attention that has been given to occupant protection and impaired driving,'' Champagne said.
States reported that highway patrol officers and other authorities said enforcing traffic laws has become difficult because of uncertainty in highway safety budgets, the focus on homeland security and a shortage of officers due to retirements.
Nineteen states lack a statewide database to log speed-related citation data, the survey found. That makes it hard for policy-makers to reach conclusions about the effectiveness of their enforcement efforts.
The survey said 10 states have some kind of aggressive driving law: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Utah and Virginia.
Source: Houston Chronicle
06-13-2005 | 09:28 AM
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: HouStook / 8th Gen. Texan
I saw a horrible wreck on Sat., in between Port Aransas & Aransas Pass. An expedition & a white H2 head-on both going at least 60. The ford was a mangled hunk of steel & the hummer actually broke in half. Ford driver's fault for crossing over the line into oncoming traffic, unfortunately the H2 driver didn't have his seat belt on & lost his life. 
It was one of those sights that gives ya the heebies.
It was one of those sights that gives ya the heebies.
06-27-2005 | 12:21 PM
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From: Houston, TX
June 27, 2005, 11:58AM
Law officers dispute speeding survey
They deny giving drivers a cushion, but also say they don't dish out senseless tickets
By JUAN ALANIS
Chronicle Correspondent
Here's a little advice for those who think they have a speeding cushion of up to 5 mph in the Houston area: Ease up on the pedal before zipping through a police radar.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, the Harris County Sheriff's Department and the Houston Police Department said they will write a ticket even if the driver is barely over the speed limit.
Those agencies' policies, however, are not consistent with the findings in a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit group of state traffic safety officials.
Of the 50 GHSA jurisdictions surveyed, 42 indicated there's a "cushion" of 5-10 mph, not only in the minds of the public but also in enforcement practice.
The report called "Survey of the States: Speeding," which was released June 13, says authorities patrolling U.S. highways allow drivers to regularly exceed the speed limit.
"Texas' state highway safety office felt the motoring public believes police typically give a 5 mph cushion in enforcing the posted speed limit," it says.
A GHSA official said the association's analysis of the information provided by states shows that the public perception is probably justified.
"Law enforcement (officials) need to be given the political will to enforce speed limits, and the public must get the message that speeding will not be tolerated," Jim Champagne, GHSA chairman, said on the association's Web site.
The DPS, HPD and the Sheriff's Department say they have no policy that give drivers a speeding cushion.
"Our officers write tickets for just about anything," HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready said.
Lt. John Martin, a Sheriff's Department spokesman, acknowledged that writing a citation for driving just barely over the speed limit is unreasonable.
As a matter of practice, individual officers don't pull people over for going 2 or 3 miles over the speed limit, Martin said.
The report comes nearly 10 years after Congress repealed the National Maximum Speed Limit, which required states to keep speed limits at a maximum of 65 mph in rural areas and 55 mph in urban areas.
It says the speeding cushion creates an unsafe comfort level and is a potential safety hazard.
Seventy-six percent of the responding jurisdictions indicated that they had increased their speed limits since 1994.
In Texas, the maximum speed for drivers in rural-area highways has increased from 65 mph in 1994 to 75 mph in 2004. In urban areas, motorists can now drive 70 mph. To reach national air quality standards, the eight-county Houston area's speed limit is 65 mph.
David Willis, senior research scientist at the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, said more people are dying on the state's roadways from speeding. He said 41 percent of all the fatal crashes involve speeding; nationally the average is 30 percent.
Willis said he does not think, however, that agencies should enforce zero-tolerance practices. Instead, he argues, local authorities should enforce reasonable practices that allow for unintended speeding violations.
"Sometimes people get their tires changed to the wrong size and that just throws off their speedometers. It just seems to me that a cushion of 5 mph makes sense. I don't see any safety negative in that," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Houston Chronicle
Law officers dispute speeding survey
They deny giving drivers a cushion, but also say they don't dish out senseless tickets
By JUAN ALANIS
Chronicle Correspondent
Here's a little advice for those who think they have a speeding cushion of up to 5 mph in the Houston area: Ease up on the pedal before zipping through a police radar.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, the Harris County Sheriff's Department and the Houston Police Department said they will write a ticket even if the driver is barely over the speed limit.
Those agencies' policies, however, are not consistent with the findings in a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit group of state traffic safety officials.
Of the 50 GHSA jurisdictions surveyed, 42 indicated there's a "cushion" of 5-10 mph, not only in the minds of the public but also in enforcement practice.
The report called "Survey of the States: Speeding," which was released June 13, says authorities patrolling U.S. highways allow drivers to regularly exceed the speed limit.
"Texas' state highway safety office felt the motoring public believes police typically give a 5 mph cushion in enforcing the posted speed limit," it says.
A GHSA official said the association's analysis of the information provided by states shows that the public perception is probably justified.
"Law enforcement (officials) need to be given the political will to enforce speed limits, and the public must get the message that speeding will not be tolerated," Jim Champagne, GHSA chairman, said on the association's Web site.
The DPS, HPD and the Sheriff's Department say they have no policy that give drivers a speeding cushion.
"Our officers write tickets for just about anything," HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready said.
Lt. John Martin, a Sheriff's Department spokesman, acknowledged that writing a citation for driving just barely over the speed limit is unreasonable.
As a matter of practice, individual officers don't pull people over for going 2 or 3 miles over the speed limit, Martin said.
The report comes nearly 10 years after Congress repealed the National Maximum Speed Limit, which required states to keep speed limits at a maximum of 65 mph in rural areas and 55 mph in urban areas.
It says the speeding cushion creates an unsafe comfort level and is a potential safety hazard.
Seventy-six percent of the responding jurisdictions indicated that they had increased their speed limits since 1994.
In Texas, the maximum speed for drivers in rural-area highways has increased from 65 mph in 1994 to 75 mph in 2004. In urban areas, motorists can now drive 70 mph. To reach national air quality standards, the eight-county Houston area's speed limit is 65 mph.
David Willis, senior research scientist at the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, said more people are dying on the state's roadways from speeding. He said 41 percent of all the fatal crashes involve speeding; nationally the average is 30 percent.
Willis said he does not think, however, that agencies should enforce zero-tolerance practices. Instead, he argues, local authorities should enforce reasonable practices that allow for unintended speeding violations.
"Sometimes people get their tires changed to the wrong size and that just throws off their speedometers. It just seems to me that a cushion of 5 mph makes sense. I don't see any safety negative in that," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Houston Chronicle
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