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Speeding Drivers a Growing Worry Report Finds Excessive Speed Contributed to a Third of the Deaths on U.S. Highways.

Posted on: Thursday, 7 July 2005, 15:00 CDT

ATLANTA -- Bob Dallas watched the other cars go by while driving to Savannah on Monday.

Dallas, director of the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, estimated that some of the neighboring cars were zipping along three to six miles over the 70 miles-per-hour speed limit.

But he said that's nothing compared to drivers he often sees near Atlanta zooming close to 80 mph.

"It doesn't take much to look outside your window and see how people drive," Dallas said from a rest area on Interstate 16. "I think a lot of people look at speeding and speeding tickets as money generators. It is important for us to educate the public about the fact that speed kills."

Nearly 10 years after the federal government turned speed limits over to the states, excessive speed contributed to a third of the deaths on the nation's highways, according to a survey released Monday by a safety group.

Since Congress repealed a national maximum speed limit of 65 mph in rural areas and 55 mph in urban areas, 38 states have increased their speed limits, the report from the Governors Highway Safety Association said.

Motorists' increased use of seat belts and improvements in safety designs for cars should have dropped the number of fatal car crashes in recent years, said Lt. Col. Jim Champagne, chairman of the highway association.

"However, it appears these benefits have been minimized by increasing speeds," he said in a statement.

In Georgia, the number of deadly car crashes has increased slightly since 1996 when the state adopted a speed limit of 70 mph on interstates outside of city centers. But when measured with the growing population of the state, the fatality rate has actually decreased in that time.

Still, law enforcement officials and highway safety advocates say they are alarmed at the growing influence speed is having on driving habits and in contributing to wrecks on both the fast-paced Atlanta roads and two-lane rural stretches.

The state highway safety office and police agencies are expanding a public-awareness campaign started last year to crack down on dangerous driving throughout the summer holiday season.

Unlike last year, when the G-8 Summit in Sea Island took up significant law enforcement attention, police will be able to fan out statewide to monitor seat-belt use, aggressive driving and speeding.

In 2003, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety observed drivers in six states including Georgia. Researchers found that 68 percent of drivers on Georgia rural roads traveled faster than 70 mph and 20 percent zipped by at more than 80 mph.

Though the research group funded by auto insurers does not lobby directly for states to reduce their speed limits, it says there is a connection between the laws and highway death rates.

"The effect of higher speeds is clear," said Russ Rader, spokesman for the group. "You can repeal the national speed limit, but you can't repeal the law of physics. Higher speeds mean more crashes, and when crashes occur they're more severe."

Contributing to drivers' hastier habits is the fact that most people believe they have a "cushion" above the speed limit before they will get a ticket, according to the national Governors Highway Safety Association survey.

More than 40 states indicated that they allow five to 10 mph more before enforcement kicks in, the survey stated.

Police from city and county agencies in Georgia do give a leeway of 10 mph above speed limits and are required to be visible to drivers within 500 feet when using radar or speed-monitoring devices, said Trooper Larry Schnall, spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol.

State Patrol officials, however, do not have the same restrictions and are allowed to write a ticket as soon as a driver creeps over the limit, Schnall said.vicky.eckenrode@morris.com, (404) 589-8424

DEADLY ROADS

YEAR DEATHS FATALITY RATE PER 100,000

1994 1,425 20.221995 1,488 20.71996 1,573 21.451997 1,577 21.071998 1,568 20.531999 1,508 19.362000 1,541 18.822001 1,651 19.692002 1,524 17.842003 1,603 18.46

Source: Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Source: Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety

Source: Florida Times Union

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