Speed Limit Basics: Fact Sheet

Federal Highway Administration2016PDFBriefUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of SafetyUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of SafetyUnited StatesSpeed limitsTraffic safetyHighway safetyFHWA-SA-16-076Speed limits frame expectations for drivers and other roadway users. Properly set speed limits provide a safe, consistent, and reasonable speed to protect drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists along the roadway. At the same time, speed limits can be a source of frustration and confusion; for example, not all drivers like to travel at the same speed, and some people may not understand why the speed limit changes on a particular road. In addition, community residents often have concerns that traffic is moving too fast through their neighborhoods. Understanding the engineering principles and processes used to set speed limits and learning the terminology used to describe them are the first steps in reducing drivers\u2019 frustration or confusion and encouraging compliance.95