"Uncle Buck" > wrote in message
...
> On 29 Jun 2005 19:37:04 -0700, "Laura Bush murdered her boy friend"
> > wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >Bernard Farquart wrote:
> >> Some rational people are still able to study the issue.
> >>
> >> http://www.turnto10.com/news/4640037/detail.html
> >>
> >> F*ck you Carl, Judy et.al.
> >>
> >> Bernard
> >
> >HAHA. I see why you gave no quote from the article. Here's what it
> >says
> >
> >"Author Robert O. Yowell said that after nationalization in 1974, there
> >was a decrease in highway deaths that was greater than the prior trend.
> >But the long-term decreases continued even when speed limits stayed the
> >same."
> >
> >So he admits that that the lower SL of 1974 caused an immediate drop in
> >fatalities but then as speed limits stayed the same, there was no
> >further drop. Exactly as expected.
>
> Are you reading what you quoted? It says that the long-term decreases
> continued, not that there was no further drop. I.e., they continued
> to drop even when speed limits remained the same.

But this does not imply that lowering the speed limit did not reduce the
fatality rate. There are multiple factors at work. It could be that if the
speed limits had been lowered even further, then the fatality rate would
have decreased even more. The decrease in fatality rates is mostly driven by
equipment improvements. Until you factor these out, it is difficult to know
the actual effect of changes in speed limits alone. Plus, speed limits are
not generally obeyed, so speed limits are not even a good indicator of
actual speeds. I could just as well claim that the fatality rate is
declining becasue gas prices are increasing. In fact I am willing to predict
that if gas prices are raised to $25 a gallon, the fatality rate will drop
like a rock.

Regards,

Ed White