Why 65 mph

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In , most states raised the speed limit from 55 to 65 mph on portions of their rural interstate highways. There was intense debate about the increase, and numerous evaluations were conducted afterwards. These evaluations share a common problem: they only measure the local effects of the change. Since , only minor increases occurred.

While a small spillover effect was observed on rural arterials adjacent to 65 mph interstates, the 0. Speed changes on 55 mph interstates adjacent to 65 mph interstates were also within the range of trends existing before the increased MSL. Car speeds were 3.