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Show Higher speed limit working well Safety Administration indicated that in 18 of 22 states studies rural interstate accidents increased after 65 mph speed limits were authorized. They admit their findings fin-dings are not statistically supported due to the small time period over which they studied. According to Marsden, Utah drivers for the most part are obeying the 65 mph speed limit and driving within the design speed of the highways. Selective speed enforcement, en-forcement, through the Utah Highway Patrol's "Arrive Alive" program is also being credited as a contributing factor. Marsden adds, however, that accident trends cannot be determined deter-mined over just a few months, that in order to establish valid statistics accident data must be studied over a multi-year period. The 65 mile per hour speed limit has had no effect on traffic fatalities in Utah. The Traffic Safety Division of the Utah Department of Transportation has compiled accident records on Utah's rural interstate highways from May to December for 1987 and compared them to the same time period for 1986. During the period between May and December 1986, 35 people were killed in 31 separate accidents on rural interstate highways. In 1987, there have been 27 fatal accidents in which a total of 35 people have been killed. Blair Marsden, Traffic Safety Studies Engineer, says the reduced number of fatal accidents reflects a trend found on all Utah highways. "This year we are seeing about a 10 percent reduction in accidents on the interstate system," says Marsden. "The number of fatal accidents is line line with that reduction. Preliminary figures are indicating that on all state highways we will have a reduction in accidents ac-cidents for the past year." Statistics released last week by the National Highway Traffic |