Speed Management: A Manual for Local Rural Road Owners

NHTSA · 2012 · ROSA P / United States. Federal Highway Administration

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Summary

This manual, published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2012, addresses the critical safety issue of speeding on local rural roads in the United States. The research is motivated by data indicating that in 2010, 35.4 percent of all fatal crashes occurred on local rural roads, with nearly one-third of those incidents involving speeding. The document aims to provide local road practitioners with a comprehensive framework for developing a Speed Management Program to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. It emphasizes that addressing speeding requires a coordinated approach utilizing the "four E’s" of safety: engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency services. The manual outlines a systematic four-step process for implementing a Speed Management Program: identifying speeding issues, selecting countermeasures, implementing them, and evaluating progress. To identify issues, practitioners are instructed to analyze crash records, citation history, and physical roadway evidence such as skid marks or rutting. A key methodological component is the assessment of speed limits using engineering studies rather than arbitrary reductions. The text details the use of the 85th percentile speed concept, where the speed at or below which 85 percent of vehicles travel is considered the maximum safe speed. Practitioners are guided to use tools like USLIMITS to determine appropriate limits based on land use, road function, and facility characteristics. The manual also provides specific guidance for unpaved roads, noting that while they are often self-regulating, they require special consideration due to a lack of safety features. The findings and recommendations focus on specific countermeasures that effectively mitigate speeding. Engineering solutions are highlighted as primary interventions, including traffic control devices such as advisory speed signs, speed-activated signs, and optical speed bars, which have been shown to reduce speeds by two to ten mph. Road design modifications, such as narrowing lane widths, implementing road diets, installing center islands or raised medians, and constructing roundabouts, are presented as effective methods to induce speed reductions and improve safety. The manual cites Crash Modification Factors (CMFs) to quantify the expected reduction in crashes for various treatments, such as road diets (CMF 0.47–0.71) and medians (CMF 0.29). Enforcement and education strategies are also discussed as necessary complements to engineering changes. The significance of this manual lies in its provision of a structured, evidence-based guide for local agencies with limited resources. By promoting a holistic Speed Management Program, the FHWA seeks to enhance community-wide safety culture and reduce the prevalence of speeding-related crashes. The document underscores the importance of agency partnerships and data-driven decision-making, ensuring that speed limits and countermeasures are justified and effective. Ultimately, the manual serves as a practical tool for local rural road owners to implement low-cost safety countermeasures that balance mobility with safety, thereby lowering the risk of fatalities and serious injuries on rural roadways.

Key finding

The manual provides a structured framework and technical guidance for local rural road agencies to implement comprehensive speed management programs using engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency services.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• speed management
• perceptual countermeasures
• speed choice
• automated enforcement cameras

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, crash risk outcomes