IMPACT OF 65-MPH SPEED LIMIT ON VIRGINIA'S RURAL INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS THROUGH 1989

In April 1987, Congress passed the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act (STURAA), which permitted states to raise their maximum speed limit on rural interstate highways (rural interstates) to 65 mph. Since then, 40 states, including Virginia, have adopted a 65 mph maximum speed limit. Virginia's 65 mph speed limit became effective for passenger cars on July 1, 1988, and for commercial buses on July 1, 1989. The findings presented in this report summarize 18 months of experience with the 65 mph speed limit in Virginia (A).