Skip to main content

Lapse in Appropriations

Please note that a lapse in appropriations has caused GAO to shut down its operations. Therefore, GAO will not be able to publish reports or otherwise update this website until GAO resumes operations. In addition, the vast majority of GAO personnel are not permitted to work. Consequently, calls or emails to agency personnel may not be returned until GAO resumes operations. For details on how the bid protest process will be handled during the shutdown, please see the legal decisions page. For information related to the GAO Personnel Appeals Board (PAB), please see the PAB webpage.

Highway Safety: Monitoring Practices To Show Compliance With Speed Limits Should Be Reexamined

RCED-88-93BR Published: Mar 31, 1988. Publicly Released: Mar 31, 1988.
Jump To:

Highlights

In response to a congressional request, GAO examined states' monitoring of motorists' compliance with the 55 miles-per-hour (mph) national speed limit.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Transportation The Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, FHwA, to undertake a study of the feasibility of instituting a weighting scheme that places greater weight on high-speed violations and violations on roads of lower design quality in assessing whether to sanction a state for noncompliance with the 55-mph national maximum speed limit. The Secretary should report the results of this analysis to Congress along with any recommendations for legislative changes necessary to improve the compliance monitoring system.
Closed – Not Implemented
The Department of Transportation (DOT) does not believe that flaws of the compliance criteria will be eliminated merely by changing the criteria. DOT recommends reforming the law to keep the requirement for the states to certify that they have posted the correct speeds, but repeal compliance criteria, sanctions for noncompliance, and mandated monitoring and reporting requirements.

Full Report

Full Report (34 pages)

Media Inquiries

Sarah Kaczmarek
Managing Director
Office of Public Affairs
media@gao.gov

Public Inquiries

Contact Us

Topics

Transportation
Accident preventionFederal aid for highwaysstate relationsHighway safetyMotor vehicle safetyNoncomplianceSafety standardsState-administered programsTraffic violationsTransportation