Do Higher Speed Limits Create Speed Demons?

Those signs posted along the highway may not have a lot to do with the exact speed drivers maintain, but one research group says they do have a lot to do with encouraging deadly driving. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that when states upped speed limits on rural interstates, fatalities went up by 35 percent. Such changes on rural, suburban and urban interstates only affected about 5 percent of Arkansas` roadways. A study done in-state shows that after the switch, fatality rates actually delcined. But with so much of the state still at 55mph and with so many people still ignoring that number, safety experts are still worried about speed. Randy Ort with the Arkansas Department of Transportation says most accident reports don`t cite folks for driving over the speed limits. Motorists are cited for driving too fast for conditions. Ort says paying attention to your surroundings and adjusting your behavior in the car is most important thing you can do behind the wheel.