Review of Related Literature

A review of related literature is the process of collecting, selecting, and reading books, journals, reports, abstracts, and other reference materials. The following information may be collected:

1. Background information about the problem and related concepts.

2. Theories that explain the existence of the problem and the possible connection between certain factors and the problem

3. Data that confirms the existence and seriousness of the problem

4. General and specific findings of studies related to the problem

5. Recommendations for further study given in related studies

The US Department of Transportation conducted a research in 1992 on the effects of raising and lowering posted speed limits on driver behavior and accidents for non-limited access rural and urban highways.

One primary reason for setting speed limits lower than speed considered safe and reasonable by the majority of motorists is based on the belief that lower speed limits reduced seeds and accidents.

Conversely, it is believed that raising the speed limit increases speeds and accidents. For example, following a severe accident, one of the most frequent requests made to highway jurisdictions is to lower the speed limit. These requests are founded on public knowledge that accident severity increases with increasing vehicle speed because in a collision, the amount of kinetic energy dissipated is proportional to the square of the velocity. Simply stated, when a vehicle is involved in a crash the higher the vehicle speed, the greater the chance of being seriously injured or killed. However, as noted by a number of researchers, the potential for being involved in an accident is highest when traveling at speed much lower or much higher than the majority of motorists.

http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/sl-irrel.html

The relationship between speed and road accidents has been studied extensively and is very clear: the higher the speed, the greater the probability of a crash and the severity of crashes. All review studies indicate that small changes in mean speeds can be expected to result in much larger changes in crash outcomes.

Severe crashes resulting in serious injuries and deathsare much more sensitive to speed changes than crashes in general.

In December 2002, Germany introduced a 130 km/h limit on a 62km section of the Autobahn 24 between Berlin and Hamburg. This is the longest section on a German Autobahn on which a speed limit has been introduced in the past decade. The number of injury/material damage accidents decreased by 48% and the numbers of casualties decreased by 57%.

In Rheinland-Pfalz, a 130 km speed limit was also introduced on a 167km section of the A61 in 1991 and has been retained since then. This measure was combined with a ban on overtaking for heavy good vehicles. The impact of

these two measures was a 30% reduction in fatal and severe injury accidents (comparing one year after and one year before their introduction – Rheinland-Pfalz Ministry of Transport).

It was also shown that speed limits have environmental impacts. A number of studies have demonstrated that lowering speed limits on motorways is an effective tool to bring down CO2 emissions. For example, it has been calculated that a 120 and 100 km/h speed limit on German motorways would reduce CO2 emissions from cars on motorways by 10% and 20% respectively (Umweltbundesamt, 2003).

Reducing speed, unquestionably identified as a basic risk factor in road safety work, is a widely effective policy instrument to achieve casualty reductions.

http://researchchmsc.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-of-related-literature.html

Speeding is second most common cause of road accidents in America. Speeding is one of the most prevalent causes of car accident today according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Speeding contributes to about a third of all car accidents in America.

http://www.drivers.com/article/1173/

In the Philippines, the Quezon City council passed an ordinance titled “Subdivision Speed Limit Ordinance of Quezon City” which was passed by the city council on December 16, 2013 and took effect on effect on January 24, 2014. The measure set the maximum speed for motor vehicles within residential subdivisions in Quezon City at 20 kilometers per hour. It cites the urgency of strictly enforcing maximum speed limits on roads inside the city’s subdivisions to avoid loss of life and damage to property due to reckless driving. The council said the strict enforcement of the measure would ensure the residents’ safety and avert accidents.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/564487/new-ordinance-sets-speed-limits-within-q-c-subdivisions