MODOT FINDS NO RISE IN INTERSTATE ACCIDENTS

Speed still kills, but it doesn't always increase traffic accidents.

A three-year study by the Missouri's Department of Transportation shows that raising the speed limit to 70 mph has not increased the number of accidents on rural interstates.

Actually, the number of crashes has fallen by 9 percent since the Missouri Legislature raised interstate speeds from 65 to 70 in March 1996. During the same time, miles driven on rural interstates have grown by 8 percent, MoDOT said.

But fatal accidents are up.

"When people drive faster, you're going to have more fatal accidents," said Lt. Chris Ricks with the state Highway Patrol.

The Highway Patrol anticipated a fatal accident increase along with a higher speed limit and took measures to counteract it as much as possible, Ricks said.

The number of troopers patrolling the roads grew to 724 out of almost 1,100, he said. Patrols in interstate zones were also beefed up.

"We took a lot of people from headquarters who were in special positions and put them on the road," Ricks said.

Rural interstates make up 3 percent of the state highway system but carry nearly 15 percent of the traffic. Their roughly 800 miles are made up of all interstates outside of Kansas City and St. Louis, Ricks said.

The higher speeds have created a more uniform traffic flow for cars and trucks, said Trooper Perry Hazelwood, who patrols Southeast Missouri. But drivers seem to be getting too comfortable with speed, he said.

"You get people who think they can run 80 miles an hour and not get a ticket," Hazelwood said. "They feel they should get the same level of tolerance as when the speed limit was lower."

Many drivers don't realize that at a higher speed they need more distance to stop, he said. But the number of tailgaters hasn't dropped, he said.

Ricks blamed this mentality on a 10-fatality crash that occurred just north of Kansas City on Jan. 23. Drivers were traveling at high speeds on icy roads and not maintaining a safe distance from each other, he said.

Speeding tickets have gone up along with the speed limit. The speeds are faster than they've ever been, Hazelwood said.

"We regularly see drivers going in the 90s and 100s," he said. "When they're speeding now, they're really speeding."

One change that came alongside the jump to 70 mph was creating uniform speed limits by state statute for rural townships. Prior to 1996, Fruitland and other towns would post "speed zone" signs that varied between 40 and 50 mph. But speeds in these zones were suggestions, not the law, he said.

"When the state made the statutes, that helped us a lot," Hazelwood said.

Another improvement would involve seat belts. Crash fatalities would be cut in half if everyone wore a seat belt, Ricks said.

The Highway Patrol might get some help from state legislators. Lawmakers have proposed a change in existing rules that would allow law enforcement officers to stop drivers for not wearing seat belts. Under current state law, drivers cannot be cited for not wearing a seat belt unless they've been pulled over for another violation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.