The goal of the speed management strategic initiative is to reduce speeding-related fatalities, injuries, and crashes.  The purpose of this strategic initiative is to galvanize the Federal effort and identify specific actions to be taken by the U.S. Department of Transportation Speed Management Team designed to effectively address managing speed and reducing speeding-related crash risk.

The Department of Transportation’s policy is to provide guidance for State and local governments in designing and applying a balanced and effective speed management program to reduce speeding-related crashes. 

State and local governments are principally responsible for speed regulation.  The Federal role has traditionally been to compile speed-trend and safety statistics, conduct and coordinate research, fund national highway and safety programs, and regulate new vehicle standards.  There are two notable exceptions.

From 1942 to 1945, the War Department ordered a nationwide speed limit of 35 miles per hour (mph) to conserve rubber and gasoline for the war effort. 

In 1973 during the oil embargo, Congress enacted the National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL), set at 55 mph, to conserve fuel.  In addition to conserving fuel, the annual traffic fatality toll declined from 54,052 in 1973 to 45,196 in 1974, a drop of over 16 percent.  As a result of the reduction in traffic fatalities, the Congress enacted Public Law 93-643 making the NMSL permanent. 

In 1995, Congress repealed the NMSL, ending the Federal sanctions for noncompliance and the requirement for States to submit speed compliance data.  In the years following the repeal, States and communities have shown renewed interest in finding better ways to effectively manage speeds and reduce speeding-related crashes.  

Since repeal of the NMSL, the Federal role shifted from monitoring compliance and enforcement of the NMSL to one of conducting research and providing science-based countermeasures and technical guidance for managing speed.  An interagency task force was formed to study the speed management issue and develop a Department of Transportation  policy on speeding and speed management.³  This led to the creation of a U.S. DOT Speed Management Team with representatives from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), reflecting the importance of both engineering and behavioral countermeasures to reduce the number of speeding-related fatalities and injuries occurring on our highways.