What does raising the speed limit do?

A study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that raising speed limits cost 33,000 lives during the course of 20 years. About 1,900 deaths were caused by the limit increases in 2013 alone, the study concluded.

Overall, roads are becoming safer and death rates are down, but they’re not as low as they would be if states didn’t raise their speed limits, said Charles Farmer, IIHS vice president for research and statistical services and the author of the study.

Speed limits are set by states and have been on the rise since 1995, when the National Maximum Speed Law was completely repealed. Today, six states have 80 mph speed limits, and some roads in Texas allow driving up to 85 mph.

The study doesn’t account for increases of the past three years, during which time several states have raised speed limits from 65 to 70 mph.