About Speed Limits How are Speed Limits determined?
Speed limits are determined on the basis of traffic and engineering surveys and are established to facilitate the orderly movement of vehicular traffic on any given roadway or on any given section thereof. Elements considered in traffic and engineering surveys are: 1. Prevailing speeds as determined by traffic engineering measurements. 2. Accident records. 3. Highway, traffic, and roadside conditions not readily apparent to the drivers. Speed limits are normally established at the first five-mile-per-hour increment below the 85th percentile speed (the speed at which 85 percent of the motorists are traveling @ or below on the surveyed roadway). Prima Facie Highway Speed Limits According to the California Vehicle Code section ยง22349, the prima facie speed limit on all highways (including four-lane or more) is 65 mph. On two-lane undivided highways the prima facie speed limit is 55 mph. Prima Facie Street Speed Limits Fifteen miles per hour limits are applicable as follows: a) When traver
