"Speed Kills" was a popular traffic-safety slogan in the 1950s and '60s. The recent repeal of the national 55-mph speed limit has many people wondering whether this old slogan is still relevant. Do higher speed limits pose a real threat to public safety? The answer from the federal government, the insurance industry, and most safety advocates is an emphatic "Yes." Higher speeds mean more deaths, greater crash severity, and increased societal costs.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, traffic death rates increased 15 to 20 percent in 1987 when speed limits on rural interstates were raised to 65 mph. Some states have raised speed limits to 70 or 75 mph, even on non-interstates, and the evidence suggests that death rates may climb even higher than they did in 1987. Although experts caution that we do not have enough data to prove a cause-effect relationship, recent reports show that fatal traffic crashes in California increased by 17 percent during the first 11 weeks after speed limits were raised.

Higher speeds also mean in-creased crash severity, which results in more deaths. The U.S. Depart-ment of Transportation says speed is a factor in one-third of all fatal crashes. Speed also increases both stopping distance and the distance a vehicle travels between the time a driver recognizes a threat and reacts to it. In addition, speed reduces the capability of vehicle restraint systems and other safety devices to protect occupants.

Speed-related crashes take a toll not only on victims and their families, but on our entire society. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, societal costs of speed-related crashes amounted to more than $18 billion in 1991. Recent reports say taxpayers pay one-third of the cost of motor vehicle injuries, including police; emergency medical and judicial costs; medical and social services such as Medicaid, Medicare and family assistance; and lost productivity.

An American Automobile Associ-ation national survey said 85 percent of motorists think interstate-highway speed limits should be 65 mph or lower. Yet, the public also voices strong approval of speeding. Insurance Research Council statistics show that 50 percent of us approve of speeding on highways, and 31 percent approve of speeding on local roads.

The motoring public and government officials must confront this paradox-whether arriving at a destination a few minutes earlier is worth the tremendous emotional, societal and economic costs everyone now pays for speeding.

Drunk driving has decreased dramatically over the past two decades because public awareness campaigns have made it socially unacceptable. Speeding, too, might become socially unacceptable if the public were similarly aware of the dangers associated with it. Our company will continue to support research related to increased speed limits, educate legislators and the public about the dangers of speeding, urge manufacturers to decrease their emphasis on speed, and encourage state governors to carefully weigh the dangers and economic costs of increased speed limits against their popularity.

Citizens can help by taking an interest in state and local speed limits and insisting that they be based on sound reasoning and research. If these limits are raised, the public can insist on strict enforcement and press for careful monitoring of crash statistics. Then, if deaths and injuries increase, citizens can speak out in favor of a return to lower limits.

"Speed kills" may be even more accurate today than when it was first used almost 50 years ago.

General Herres is chairman and chief executive officer of USAA, the nation's fifth largest automobile insurer.(NAPSI)