P-J file photo

A member of the state Assembly wants to see the speed limit lowered to 25 miles an hour in cities, villages and towns.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, recently proposed A.8600 to lower the allowed maximum speed to 25 miles an hour. Currently, the maximum speed limit throughout a city, town or village cannot be set lower than 30 miles an hour, though the lower speed limit inside cities is more common in Pennsylvania.

The legislation also stipulates that electronic personal assistive mobility devices would only be allowed on roads with a posted speed limit of 25 miles an hour or less.

Paulin cited statistics from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showing a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 25 miles an hour has a 25% risk of sustaining a serious or fatal injury, with the risk increasing to 50% at 33 miles an hour and 75% at 41 miles an hour. A 2018 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study, she said, showed that lowering the speed limit by 5 miles an hour in Boston decreased the odds of a vehicle driving more than 35 miles an hour in the city by 29.3% while vehicles driving more than 30 miles an hour decreased by 8.5%.

“Research proves that the public’s safety benefits when speed limits are lowered and this proactive step will help to decrease fatalities and the severity of injuries that can result from speed related accidents,” Paulin wrote. “Reducing speed limits is an efficient, simple solution to protect the public and prevent tragedies.”

There are no fiscal implications, though the legislation does not say whether the state or local municipalities would be responsible for purchasing and installing the new signs.

Paulin also introduced separate legislation, A.8599, that would authorize cities, villages and towns to reduce their speed limits to 25 miles an hour if they so choose.