One of the first speed limits in what would become the United States (at the time, still a British colony) was set in Boston in 1701 by the board of selectmen (similar to a city council):"Ordered, That no person whatsoever Shall at any time hereafter ride or drive a gallop or other extream pace within any of the Streets, lanes, or alleys in this Town on penalty of forfeiting three Shillings for every such offence, and it may be lawfull for any of the Inhabitants of this Town to make Stop of such horse or Rider the name of the offender be known in order to prosecution"  In response to the 1973 oil crisis, Congress enacted the National Maximum Speed Law that created the universal speed limit. States had to agree to the limit if they desired to receive federal funding for highway repair. The federal government enforced the national maximum speed limit by withholding federal funding for projects whose speed limits exceeded . Federal highway funding is normally allocated according to 23 U.S. Code § 106, the National Maximum Speed Law (also known as H.R.11372 - An Act to conserve energy on the Nation's highways) modified the allocation process. As stated, in part:  Whether the lowered speed limits reduced gasoline consumption or not has been debated, and the impact on safety is unclear; studies and opinions of safety advocates are mixed. In 1984, a comprehensive study by the National Research Council found that the lower speed limits contributed to saving 3,000 to 5,000 lives in 1974 and from 2,000 to 4,000 lives each year thereafter, due to slower and more uniform speeds on American highways. Furthermore, in April 2019, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) confirmed the increase of speed limits not only increases the speed of vehicles but can also generate additional deaths: "A 5 mph increase in the maximum state speed limit was associated with an 8.5% increase in fatality rates on interstates/freeways and a 2.8% increase on other roads." But statistical records of motor vehicle fatalities since the repeal of the National Maximum Speed Limit in 1995 indicate that total traffic deaths in the United States have declined from 41,817 that year to 32,479 in 2011, the lowest level in 60 years, before increasing to 37,133 in 2017. The law was widely disregarded by motorists, even after the national maximum was increased to on certain roads in 1987 and 1988. In 1995, the law was repealed, returning the choice of speed limit to each state.