Highs and lows of speed limits.

AuthorShinkle, Douglas
PositionTRENDS

With cheaper gas prices persisting, drivers are on the road again like never before. It's prompting renewed legislative debate over speed limits and how to balance Americans' desire for time savings with safety considerations.

"I think the highways were built for a higher speed.... I think we can safely drive 5 miles an hour faster more effectively and save some people time, if they choose," says Montana Senator Scott Sales (R). The Legislature agreed with him and last year voted to increase the maximum speed to 80 mph for cars and 65 mph for trucks. Nevada, South Dakota and Wyoming set their maximum speeds at 80 mph as well in 2015; Idaho and Utah did so in 2014.

Since Congress repealed the 65 mph national speed limit in 1995, 38 legislatures have increased their limits to 70 mph or higher on some portion of their roadway systems.

Wisconsin Representative Paul Tittl (R), noting that his was "the only state in the Midwest with a 65-mile-per-hour maximum speed limit for all roadways," was pleased when a bill increasing the limit on certain stretches of highway to 70 mph was passed in 2015. "This bill will align the state's speed limit with that of neighboring states and most of the country," he said at the time. Maryland and Oregon also recently joined the 70-mph group, as did Illinois (for toll roads only) after overriding the governor's veto. New Hampshire and Ohio raised their limits to 70 on some freeway sections. Maine's limit went to 75 mph on certain highways three years ago; Washington's did so last year.

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But not all efforts to raise limits have met with success. A Florida bill to increase the 75 mph limit to 80 was vetoed by Governor Rick Scott (R), because faster speeds "could ultimately and unacceptably increase the risk of serious accidents for Florida citizens and visitors," he said.

Indeed, some states are recognizing that a small reduction in speed can mean the difference between life and death. One AAA study found the average risk of pedestrians dying after being hit by a vehicle traveling 23 mph was about 10 percent. If the driver was going 32 mph, the risk went up to 25 percent, and at 42 mph a pedestrian had only a 50-50 chance of survival.

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