Iowa drivers will stay out of the quick lane for now, right after lawmakers did not advance a bill that would have boosted the speed limit on interstate highways, bringing it in line with several nearby states.
The bill sought to raise the speed limit on interstate highways to 75 mph, up from the current limit of 70 mph. It died in the state Senate a number of days ago, amid inquiries about the security ramifications.
That signifies Iowa drivers will continue at slower speeds than those behind the wheel in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, all of which have interstate speed limits of 75 mph. Bill sponsor Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, stated he was looking at other states as examples.
“Most of the states, definitely in the west and the northwest are, you know, larger speed limits,” Zaun stated. “That was the purpose that I filed the bill.”
Iowa’s interstate highway speed limit was last enhanced in 2005, up from 65 mph.
Supporters mentioned the proposal would move targeted traffic a lot more swiftly, but the primary concern raised about this year’s proposal was more than safety. In 2014, there were 18,764 crashes related to speeding or aggressive driving in Iowa, with 160 fatalities, according to data from the Iowa Division of Transportation.
DOT spokeswoman Andrea Henry said the agency did not take a position on the bill but was concerned about the security impact.
“It increases the likelihood of a crash circumstance,” she said.
Jonathan Adkins, the executive director of the Governors Highway Security Association, mentioned larger speeds generate higher dangers. And he noted that a 75 mph limit could imply drivers in fact go even faster.
“When you start receiving to these speeds of 75-80 and above the laws of physics are not operating in your favor,” mentioned Adkins, whose group advocates for state highway safety. “Speeding is the forgotten highway safety problem. I’m glad to see safety was a element in the discussion in Iowa.”
A report last year from the National Conference of State Legislatures mentioned that 10,219 folks had been killed nationally in speeding associated crashes in 2012, although numerous of those accidents have been not on interstate highways. About a third of all crashes usually are connected to speeding.
“We do issues about drunk driving, distracted driving, at the very same time, speed limits preserve going up, so we negate some (of that),” mentioned Adkins. He stated the “trend is absolutely moving toward escalating speed limits” and that these efforts have a tendency to win Democratic and Republican favor.
Speed limits have been ticking up around the country Adkins said. The National Conference of State Legislatures report said that 38 states have speed limits of 70 mph or higher on some roads.
Lawmakers in Maryland have shown help this year for legislation that would raise the speed limit from 65 to 70 mph on state highways.
Zaun mentioned he’d heard a lot of feedback on the speed proposal on each sides of the problem. He stated it was unlikely he’d try to revive the bill this session, but it could come back once again next year.
“I want to say yes, we’ll give it a shot next year,” he mentioned.
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Security Concerns Block Effort to Raise Interstate Speed Limit in Iowa
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