Iowa drivers will stay out of the quick lane for now, following 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 existing limit of 70 mph. It died in the state Senate several days ago, amid questions about the security ramifications.
That indicates 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, mentioned he was hunting at other states as examples.
“Most of the states, undoubtedly in the west and the northwest are, you know, higher speed limits,” Zaun mentioned. “That was the explanation that I filed the bill.”
Iowa’s interstate highway speed limit was last increased in 2005, up from 65 mph.
Supporters stated the proposal would move site visitors a lot more quickly, but the main concern raised about this year’s proposal was more than security. In 2014, there were 18,764 crashes connected to speeding or aggressive driving in Iowa, with 160 fatalities, according to data from the Iowa Division of Transportation.
DOT spokeswoman Andrea Henry stated the agency did not take a position on the bill but was concerned about the safety influence.
“It increases the likelihood of a crash circumstance,” she said.
Jonathan Adkins, the executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said greater speeds create greater dangers. And he noted that a 75 mph limit could imply drivers in fact go even quicker.
“When you start receiving to these speeds of 75-80 and above the laws of physics are not operating in your favor,” stated Adkins, whose group advocates for state highway safety. “Speeding is the forgotten highway safety situation. 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 stated that 10,219 individuals have been killed nationally in speeding connected crashes in 2012, though numerous of these accidents were not on interstate highways. About a third of all crashes generally are associated to speeding.
“We do things about drunk driving, distracted driving, at the identical time, speed limits keep going up, so we negate some (of that),” said Adkins. He mentioned the “trend is certainly moving toward growing speed limits” and that these efforts tend 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 support 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 issue. He stated it was unlikely he’d attempt to revive the bill this session, but it could come back again subsequent year.
“I want to say yes, we’ll give it a shot subsequent year,” he mentioned.
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Safety Concerns Block Work to Raise Interstate Speed Limit in Iowa
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