Speed limits across the US are on the rise! Up-to-date state-to-state info & news...

Iowa Legislators consider raising two lane hywy speed limit to 65mph......

Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill raising the speed limit on rural two-lane roads Monday despite cautions that it could lead to an increase in fatalities.

A three-person subcommittee passed two versions of the legislation —

one bill that would increase the speed limit from 55 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour and another that would increase it to 65 miles per hour. It encompasses two-lane, paved roads.

Lawmakers said they want to see how it plays out in the full Transportation Committee before deciding between the two.

But, Steve Gent, director of the Office of Traffic and Safety with the Iowa Department of Transportation, cautioned that an increase in the speed limits correlates with an increase in fatal crashes.

“Pretty much every place that has increased their speed limits has seen an increase in fatalities,” he said.

Gent said the department estimates that a 5-mile-an-hour increase could lead to an additional five to 15 fatal accidents each year, and a 10-mile-an-hour increase could lead to 10 to 25 additional fatalities.

He said lawmakers should consider that when making their decision, but also noted that safety is only one factor in determining speed limits. Things like mobility are also at play.

“It’s always a balance,” he said.

He noted it would cost about $5 million to implement the changes. Mileage signs would need to be updated as well as road markings and signage noting passing zones, he said.

Rep. Gary Worthan, R-Storm Lake, chaired the subcommittee. He said he’d like to see the limit increased and will work with the DOT to make some changes to the bill as it’s currently written.

He said he hopes to add in some leeway so that counties aren’t forced into increasing the speed limit.

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Fix Until Broke in Post 544 said:

Controlled access roads in most of Iowa could easily go to 75 MPH (many are 70 MPH today) in my opinion. However, there are a LOT of 2 lane roads in Iowa that should NOT have their speed limits increased from 55 MPH. Mostly due to the rolling hills and propensity for there to be slow moving farm equipment on the roads in the spring and fall especially. You come over a hill at 65-70 MPH while Farmer Bob is pulling out of the field drive with his tractor and you're going to have a bad day.
Out in northwestern Iowa, there are plenty of 2 lane roads that could be 70+ MPH because it's very flat and you can see for miles. But there are many more roads in most of the rest of the state that wouldn't be safe at that speed in my opinion.

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Iowa Lawmakers OK Bills to Raise Speed Limit to 60 or 65 on Rural Roads....

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa lawmakers have advanced bills that would raise the speed limit on rural roads.

The Des Moines Register reports a three-person subcommittee approved two bills Monday that would raise the speed limit on rural, two-lane roads.

One bill would increase the speed limit from 55 mph to 60, and another would bump it up to 65 mph.

The bills now go to the full Transportation Committee.

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Kansas bill raising speed limit to 80 mph runs into expected & well known political not engineering or safety based K-DOT&KHP roadblocks....

A House Republican offered support Tuesday for boosting the speed limit on some Kansas highways to 80 mph amid opposition from the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Department of Transportation to the reform.

Rep. John Bradford, R-Lansing, spoke in favor of House Bill 2450 and shared with the House Transportation Committee his personal experience traveling in states with speed limits in excess of the 75 mph limit in Kansas.

He said the adjustment would improve motorists’ safety because individuals who comply with the top speed limit in Kansas could travel more easily alongside people driving faster in violation of current law.

“If you’re out on the highway you’ll quickly see there are many drivers already driving 80, 85, 90 and some even faster,” Bradford said.

The pending bill would only alter speed limits on separated multi-lane highways as designated by KDOT.

KDOT and the Kansas Highway Patrol provided testimony in opposition to the bill.

Both entities shared concern for highway safety if the speed limit were to rise and for establishment of a “de facto” limit of 90 mph.

What a bunch of hooey!!! Both of these entity know this is a lie based on how they everyday enforce the current posted 75 pulling over drivers all the time for 77 & higher today!

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Under the bill, if a motorist were pulled over by law enforcement officers for driving up to 10 miles faster than the posted speed limit,

The violation wouldn’t be reported to the state Division of Motor Vehicles or be considered a moving violation.

Again this does not stop KHP from today pulling over & ticketing out of state drivers all day long on I-70 crossing empty flat straight as a board western Kansas today @ 77 mph & up!!!!!!!

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The bill also would prevent insurance companies from changing or canceling policies if a driver were ticketed for going 10 mph over that limit.

These prohibitions are enforced for the current 75 mph limit, but if the speed limit were to change, the “buffer zone” would increase to 90 mph.

Tom Whitaker, executive director of the Kansas Motor Carriers Association, said the organization doesn’t support the buffer and proposed removing it if the bill gained traction.

“We support a uniform speed limit, but strict enforcement of that speed limit,” Whitaker said.

Testimony offered by KDOT Secretary Mike King’s office suggested vehicle crashes have risen since the state increased the speed limit from 70 mph to 75 mph in 2011.

KDOT said fatalities increased by about 22 percent on highways that increased the speed limit to 75 mph, while fatalities decreased along the rest of the highway system by about 5 percent.

Again not quite the truth from KDOT or KHP, it would be nice if they told the truth on this when they come out with their expected opposition...

They(KDOT & KHP) know that this increase was based on a crash that KHP's own accident report stated that the actual travel speed was below the posted maximum!

Crashes in the claimed increase were all related to a speed below posted, but too fast for conditions!!!

So the limit increase for optimal conditions was irrelevant and had nothing to do with these deaths!

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Altering speed limit signs on Kansas highways would cost about $20,000 and could be handled within the existing KDOT budget.

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Virginia Senate votes to raise speed limit for reckless driving to be automatically charged....

RICHMOND, Va. —The Virginia Senate has passed a bill that would prevent some drivers from being charged with reckless driving for going 11 miles over the speed limit.

The legislation passed Wednesday with bipartisan support that raises the threshold for charging drivers with reckless driving from 80 miles an hour to 85 miles an hour.

The current reckless driving law applies to anyone going 20 miles an hour over the speed limit or 80 miles an hour.

Virginia raised the speed limit in 2010 for some highways to 70 miles an hour, and supporters of the measure said drivers going 81 miles shouldn't face potentially harsh penalties.

Opponents said the higher limit for reckless driving would make Virginia's roads less safe.

A similar bill died there last year.

Senate Bill 768 would raise the threshold for the penalty to 85 mph from the current 80 mph.

Current law automatically penalizes drivers from Virginia who travel in states with 75-80-85 mph posted if they are ticketed @ 81 mph or higher with no regard to actual posted where you are driving.

It wouldn't touch the prohibition on driving 20 miles over the speed limit, which would still qualify as reckless driving and subject violators, potentially, to as much as a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Ever since Virginia's top speed limit moved to 70 mph, some have argued the state's reckless driving rules are too strict.

Attorneys in the Senate said Wednesday they often plead down reckless driving charges.

State Sen. Thomas Garrett, R-Louisa, said he charges $1,500 a case. He said the current law is "silliness."

State Sen. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond, said the law should stay as is, and argued that driving 11 miles over the speed limit at night means driving too fast to react as objects become visible in your headlights.

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The bill passed 26-14 after significant debate. Peninsula senators Thomas K. "Tommy" Norment, John Miller and Mamie Locke all voted no on the bill.

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To the Surprise of NO ONE! Michigan AAA(Insurance Lobby) says 70 mph enough

The Michigan House of Representatives will soon vote on a package of bills aimed to increase the speed limits on Michigan’s roadways.

As a leading traffic safety advocate, AAA Michigan has serious concerns with the legislation.

This proposal could potentially increase the speed limit to 80 mph.

We recognize the need for a speed limit that keeps all traffic moving at a safe rate, but do we really want large commercial vehicles traveling at speeds of 70 mph and cars driving at 80 mph?

Given the current conditions of our roadways, we question the safety of traveling the current speed limit let alone driving at increased speeds.

An additional concern with increased speeds is driver distraction. More than ever, drivers are faced with numerous distractions in the vehicle — cellphones, texting, GPS, the list continues to grow.

The reaction time of a distracted driver will be reduced even further if they are driving 80 mph.

Proponents will argue individuals are already driving faster than the posted speed limit and people tend to drive at a speed they feel comfortable with.

We are also concerned about the negative effect a speed limit increase will have on newly licensed drivers and senior drivers.

We commend the House Transportation Committee for incorporating the requirement of a safety study into the bills at our suggestion, but we believe there are additional factors to consider such as roadway design, vehicle crash data and roadside development.

In addition to these physical attributes, we also need to consider the interaction of large commercial trucks and passenger vehicles and speed limit enforcement.

We urge legislators to vote “no” on House Bills 4423, 4424, and 4425.

Steve Wagner, AAA Michigan.....

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tditom said:

When I first heard of higher limits being proposed for MI the first thought I had was about the road conditions.

Yes, I have driven in all 50 states, and Michigan has the worst road conditions ... bar none. I particularly remember a drive on I-69 from Flint to Port Huron back in June of 2009. People were driving 70+MPH and swerving all over the place to miss the holes. I was astounded. Crossing into Canada, the 402 was as smooth as glass in comparison.

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Iowa Drivers & Law Enforcement Disagree on Increasing Interstate Speed Limit....

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- A proposal to increase Iowa's interstate speed limit from 70 miles per hour to 75 MPH is getting mixed reaction from drivers and law enforcement.

A proposed bill is unlikely to make it to the House or Senate floor for debate this session, but will likely be a hot topic for years to come in Iowa, especially with speed limits to the west running five to ten miles per hour above the Iowa rate.

"I’m simply not supportive of raising speed limits at this time.

There are too many other factors that need to be addressed first such as distracted driving that is a major problem and makes our roads unsafe," Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said in an emailed statement Wednesday.

"Raising the speed limit without addressing those will just simply reverse the trend of fatalities in Iowa."

The last time the interstate speed limit was raised in Iowa was in 2005 when it increased from 65 MPH to 70 MPH.

From 2001 until 2004 the average number of fatalities on rural interstate was 31.3.

That number jumped to 41.5 from 2005 through 2008, according to data from the Department of Transportation.

Crashes also increased from 23 to 34.8 during the same time periods.

The DOT said the average speed on Iowa's interstates is around 72 MPH.

"The average speed is 72 point something anyway, so obviously there's people driving faster than 75," said Marlin Hein, a truck driver who drives on I-80 twice a week.

"If they passed a law, make it 75 and make it stick, you know? Don't be having all this tolerance to it."

Hein argues traffic will flow better with a higher speed limit as trucks are less likely to drive side-by-side when the speed limit is set at a higher rate.

"I think given how flat and straight these roads are 75 would be acceptable, " said Gabe Richardson who was in the midst of a cross-country drive Wednesday afternoon.

The two states that share a boarder with Iowa to the west both have higher interstate speed limits. In South Dakota the limit is 80 MPH and in Nebraska it is 75 MPH.

In Texas drivers are permitted to go 85 MPH on some roads. The slowest interstate speed limit in the nation is Hawaii with a limit of 60 MPH.

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Oregan's Impending speed increase sparks safety concerns from the DOT...

The Oregon Department of Transportation is urging people to use caution as speed limits increase on Interstate 84 and some highways.

In less than two weeks, drivers in Eastern Oregon can legally go 70 miles per hour on Interstate 84 & US 97.

The speed limit on the interstate will increase east of The Dalles starting on March 1.

Several highways east of the Cascades, including Highway 197 south of The Dalles, Highway 20 from Vale to Bend and Highway 395 from John Day to the California border, will also increase from 55 to 65 miles per hour.

Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Tom Strandberg said as the speed limit goes up, it is important for drivers to keep in mind that many areas affected by the change are prone to ice, snow, fog, dust storms and other conditions that require travel at well below 70 miles per hour.

“Our main concern is that people won’t adjust their driving habits when conditions warrant,” he said.

He also said faster speeds require longer stopping distances.

“The laws of physics don’t change when the speed limit does,” he said.

A recent report from the National Safety Council indicated that Oregon’s traffic fatalities increased dramatically in 2015, with 27 percent more fatal crashes than the year before. Nationally, fatalities increased by 8 percent.

According to the report, Oregon had 446 traffic fatalities in 2015, compared to 350 in 2014 and 314 in 2013. The 27 percent increase from 2014 to 2015 was the biggest percentage change of any state in the nation.

Strandberg said one possible explanation for the nationwide increase is a combination of lower gas prices and lower unemployment means more people are driving more miles every day.

He said ODOT has not had time to dig into the data, however, so he couldn’t say definitively why Oregon’s crashes increased more than other states.

“We’re not sure why it’s as high as it is,” he said.

There are some conflicting studies on whether increased speed limits lead to more crashes and more fatalities, but a majority have found a link.

One of the most expansive studies, published in 2001, showed that roughly half the time speed limits were increased on highways between 1986 and 1998, it was followed by a significant increase in fatalities the following year.

One tool for combating traffic deaths, Strandberg said ODOT is working to build a partnership with phone companies, schools and other entities to design and launch a statewide campaign against distracted driving.

He said the department is preparing to replace 400 new speed limit signs on March 1. The signs on I-84 should be up that day, he said, with work on the highway signs completed another day or two after that.

Each sign costs about $1,700 to replace.

New poles for some of the signs have already been installed.

Strandberg said some of the current poles are not strong enough to support the bigger, heavier new speed limit signs.

While other poles needed to be moved in order to meet current safety standards about where signs should be in relation to the road.

The department is also making some adjustments to other signs, including curve warnings.

The department has also been repainting stripes on the affected highways, creating shorter passing zones to reflect that cars may be approaching from the opposite direction.

Proactive change coming to Interstate 84 with the use of variable speed limits in specific areas....


New legislation set to kick in next month will give the Oregon Department of Transportation additional tools —

Changes that include variable speed limits —

The Oregon Department of Transportation hopes implementing a variable speed limit on stretches between Baker City and La Grande improves safety in the winter months after the Interstate 84 speed limit is increased to 70 mph March 1.

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Variable speed limits to ease potential problems during winter months along key areas of Interstate 84 such as Ladd Canyon and Meacham.

The legislation — House Bill 3402 — will deliver changes to roadways in Eastern and Central Oregon.

The most significant change will occur on a stretch of Interstate 84 that passes right through La Grande.

Between The Dalles and the Idaho border, the speed limit will increase from 65 mph to 70 mph, with semi-truck speed limits set to climb to 65 mph.

Several secondary highways in the region will also have speed limits increased to 65 mph, with a 60 mph limit set for trucks, including portions of U.S. Highway 20, 26, 95, 97, 197, 395, 31, 78 and 205

While coming highway changes are not as specific to Union and Wallowa County residents as they will be to citizens in neighboring counties, the changes for I-84 will produce significant impacts for the local area.

ODOT, in conjunction with Oregon State Police, plans a public service news release regarding safety talking points for drivers on the affected roads.

Yet that announcement will be a more general list for all seasons of the year. When winter rolls around, area residents know far too well the dangers the interstate presents between Baker City and La Grande, and La Grande and Pendleton.

While accidents during winter months cannot be completely avoided, ODOT aims to improve safety as much as possible with one new implementation, and a potential move down the road.

A variable speed limit is set to be unveiled between La Grande and Baker City before the 2016 winter hits, according to ODOT spokesman Tom Strandberg.

“A variable speed limit will allow us to lower the freeway speeds to improve the safety of vehicles between Baker City and Ladd Canyon,” he said. “The crash rate is a little higher (in that stretch). One of the reasons is that the corridor creates some unusual weather patterns. People may be driving from Ontario to Baker City, and they might not see ice and snow on the road before (they reach Baker City).

“The whole intent is to slow traffic down and get them to adjust their speed.”

Strandberg said he was not entirely sure when construction of signs and reader boards would begin, and the exact milepoint locations are not set in stone as of yet.

But the obvious end-date for completion would be by late fall, in time to combat poor winter driving conditions. There are also different options for how to get the message to drivers.

“We’ll have a reader board over the highway in some spots,” Strandberg said. “Some signs could look similar to the speed limit sign, and other signs will just be a standard sign where it says, ‘Here’s the speed limit for trucks and cars with ice ahead.’”

The ability to reduce a driver’s speed remotely could make the difference between a traveler making it home or being involved in significant accidents that impede other drivers on the road.

“Our concern when we raise the speed limit is to simply make sure vehicles drive
according to the conditions of the road,” Strandberg said. “I think it can be OK that people are driving a little faster, as long as the conditions allow it.”

Another measure has not been agreed upon - but is a priority for ODOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program for 2018-2021: adding another lane in the Ladd Canyon stretch of the interstate. The STIP cycles are four-year programs, and proposed plans are either approved or denied for funding after ODOT officials decide on projects after discussing the issues with corresponding cities and counties throughout the year.

“It’s one of the items that are being proposed,” Strandberg said. “It will compete with other projects, but it has a high priority, I believe.”

The proposed lane addition would mirror the setup on Cabbage Hill near Pendleton, where a third lane essentially would be a truck lane eastbound up the hill.

“We’re hoping that it will fare well in the prioritization process,” Strandberg said. “It would improve congestion and safety on Ladd Canyon.”

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OPINION Piece-TxDOT is failing us...

The sins of the Texas Department of Transportation are many: endorsing the Trans-Texas Corridor; wasting/losing money; endorsing fraudulent, crash-causing ticket cameras; buying/displaying dishonest research and the paving fiasco on Highway 277, to name a few. We the people pay for all this.

The latest sin involves TxDOT's unethical, even dangerous (mal) practice of lowering speed limits. Every time there is a very rare act of carelessness resulting in a serious crash, some emotional, misinformed politician asks TxDOT to lower the speed limit. Never mind that the vast majority of crashes result from not paying attention, drunken driving and failure to yield.

For the record — you cannot prevent random acts of carelessness or stupidity. And laws should be based on objective facts, not emotional reactions.

Lately crashes are on a small upward trend. This should be expected. The thriving economy, plus super-low gas prices, have everyone driving again. Gas sales are finally at 2007 levels (before the Great Recession) and the Federal Highway Administration figures show miles driven are way up. More miles equals more risk, hence more crashes. Again, speed limits are not the problem.

TxDOT is even trying to lower some interstate speed limits, such as I-10 near Beaumont, which finally posted a proper 75 mph just three years ago. In 2011 Rep. Gary Elkins (and I) helped pass HB 1353, which repealed the unjust nighttime 65 mph limit and permitted more 75 mph limits (should be 80) on other appropriate highways.

Ironically, nobody is asking to lower the limit. The Beaumont City Council correctly voted 6-0 to keep 75. However, TxDOT traffic ops Director Caryl Rawson — an unelected official — decided on her own to lower the speed limit a huge 10 mph down to 65 despite TxDOT's own engineering study showing that 75 is a properly set, safe speed limit.

The Institute of Transportation Engineers' and Federal Highway Administration engineers' vast research shows that lowering speed limits causes more crashes, injuries and fatalities. Underposted limits "disrupt the (safe) uniform traffic flow which increases accident potential between the faster and slower drivers."

Low speed limits also increase tailgating, lane surfing and make yielding more difficult and decrease yellow time at traffic signals — all of which can cause more crashes.

Honest research also reveals that the slowest drivers crash the most and interstates — despite the highest travel speeds — have the lowest death rate of all roads.

Drivers old enough to remember know the national maximum 55 mph speed limit (1974-1995) turned a nation of safe drivers into "speeding" criminals. By the grace of God, the National Motorists Association (and I) helped repeal that incredibly unjust law on Nov. 28, 1995.

For 22 years the profiteers of speed enforcement (government, police and insurance) spouted "55 Saves Lives." They made dire predictions of 2,500 to 9,000 extra deaths after 36 states raised their speed limits to 70-75 mph. Reality: There occurred 400 fewer fatalities on all U.S. freeways (1995-1997).

Montana — with no daytime speed limit — scored a record safe year in 1996. And the West German Autobahn — with 4,100 miles of no speed limit — scored a 12 percent lower MFR than U.S. Interstates (.87 fatalities per 100 million miles driven vs. Germany's .77).

West Texas' I-20 (89 miles) and I-10 (432 miles) posted a 70 mph limit from 1999-2001 and recorded 92 fatalities. From 2002-2004 at 75 mph, the fatalities dropped to 80, for a 13 percent decline.

The Martin Parker Report (FHwA, 1997) studied speed limit changes at 100 sites for five years. It recorded 1.6 million speed measurements. Where speed limits went up, crashes went down. Lowered limits resulted in more crashes.

According to decades of engineering research and speed limit law (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices), the speed limit should be 85th percentile — the free-flowing speed at or below which 85 percent of people drive — rounded up to the next 5 mph increment. Some engineers and safety experts (me included) recommend a 90th percentile limit on Interstates.

TxDOT "policy" allows bogus excuses to round down: driveways, pedestrians, roadside development, etc. Drivers already adjust their speeds accordingly.

Then there is the 12-month crash trend baloney. An honest engineer/researcher knows that it takes five years to create accident trends, not 12 months. And honest trends do not compare recession years to vibrant economy years.

In Texas, comparing 2012-2014's 3,460 average annual traffic deaths to 2009-2011's about 3,100 average is not a valid comparison. Texas' economy tanked from 2009 to 2011. There is no greater reducer of traffic deaths than a serious recession. Recessions in 1974, 1992 and 2008-2009 all created record safe years in the United States.

A fair comparison shows current Texas fatality trends and MFRs are improved from the 2003-2008 data, despite Texans driving more than 20 billion more miles.

TxDOT also claims "policy" allows it to round down a very unethical 12 mph below the 85th percentile. ITE says you should never go more than 8 mph below, which constitutes an illegal act in several states (including Florida and Massachusetts). TxDOT "policy" used to be 10 mph below — still wrong. It should be illegal to post a speed limit more than 4 mph below the 85th percentile speed.

Since underposted limits do not slow traffic speeds, a speed limit 8-12 mph below the 85th percentile cannot even garner a 30 percent compliance (just like 55). Any law that more than 70 percent of people disagree with is a bad law.

Underposted speed limits are undemocratic, violate drivers' rights and heinously allow police and insurance to usurp money from motorists driving at reasonable, safe speeds, all while causing more crashes, injuries and fatalities.

Conversely, setting proper 85th percentile speed limits creates voluntary compliance, uniform traffic flow, more honest enforcement, etc. And real research consistently proves that the 85th percentile (90th on Interstates) is the safest speed limit.

There are dozens of ways to improve traffic safety. However, lowering speed limits has never been one of them.

Since interstates/freeways have no cross traffic, no driveways, no pedestrians and no traffic signals, there remains no reason to ever round down from the 85th percentile speed. Furthermore, there is no valid reason to round down (underpost) a speed limit on any road.

Most urban freeways should be posted at 70-75 mph, while most rural highways can safely post 80 mph. A limit of 65 — whether I-10 in Beaumont or I-20 near Odessa — is so unreasonably low it will create an unjust, immoral speed trap and more deaths.

Since more than 90 percent of people drive safely (fewer than 5 percent crash annually), the speed limit is supposed to, by law, reflect their reasonable speeds, not the other way around. Speed limits based on politicians, police or DOT misinformed opinions are illegal.

TxDOT needs to abolish this dishonest, counterproductive engineering malpractice. All lowered speed limits need to be raised. In the interest of truth, justice, freedom and real safety, all speed limits should be checked and properly set to the 85th percentile, rounded up, not down.

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Why doesn't Nevada DOT post the 80 MPH limit?

According to Nevada and the federal law governing traffic control devices, vehicle codes and laws, there are many reasons but none of them are lawful.

On Oct. 1, 2015, Governor Sandoval signed SB2; it established 80 mph as the new default maximum speed limit on all interstates and highways unless there is a "current complying engineering study" for each applicable section of roadway that found a lower speed limit to be warranted. None exist.

The false narrative that "we have to do studies to raise the limit" is their effort to maintain their current illicit status quo of power and revenue streams for the stakeholders of a system that provides no means for the individual to change it.

Nonetheless absent the comprehensive studies required by law for each affected section of highway, the posted speed limits on I-80, I-15, I-580, U.S. 95, U.S. 93, U.S. 395, U.S. 50, etc. is now 80 mph as a matter of law, and accordingly we believe the existing signs have been unenforceable since Oct. 1, 2015.

A speed limit sign is a safety device with its purpose being to inform the public of the recommended pace or maximum prevailing safe speed.

It does not represent the actual maximum safe speed, because the safest speed range always exceeds the posted limit.

On the few roadways with studies it’s common for limits to be knowingly underposted 10 to 15 mph and more below NDOT’s own documented safest speed range.

With over 70 years of data, it has been proven that the risk curve has remained constant. Actual overall safety improved when the speed limit on rural highways were removed altogether or increased to 80 mph.

Data also shows that those traveling faster than the average driver have the lowest accident rates and are the safest drivers.

Yet these same drivers remain the primary target with the enforcement programs when the traffic conditions are at their safest.

The true risks are flow friction (such as failure to keep right), fatigue and sleep deficit caused by increased hours of driving at slower speeds, animal hits, poor roadway design and impacts with roadside hazards.

The speed of traffic is self-regulating, with the flow becoming uniform as congestion increases, and is not affected or influenced by "maximum" speed limits —

Nor are the nature and type of accidents that do occur.

Where higher speeds are found, higher speeds have been found to be safe. Conversely, minimum speed limits and slower traffic "keep right" guidance has shown to reduce accident rates by reducing traffic stream friction.

The way to make roads safer is through comprehensive engineering studies, roadway design that meets the needs of traffic, safety audits of roadways (looking at accidents and causes where they cluster) and hazard mitigation.

Nevada’s ticket mills are simply about the revenue. Speed and enforcement traps make up over 90 percent of the citations issued to defenseless safe-driving motorists.

Making Nevada follow the law is a daunting task when their courts, DAs, law enforcement and public agencies have a direct self-interest in thwarting due process.

When these documented practices were challenged in federal court, Nevada claimed 11th Amendment immunity from suit protection for their nefarious conduct.

Hope this enlightens the citizens of Nevada to the fact that there is more information than you are being told.

Chad Dornsife is a member of the Nevada Chapter of the National Motorists Association and a recognized expert in safety and establishing speed limits and the state and federal laws that govern this field.

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Michigan House stalls package to raise speed limits

LANSING (AP) — A package of bills that would raise speed limits on some Michigan highways has stalled in the House.

The House was a few votes short of passing the main piece Wednesday, which would have revved up speed limits to 75 mph on 600 miles of rural highways. Leaders stopped the voting.

Rep. Bradford Jacobsen, a Republican from Oxford, says he might drop a provision that would allow the state to consider 80 mph limits on some roads.

The legislation would raise the speed limit to 60 mph on 900 miles of highway.

Jacobsen says police officers have told him that a 75 mph speed limit is safe in some areas because drivers already are traveling at that speed.

“Our speed laws will be updated to reflect the speed at which 85 percent of motorists are already safely driving at,” Jacobsen said late last year.

“Studies show when the majority of traffic is traveling at the same speed, traffic flow improves and fewer accidents occur.

This bill package aims to create greater efficiency and safer roads for those who are driving safely by making common-sense adjustments to our current laws.”

Earlier, the Road Commission for Oakland County said that it has no position on the legislation, noting the speeds reflected in the legislation could already mirror motorists’ driving behavior.

“What this is acknowledging is that people are already driving faster than the posted speed limits,” road commission spokesman Craig Bryson said last month.

“In reality, there’ll be minimal change in behavior. Nonetheless, there will be people upset with the change.”

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.....Hawai‘i’s snail-speed speed limits need to be raised...

Hawai‘i has the lowest maximum speed limit of all the 50 states, according to speedlimits.com.

Although certain sections of the H-1 and H-3 have posted speed limits of 60 miles per hour (mph), most rural freeways in Hawai‘i have posted speed limits of 55 mph.

The mantra “speed kills” has influenced legislative decisions in the state concerning how fast drivers can drive on Hawai‘i roads.

Speed can kill, however, speed variance and irresponsible driving are probable causes for a car accident.

So, why are we still traveling at a snail’s pace on the freeways?

Instead of lowering speed limits, Hawai‘i should focus on ensuring that first time drivers can make better choices behind the wheel.

The truth about “speed kills”

Researchers at the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Research Forum discovered in 2006 that “variance,” the difference in speeds between people driving on the freeway and the difference between the posted speed and the speed at which the roadway was designed, increases the risk of an accident.

The study was based on fatalities and number of vehicle miles travelled on roadways from the New York State Department of Transportation.

Although legislators enforce speed limits lower than the design speed to protect drivers, researchers found that there was no clear correlation between drivers’ safety and the posted speed limit.

When the state’s speed limit was raised from 55 mph to 65 mph, the study showed that absolute mortality decreased by 28.3 percent.

Researchers advocate that speed can lead to a greater fatality rate for an individual, but “speed variance” increases overall fatality rates.

Therefore, a lower speed limit does not protect drivers and can even lead to an increase in accidents on the freeway.

Poor choices lead to car accidents, not necessarily speed

Suppose you are approaching a bend at 60 mph on a slick roadway. You may hydroplane, lose control of your car and crash.

Although speed is a factor in this accident, your poor decision to take on the bend at 60 mph is a stronger reason for the crash in the first place.

The five most frequent types of car accidents in America, as reported by insurance company Allstate, include rear-enders, hitting a parked car, hydroplaning, hitting wild animals and side-impact crashes.

With the exception of hydroplaning, these accidents are not necessarily caused by speeding but rather the driver.

By following stop signs, looking both ways and checking blind spots and mirrors, many car accidents can be avoided.

Raise driver’s education standards, not speed limits

In 2011, medhelp.org reported that although people from the ages of 15 to 24 comprise 14 percent of the population, they are accountable for nearly 30 percent of car accidents in the nation.

If poor choices are the cause of car crashes, then teaching drivers how to drive more responsibly can lessen the number of fatalities on the roadways.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Transportation (HDOT) can be more responsible for educating these drivers by making driver’s education mandatory for all first time drivers seeking to get their license.

Currently, the Hawai‘i State Department of Education has driver’s education programs for unlicensed drivers aged 15 to 19.

However, a teenager seeking to obtain his or her license only needs to complete the course if they are younger than 18 years old.

I have friends who, instead of taking the driver’s education course, saved money and took their driver’s license test when they were 18 and were not required to take the class.

However, driver’s education helps potential drivers make better choices behind the wheel.

The class covers why it is important to head check, stop and look both ways and many other things that can reduce a driver’s risk of getting into an accident.

Because of the importance of these lessons, it should be mandatory for all potential drivers to take driver’s education.

Making smart choices are important for everyone’s safety on the road.

HDOT needs to realize that lowering the speed limit will not help drivers’ safety, but ensuring that every driver has the ability to make smarter choices will.

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Kansas House rejects plan to set top speed limit to 80 mph, while voting for a state default maximum for other roads of 70 mph...

The Kansas House rejected an effort Tuesday to increase the speed limit to 80 miles per hour on rural interstates, even as it moved to hike it to 70 on some other highways.

The House approved a bill 106-19 to allow the state's secretary of transportation to increase the speed limits on rural two-lane highways and other non-interstate highways another 5 miles per hour, from the current 65. The measure goes next to the Senate.

But the House's action came after it voted 90-24 against an amendment offered by Rep. John Bradford, a Lansing Republican, to increase the speed limit on interstates outside metropolitan areas to 80 mph from the current 75.

Six states said:

— Idaho, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming — have top speed limits of 80 miles per hour;

Texas sets it at 85 miles per hour on some highway segments, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Bradford noted that before 1957, Kansas said only that a driver's speed had to be "reasonable and prudent."

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"Kansas is very flat for the most part, and you can see great distances for the most part," Bradford said.

Several House members saw increasing the top speed limit as unsafe, particularly because state law says that speeding on a highway isn't a moving violation unless it's more than 10 miles per hour over the limit.

Thus, they said, boosting the top limit to 80 miles per hour will encourage some drivers to go 90.

Rep. Don Hineman, a Dighton Republican, said he might have supported Bradford's proposal 20 years ago, but "something has changed."

"Today, there are way too many drivers that are holding a cell phone in their hand as they drive," Hineman said. "They're texting. They're reading email. They're twittering. They're on Facebook, whatever."

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Quebec's New Champlain Bridge could have a speed limit of 90 km/h

Motorists on the new Champlain Bridge could benefit from an increased speed limit when the span opens in 2018.

According to Infrastructure Canada, the concept for the bridge calls for speeds to be at least 90 kilometres per hour.

At present, drivers are limited to 70 km/h on the bridge.

The higher speed would be allowed on the new bridge because it will have breakdown lanes. The current bridge does not have any shoulder for emergencies.

The speed limit on Highway 15, linking the bridge to the Turcot Interchange, could increase to 80 km/h.

Brook Simpson, a spokesperson for Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi said the final decision on any speed limit rests with Transport Quebec.

“The bridge is required to be able to support a minimal speed of 90km/h but the posted speed limit, which is set by the government of Quebec, is not yet decided,” Simpson said in an email.

“Typically, the capacity of a bridge will exceed that of the posted speed limit.”

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Michigan's 80 mph speed limit move hitting the brakes, but 75 mph bill lives again....

LANSING, Mich (WLNS) – Motorists hoping to see a new 80 mile per hour speed limit may not get their wish.

The sponsor of the higher freeway speed limit bill is considering scrapping the idea.

For awhile it looked like some freeway speeds might increase from 70 to 80, but now it looks like that may be taken out of the bill.

“We may have to do that,” says Rep. Brad Jacobsen.

Rep. Jacobsen has not made a final decision on the fate of 80 miles per hour but when the House rejected his plan last week by about four votes, he did some thinking.

What he really wants is to hike speeds to 75 and if removing 80 gets him the votes “80 could be on the chopping block.”

He admits that taking out the 80 speed limit now might not equal votes. “I don’t have the assurances that that is going to get me any votes yet.”

Lieutenant Gary Megge said:

Speed isn't the main cause of accidents. Listen to the experts, not politicians influenced by lobbyists in the revenue stream of speeding tickets:

"I've spent eight years in traffic services, and I was a crash reconstructionist for five years before that, so I've seen my share of fatal wrecks, and I can tell you: Deaths are not caused by speeding. They're caused by drinking, drugs and inattentiveness. The old adage that speed kills just isn't realistic. The safest speed is the speed correct for that roadway at a given time. A lot of speed limits are set artificially low."

-Lieutenant Gary Megge, Michigan State Police, Former Head of Traffic Services

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That would be fine with the state police director.

She is concerned that drivers will figure if the speed is 75 they can go ten miles faster.

“Whatever the posted speed is, that’s the limit that we’ll enforce,” says MSP Director Kriste Kibby Etue. “People think there is a grace period.

That will not necessarily happen. The officer always has discretion.”

Which means if you get a friendly officer you might get away with a higher speed but there is no guarantee.

Meanwhile one of the lawmakers who opposed higher speeds is concerned about truckers and seniors who drive slowly.

“There are going to be more accidents, I presume,” says Rep. Kathy Crawford. “Maybe not the seniors themselves but people trying to get around them.”

Mr. Jacbosen says he is tweaking his bill and is confident he will win so does that mean the days are numbered for 80 mph? “You said that, not me.”

Look for another vote on all this within the next two weeks.

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ODOT sign crews prep for higher speed limits.. Rural highways set to go to 65C/60T mph, while US95 & interstates 82 & 84 go to 70C/65T next Tuesday

BEND, Ore. -Next Tuesday, speed limits on several rural Oregon highways, including stretches of U.S. highways 20 and 97, will increase from 55 to 65 miles per hour.

NewsChannel ktvz21 went out with ODOT crews on Wednesday as they began putting up new signs in preparation for the big change.

ODOT has been over the last three months been adding no-passing zones ahead of higher speeds.

It took some time and coordination before ODOT was given the green light to increase the speed limit, as lawmakers directed several months ago.

"Last fall, we came through and we installed the concrete bases," said Rolon Williams, sign manager for ODOT's Region 4.

"We have concrete and a steel tube that's embedded in it. We installed that last fall, because (with) the snow and ice, we couldn't guarantee it would be good weather this time of year."

After installing the concrete bases, the team spent the winter putting the signs together.

They get bolted onto a malleable metal rod, which is then cut down so it’s seven feet from the ground to the bottom of the sign.

"This last week and a half, we've been going out and installing signs and putting them into the correct base," Williams said.

"Each sign location has GPS coordinates and the milepost, so they're all staged out on a map."

These signs are not easy to lift, which is why the crews come out ahead of time. This way, once March 1 arrives, the crews can speedily make the change.

"So we're putting them all in and turning them away from traffic 90 degrees," Williams said.

"And then on the first, all we have to do is have a few people on each crew go down and turn the signs and bolt them in and level them."

The speed limit will also increase to 70C/65T mph on parts of Interstate 84 & 82, U.S. 95.....

The bill that goes into effect has been edited to include a ten-mile stretch of I-82 between I-84 and the Washington border

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...And 65C/60T on Highway 197 south of The Dalles, Highway 20 from Vale to Bend and Highway 395 from John Day to the California border, portions of U.S. 20, U.S. 26, U.S. 97, U.S. 395, OR 31, OR 78 & OR 205 will also increase from 55 to 65C/60T miles per hour...

OR DOT said:

Starting March 1, 2016, Oregon's HB 3402 and HB 4047 will allow travelers to legally drive higher speeds on Interstate 84 between The Dalles and the Idaho border.

A ten-mile stretch of I-82 between I-84 and the Washington border along with US 95 from the Nevada border north are going to 70C/65T....

Plus several secondary highways in central and eastern Oregon will also see speed limits increased to 65C/60T. These include portions of U.S. 20, U.S. 26, U.S. 97, U.S. 197, U.S. 395, OR 31, OR 78 and OR 205.

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The speed limit will increase to 70 mph on some major highways in eastern Oregon.

The Legislature set aside $735,000 to cover the costs of changing the 275 signs on hundreds of rural highway miles.

For more information and a map of the changes, vist.....

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rotarykid said:

As of Tuesday next week we will be down to only 8 states now with limits lower than 70 mph posted.......No state in the contiguous states west of PA has a limit lower than 70 maximum...

And Michigan's limit increase bill is being rewritten to limit the increase to 75 mph, removing the unlimited provision in an effort to get the needed votes to pass.....Vote expected on the 75 mph limit bill in the next two weeks.....

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romad said:

There, I fixed it for you as both Alaska and Hawaii are below 70 at 65 and 60 respectively.

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Bill could increase more Wyoming speed limits to 70mph....

CHEYENNE – A bill that would increase the speed limit on hundreds of miles of Wyoming’s state highway system continues to move through the Legislature.

The House Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee voted 7-2 on Thursday to recommend Senate File 72 and send it to the House floor for more debate.

The bill, which has already cleared the Senate, would increase the maximum speed limit from 65 to 70 mph for paved state highways that are not part of the interstate system.

The Legislature passed a similar bill last year. But that only gave the Wyoming Department of Transportation the option to set state highways at 70 mph after a traffic and engineering study has been completed.

As a result of that measure, WYDOT identified about 1,500 miles that were the best candidates for the higher limits, 812 miles that would likely need additional work before the 70 mph is set and about 3,000 miles that wouldn’t be appropriate for the higher limit.

The department recently put in place the 70 mph limit on three stretches of the state highway system. And it continues to look at more studies to increase the speed limit on additional stretches.

But that work would be expedited if SF 72 passes.

The proposal would automatically set two-lane paved state highways at 70 mph unless WYDOT considers it to be a safety risk.

Sen. Leland Christensen, R-Alta, the bill’s lead sponsor, said this would save the state several hundred thousand dollars by skipping some of the studies.

“So what this really does is it changes it so instead of having us study this, we would just change the limits,” he said.

Christensen said he doesn’t have any concerns about skipping the studies, since he said the state hasn’t had any significant problems after it raised many interstate highway maximum speeds from 75 to 80 mph a couple of years ago.

“That actually ended up creating a more uniform traveling speed,” he said.

“And the average speed didn’t shoot up to 5 or 6 mph over 80; it just resulted in around 81 or 82 mph.”

Ken Shultz, WYDOT’s assistant chief engineer for operations, said the department would still need to do some studies if the measure passes. But instead of the current process of first studying the best candidates for the

70 mph limit, he said the department would instead look at the roadways that it believes aren’t appropriate for that high of a limit.

Reps. Dave Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, and John Eklund, R-Cheyenne, were the two members of the House committee who voted against the proposal.

Zwonitzer, who chairs the panel, said he would rather have WYDOT take the time, study the issue and only raise the speed limit when it is comfortable doing so.

“I think the proper thing to do is let our department decide which roads are safe,” he said. “Since I’ve been chairman, I’ve been all about safety on roads, and I would want all my roads to go through studies.”

The proposal will still need to pass three hearings on the House floor before it can be sent to Gov. Matt Mead for his signature or veto.

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WSDOT looking at raising the state maximum to 75 across the state...

Spokane Washington-State transportation workers are seriously looking at hiking up the speed limit to 75 mph across the state.

State workers are trying to decide which roads are good candidates for the increase to 75 mph.

And interstate 90 which runs across the length of the state from west to east in a good candidate for the increase.

As WSDOT is scouting out the places for the possible increase officials are in contact with other states which have previously raised their maximum to 75 or higher.

Washington Department of Transportation employees scout out possible hotspots, they are reaching out to other states that have raised speed limits in the past.

Workers are looking at what went right, wrong and how the overall changes worked.

“That’s like what’s right in between a fast and a slow pace,” said Evans.

To keep drivers and families safe on the road, state workers are also considering the impact on highway safety.

Workers with Washington’s DOT expect to have the study completed by the end of the summer, potentially paving the way for faster driving across the state.

When Channel 2krem On Your Side asked Spokane drivers what they thought about the increase, no one person disagreed with raising the speed.

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