First Posted: 3/19/2015
Ohio legislators need to tap the brakes and slow down the discussion of raising the speed limit to 75 miles per hour on rural portions of interstate highways as well as the Ohio Turnpike.
As it is, members of the House and Senate have their foot on the gas pedal as they try to work out language that would make the 75-mph speed limit part of the highly debated transportation bill. A decision could come as early as this week.
The rush to enact such a measure is unwarranted, given the lack of information legislators have about safety issues.
The Ohio Highway Patrol is on record saying the 70-mph speed limit hasn’t been in place long enough to determine whether accidents are going up or down. It only has one year’s worth of data to evaluate. The numbers do show a slight decrease in crashes when comparing the 70-mph year of 2013 to the previous 65-mph limit of 2012. However, the patrol points out the 2013 numbers are higher than other years.
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety notes that higher speeds raise the probability of accidents because they increase the distance needed to stop a vehicle.
The Governors Highway Safety Association, which advocates for state highway safety, also has expressed concerns. It calls speeding “the forgotten highway safety issue,” noting that tougher laws against drunken driving and distracted driving are being negated by increased speed limits.
“When you start getting to these speeds of 75 to 80 and above, the laws of physics are not working in your favor,” Jonathan Adkins, the executive director of the group, told the Des Moines (Iowa) Register.
Then there’s the not so pretty thought of an oversized pickup pulling an oversized boat at 75 mph while the driver slurps a coffee and wrestles with a Big Mac.
Still, the trend is definitely moving toward increasing speed limits. As Ohio Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina, points out, vehicles are safer and roads are better. “There are a lot of people who believe there are areas of the state … that you can drive a little faster, safely,” he told the Columbus Dispatch.
The Ohio Trucking Association also touts the economic benefits of being able to transport goods more quickly throughout the state.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reports:
•38 states already have speed limits of 70 mph or higher on some roads
•Fifteen of those states have a 75 mph speed limit or higher, although only one — Maine — is east of the Mississippi River.
•Five states are looking to join Utah and Texas with 80-mph limits in some areas.
One state — Iowa — did buck the trend this month when it deleted language for a 75-mph speed limit from its transportation bill.
“I wasn’t ready to make a decision one way or another. There just wasn’t enough information,” said legislator Jeff Daniels.
There simply is no reason to rush such a decision.
