Letters to the editor: Raising speed limit makes safe sense

7:51 PM, Oct. 10, 2013  |  Comments

I fully support (State) Rep. Paul Tittl's proposal to raise our speed limits. I don't understand why there is so much contention surrounding it. When I was a kid, the federal government imposed a 55 mph speed limit nationwide. It made sense when cars were inefficient and had no ABS, air bags, or stability control. When control of speed limits was turned back over to the states in the 1990s, I don't recall the level of concern about Wisconsin bumping the freeway speed limit to 65 as there is now.

Critics say if we raise freeway limits to 70, people will speed and just go 80. I believe this "prediction" isn't backed up with empirical evidence. Earlier this year I visited Oklahoma and Texas on a road trip across the U.S. I got my first culture shock in Oklahoma when I was on a two lane road with a 65 mph speed limit. It wasn't flat or straight, it had just as many twists and hills as any county road in Wisconsin. In Texas, many two lane roads have a 70 mph limit.

What I noticed while driving was nobody drove faster than 2-3 mph over. Also, whenever I approached a town, people slowed right down and obeyed the slower limits to the number. I realized then that if you treat people like adults and give them common sense speed limits, they will follow them. The limits you want them to obey in towns will be more respected because they won't be used to exceeding absurdly low highway speed limits. Today's cars brake better, handle better, and have more driver aids than ever before. People are smart enough to find a balance between driving quickly and safely, that's why we drive 70+ mph now. Let's stop pretending we can passively control crash statistics with archaic speed limits. Bump them to 70 and watch how nothing will change.

Josh Herrell


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