June 25, 2014
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes, along with Senator Jeff Clemens, filed a new bill that would raise the speed limit on interstates, highways, and other Florida state roads by five miles per hour. The Florida Department of Transportation would have the authority to determine which roads the speed limit will be increased on.
Seventeen other states have already permitted speeds above 70 miles per hour. In the summer of 2013, both Kansas and Louisiana increased the speed limits on some highways and interstate roads to 75 miles per hour. A bill in Texas, awaiting the Governor’s signature, sought to increase the West Texas highway speed limits to 85 miles per hour.
Studies by the Michigan State Police found that one way to improve driver safety is to set the speed limit to the speed driven by most drivers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, however, explains that motorists travelling at higher speeds require more time to slow down or stop, and that crashes at higher speeds are more likely to be deadly.
In 2012, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recorded 281,340 traffic crashes. Of these crashes, 130,902 resulted in injury, and 2,255 were fatal. The number of alcohol related crashes amounted to 17,258 and resulted in 805 fatalities.
It is possible that raising the speed limits can result in more traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Khonsari Law Group. We are skilled in handling auto accidents and wrongful death claims in addition to defending criminal charges such as Driving Under the Influence, DUI Manslaughter, and Vehicular Homicide.
Source:
FDHSMV Traffic Crash Facts Annual Report 2012
https://firesportal.com/Pages/Public/DHSMVPublishedDocuments/Current_Year/Crash_Facts_2012_as_of_10-7-2013.pdf