Speed Limit Could Rise to 75

While the gas tax is going up, the speed limit very well may be going up with it.

A bill that would raise the speed limit to 75 miles an hour on many miles of interstate highways in Iowa has cleared its first hurdle in the state senate. Senator Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says 75 is the posted speed limit in neighboring South Dakota and the data he’s seen doesn’t indicate “an uptick” in traffic accidents and fatalities there.

“We have done a lot of things on our interstates, specifically putting the wire in between the two roadways, that have made it a lot safer,” Feenstra says, “thus, hopefully, allowing it to have traffic go a little faster.”

Feenstra signed off on the bill so it now is eligible for a vote in the Senate Transportation Committee. Senator Chris Brase, a Democrat from Muscatine was also on the subcommittee, but he opposes the higher speed limit.

“Being a fire fighter/paramedic, it’s just not something that I can be supportive of. I think the speed limits are reasonable at this time,” Brase says. “…I shouldn’t say this, but I think the majority of people are traveling above the posted speed limit on the interstate the way it is.” According to Iowa DOT data, the average speed on Iowa interstates is about 72 miles an hour, just above the current speed limit of 70. Thomas Stanberry, a lobbyist for the Iowa Insurance Institute, says a higher speed limit means a greater number of accidents.