The Speed Limit on Interstates Should Be Increased

The speed limit is becoming more and more of a suggested speed instead of an actual guideline. This is not about increasing the speed limit in rural areas, this is strictly interstatesr I am not saying you should be speeding in neighborhoods and flying over speed bumps. More and more people everyday are speeding without the concern of getting pulled over because they simply don’t care, Recent studies are starting to show increased speed limits actually decrease the percentage of wrecks.

There are many examples of this such as the Autobahn in Germany and State Highway 130 in Texas. If you are going faster in your vehicle then you are most likely not doing other distracting things such as texting or toying with the radios This is just one of many examples that will be discussed in this paper. The speed limit on interstates needs to be increased, The first example is State Highway 130 in San Antonio, Texas Since increasing the speed limit the fatality rate and the number of wrecks have gone down, The speed limit here was originally 70 until it was moved up to 80 a couple of years ago.

Plus you have actual board members voting to increase this speed limit so they obviously believe it to be safe. A somewhat concurring argument that comes up is that if you increase the speed limit then it will result in fewer tickets, which leads to less money for that state. This is not necessarily true because most tickets occur in rural areas or neighborhoods and not interstates.

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Another example is the Autobohn in Germany. Now, I know a lot of people think this is just a road where you can go as fast as you can wherever you want. However, this is not the case There is a stretch of road that has a “suggested speed limitr The Economist reports that per every 100,000 people under the age of 24, in the US nearly 20 die in auto accidents compared to approximately 7 in Germany (Jeff)rAfter interviewing Kyle Lindig, I found out there are valid arguments for both sides of the speed limit argument. I told him the argument that the Autobahn in Germany has less wrecks then we do on our interstates.

He says this is true, but you have to consider the Autobahn has ten lanes and we only have two or three.Fist of all, the Autobohn does not have ten lanes, however it does have more lanes than we do He made a valid point in this argument, however I am still sticking with my argument. Most people break the speed limit anyways, so why have it? Just recently in Tallahassee, Florida state senators are the one‘s who want the speed limit to be increasedtGualtieri, One of the senators, even said, “I don‘t see a difference between 70 and 75 (Bousqeut).” If state senators want the speed limit to be increased then you know the citizens do The state senators in Florida obviously understand a five-mile per hour difference is not very much, and they obviously believe it is safe, so why not raise it? Another instance of a similar situation is in New York State. A lawmaker there wants to raise the speed limit from GS-to 75 miles—per hour. Doing this would pair them with 16 other states with a 75 mile per hour limit (Precious). Another argument that usually pops up when talking about speed limits is that part of the way states get their taxes is by pulling people over and giving them tickets for speeding.

This is partially true, however this is not really a huge part of their income Most tickets are given in neighborhoods, country roads, and main roads. Also if we raised the speed limit, it would reduce the number of speeding tickets and therefore cops could be doing something else other then sitting on the side of the road clocking peoples speeds. They could instead be on top of a robbery at a local gas station or patrolling more violent areas so the crime rate will go down. Chris Thompson from Sense BC says, “Raising the speed limit is not going to make us go much faster, it is just going to make legal what we are already doing (Orlove).” He also makes another good point that roads and cars are safer than they have ever been and will continue to get better. He also says if we increase the speed limit by 20 or 30 MPH then you will have a set limit and you don’t have to guess if it is okay to go 10 MPH over the speed limit.

Lastly, he states if we have an unlimited speed limit, you cant go 10 MPH over unlimited, so people will drive at safe speeds due to weather conditions and other factors (Orlove). Take a minute to think of all the times you have almost been hit by someone speeding, Now take a minute to think about all of the times you have almost been hit by someone not paying attention. Truth is there is only one or two times someone speeding has almost hit me. I cannot even count how many times someone not paying attention has almost hit me. Also if we simply increase the speed limit, it will result in faster travel times, allowing businesses to send and receive equipment much faster. “Well, on Illinois‘ rural interstates, the majority of drivers actually are traveling well over 65 mph 7 more like 70 to 75 mph. We have all seen it. Drive 65 or slower on 1-55 and you run the risk of being blown off the highway, honked at or rudely gestured to. There is no good argument for keeping Illinois’ speed limit at 65 under the parameters outlined in the bill.

The National Motorists Association, which supports higher speed limits, suggests speed limits should be based on “sound traffic-engineering principles that consider responsible motorists’ actual travel speeds (Board).” Both of these points are very valid. I see someone being ltonked at because they are going to slow. It is not their fault they are going so slow, it is because they are going the speed limit. Everyone else goes faster than the speed limit so people going right at the speed limit are considered to be going slow. In conclusion, the speed limit on interstates needs to be increased. Sure, there are a few counter arguments, however, the positives out way the negatives in this case. Take into example the Autobahn and State Highway 130. Also, keep in mind that states can still collect taxes without interstate speed limit tickets.

Remember that recent studies showing that increasing speed limits result in lower rate of wreckslf congressmen and lawmakers want the speed limit passed, then there is a good chance you do too. If we raise the speed limit then we can all go the same speed instead of risking a ticket by going 5 MPH over like we do now. Keep in mind all of the fantastic points Chris Thompson makes. Lastly, remember the voting for the new speed limit in Tallahassee, Florida.lf you are going faster, you are more likely to pay attention to the road. Half of the population ignores the speed limit anyways, so why not remove it, or at least raise it. More and more studies are coming out showing increased speed limits actually lower the death rate by automobile accidents These are all just the facts, and remember, numbers don’t lie.

Works Cited

  1. Board, The E. ”Our Opinion: Raising Speed Limit the Right Move on Rural Interstates.” The State Jaurnal» Register. N.p., 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
  2. Bousqeut, Steve. “State Senators Want to Increase Florida’s Speed Limit to 75 Mphr” Tampa Bay Times. N.p., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. Jeff.
  3. “Think Transatlantic Group 4: Why Is the Autobahn Safer than US Interstates?” Think Transatlantic Group 4: Why Is the Autobahn Safer than US Interstates? Np, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
  4. Orlove, Rapaelr “Watch The ‘Speed Kills Myth’ Guy Dominate This Debate On Speed Limits.” Jalopm’k. Np, 08 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. Precious, Tom.
  5. “Politics Now.‘l Bill Aims to Raise NYS Maximum Speed Limit to 75 Mphr N.p., 25 Oct 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.

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The Speed Limit on Interstates Should Be Increased. (2022, Jul 12). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/the-speed-limit-on-interstates-should-be-increased/

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