Potential Highway Speed Increase

by Matt Cramer
mc351606@ohio.edu



Ohio may increase the speed limit on its highways from 65 to 70 miles an hour to have a maximum speed limit that is consistent with neighboring states. Currently, Kentucky, West Virginia, Michigan and Indiana all have maximum speed limits of 70 miles an hour on some stretches of rural interstate highway.




The proposed legislation was presented by state representatives Timothy J. DeGeeter and Dan Dodd to the Ohio House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. DeGeeter and Dodd say that Ohio needs to get in line with 32 other states that already have maximum speed limits over 65 miles per hour. However, this bill does not have support across the board. Robert F. Hagan, a representative from Youngstown says he is concerned about the environmental effects of increasing the speed of vehicles on the highway. "I don't care what anyone says -- if you're increasing the speed, you're consuming more fuel and that's increasing the carbon footprint, which is a contributing factor to the climate change we're experiencing right now."

Ohio University senior Emmanuel Bakarema says he doesn't like the idea of increasing the speed limit across the board. He says that if there is an increase in the speed limit, there should be increases only in certain safe stretches of highway.


OU Senior Emmanuel Bakarema


Another concern, expressed by OU senior Jordan Whitehouse is the issue of drivers going faster than speed limit regardless of an increase in the posted speed.


OU Senior Jordan Whitehouse