Increased speed limits mean more crashes

Past evidence has proved that crash and fatality rates go up immediately and significantly on select highways where speed limits are increased, but the heavy-foot lobby can dump the increased fatality and crash rates on the interstates and expressways into the total statewide numbers and hide the ugly, politically unfavorable fact that speed kills.

On Iowa rural interstates during the four consecutive years of 2001 to 2004 while the speed limit was 65 mph, the fatal crash rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel averaged 0.46. On July 1, 2005, the limit was increased to 70 mph. From 2006 to 2009, that rate jumped to 0.57.

That speed limit increase was initiated by the Republican-controlled House during 2005. They only want you to see the total statewide numbers that declined some because of better drunk-driving laws, better teenage licensing and less travel because of the poor economy.

They've found a new clever way to deceive the public. By increasing the speed limit and cleverly figuring the crash happened at one mile per hour less than that limit, they can say that speed wasn't a factor. If they'd completely eliminate the speed limit, they can say speed was not a factor in any crash.

Big money/big business considers its time and profits of greater value than the lives snuffed out by faster speeds. No big money is lobbying for lower limits.

Herman Lenz

Sumner