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Raising the speed limit in Wisconsin?
Raising the speed limit in Wisconsin?
MADISON (WITI) -- Illinois is the 35th state to raise its maximum speed limit above 65 miles-per-hour, as Gov. Pat Quinn signed the bill into law on Monday, August 19th. Could Wisconsin be next? The answer is yes, if one Wisconsin lawmaker gets his way.
Rep. Paul Tittl (R - Manitowoc) is proposing raising the speed limit on Wisconsin's rural interstate highways to 70 miles-per-hour. This would include stretches of I-94 between Madison and Milwaukee and stretches of I-43 between Milwaukee and Manitowoc, where the speed limit is currently 65 miles-per-hour.
This is a proposal that is getting praise and criticism.
Some drivers say they wouldn't mind speeding things up.
"I don't think it's a bad idea. I mean, any increase in speed helps people getting to and from work," Tyler Pavic said.
"It`s about people spending time with their families, people spending less time commuting," Rep. Tittl said.
The bill is already gaining traction, but if it passes, the DOT still has the final say on where the speed limit rises to 70.
"The DOT would have the right to not do that given if they have engineering studies that say safety would be a factor," Rep. Tittl said.
Right now, Wisconsin is among 16 states with a maximum speed limit of 65. Some who have studied raising speed limits in other states say there's always a downside.
"Study after study demonstrates the correlation between high speed limits and more crash deaths on the roads where speed limits are raised," Russ Rader, the senior vice president of communications for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says drivers already tend to go five to 10 miles above the speed limit, and they'd expect that to continue.
"This is a critical safety area because nearly 10,000 people are killed in speed related crashes in the U.S. every year," Rader said.