A need for speed
Cruising down the freeway is one of the greatest parts about being American. If you’ve got keys to a working car and some gas money, you can practically go anywhere. Lately you’ve been able to get your cruise kick at a faster pace as interstate speed limits in Idaho and across much of the western U.S. have been getting faster and faster.
State Sen. Bart Davis (R) of Idaho Falls was the key legislator who sponsored the bill to raise rural Idaho Interstate speed limits from 75 to 80 miles per hour. He said he was inspired by the idea after traveling in Utah.
“I got south of Utah county, and I saw these speed limits of 80 miles per hour,” said Davis. “And I thought, you can do this and not loose federal funding.”
Davis said he felt very comfortable cruising in his late model Pontiac at 80 mph. “I thought hey, Idaho has rural freeways like this, why can’t we do this at home?” said Davis.
Idaho is one of seven states where 80 mph is legal on rural stretches of interstate, the others include Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Nevada, and Texas. Speaking of Texas, the Lone Star State takes in one step farther by legally allowing 85 mph on certain stretches of highway between Austin and San Antonio.
Davis says in general most Idahoans he’s talked to are happy with the speed bump. “There are a few people who are not happy with it, but on balance there’s overwhelmingly strong support for the increased speed limit,” said Davis.
So could Idaho ever see legal speed limits higher, say 85 mph like in Texas, or even 90 mph like some countries in Europe?
Most new cars can comfortably drive faster than what most Americans ever drive on a day-to-day basis. “Oh the vehicles themselves that are being produced today are absolutely capable of handling those speeds safely,” said Cannon Smith, general manager for Smith Honda and Smith Chevrolet in Idaho Falls. “The suspensions are far better. We have better tire technology. The braking with four rotors is unmatched compared to what we had before.”
The challenges associated with faster speeds aren’t a car problem. According to Cannon Smith and the Idaho State Police, it’s a people problem.
“Most of your concerns come from drivers being distracted and questionable response times,” said Smith.
“Higher Speed limits, there’s really no room for error,” said Lt. Chris Weadick with Idaho State Police. “You’re driving at a really fast speed. The distance that it takes to stop or even take evasive action really becomes a very important formula on whether or not the crash is going to become survivable.”
Senator Davis says he and most lawmakers are comfortable with 80 mph and he doesn’t see any changes in the immediate future. “I think we should be slow, pun intended, to look at any other increase,” said Davis. “Let Texas experiment and learn with 85.”
