State should lower route's speed limits

Every time I drive to Coeur d'Alene on Highway 95 I'm amazed at the volume of traffic and the high speed limits the state allows on this 45-mile stretch. According to records, between Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint on Highway 95 last year there were two recorded fatalities and 184 crashes with some 11,000 cars traveling the road daily.

To make the drive safer, I think the Idaho State Transportation Department should look into slowing traffic down. They could start by lowering the speed limit in passing lanes to 60 mph instead of the current 65. Some of these 65 mph areas don't even have full shoulders for emergency stopping. Even the newer four-lane section of Highway 95 heading north of Sandpoint toward Bonners Ferry has a speed limit of only 60.

Congested areas like the Long Bridge to past the Sagle/Algoma area Westmond should be lowered to at least 50 mph. There are just too many turnoffs and business entrances in these communities for faster speed limits. It's just too dangerous to try pulling out of the post office exit in Westmond and have oncoming traffic speeding toward you at 65 miles per hour. In two-lane sections, the speed limit should be lowered to 55 mph the same as Highway 200 heading east of Sandpoint toward Hope and Clark Fork.

I think some lives could be saved and the number of accidents reduced if ITD would explore the above-mentioned suggestions to improve driving safety on Highway 95. I don't think it would be the end of the world if commuters took five extra minutes to drive safer between Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene.

CECIL HICKS

Sandpoint