Panel gives green light to proposed speed limit hike

BOISE — While a lobbyist for AAA Idaho asked state lawmakers to “tap the brakes” on legislation that could lead to higher speed limits, the House Transportation and Defense Committee on Tuesday kept a steady foot on the accelerator.

Now on its way to the House floor, the bill cruised through the committee on a 12-5 vote.

The measure would allow state transportation officials to selectively raise the speed limit to 80 miles per hour on interstate highways from the current 75 mph, and increase it as they see fit to 70 mph — from the current 65 maximum on stretches of state highway.

“There are roads that are currently designed for these greater rates of speed,” said Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, a co-sponsor of the bill. “And there are interstate stretches — that at least based on the traffic that’s flying by me — able to safely navigate at these greater rates of speed.”

But North Idaho lawmakers were divided on the measure — Senate Bill 1284.

Reps. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, and Paul Shepherd, R-Riggins, voted in favor of the bill while Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow, cast a no vote.

Although Henderson said his earlier “misgivings,” about the bill were alleviated during the committee hearing, he said he reserved the right to vote against SB1284 when it comes up for debate on the House floor.

“I believe it was a good bill,” Henderson said. “And it was worthy of going to the floor for a full debate. And, I’ll listen to that debate.”

Henderson added: “I personally am not a fast driver. But every once in a while, I’ll look at the speedometer and I’m doing 80.”

Ringo noted that the statement by Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, that the information he had indicates that the stopping distance is 50 feet extra at 80 mph over 75 raised concerns for her.

Other considerations also factored into Ringo’s decision to vote against the measure, she said.

“We have terribly weak seatbelt laws, and the texting — people can talk on their cell phones,” Ringo said. “And, I think of all the ways we haven’t really promoted safety with the seatbelts, or eliminated some of the distractions with the cellphones or texting. And, I think if you put all of those things together with 80 miles per hour, then we’re begging for trouble.”

While proponents cited Utah as an example of a place where the higher speed limit has worked safely, Ringo said laws regulating seatbelt use and texting-while-driving practices in other states haven’t been examined closely by Idaho legislators.

“The measures that they (other states) might have to at least promote safety could be better than ours,” Ringo said. “So, I didn’t think we were necessarily comparing apples to apples.”

Ringo also cited the potential for decreased fuel efficiency at higher speeds as a concern.

“I didn’t see any proof that it wouldn’t eat up a lot more fuel,” she said.

AAA Idaho lobbyist Michael Kane said AAA has serious questions about the legislation.

“We’re not here to be a killjoy,” Kane said. “We are here to basically say, ‘Let’s tap the brakes,’ if I could use that expression.”

Kane requested that SB1284 be amended have a 2015 effective date so that AAA could work out issues on the legislation with bill sponsors and the Idaho Transportation Department.

“At AAA, the primary issue is safety, and we’re clearly not worried about the drivers in this room,” Kane said. “But we also have to concede that there are drivers out there that are not so responsible. So, what we’re concerned about is more like the illegal alien who’s driving around uninsured on bald tires going 80 miles an hour in a (19)77 Dodge Dart.”