Truck group against higher speed limit

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Drivers who make their living on the state highways said raising the speed limit to 70 mph from 65 mph will raise safety issues.

Accidents on Interstate 75 in Butler and Warren counties dropped from 1,052 in 2009 to 880 in 2010, but an official with the Ohio Trucking Association said changing the speed limit brings risks.

“It’s a safety issue for us; it’s an economic issue for us,” said Larry Davis, president of the OTA for the past 12 years. “We think the best speed is 65.”

Yet many backers of the proposal argue that it won’t change much on I-75, where more than 96,000 motorists travel on a daily basis through Butler and Warren counties.

“I already do 70 anyway,” said motorist James Gill. “I’m not getting pulled over at 70, so if they change the sign to 70, does it really matter?”

Rep. Ron Maag, R-Salem Twp., recently introduced state legislation to make the change and he is baffled by the outpouring of attention it’s gotten across the country and even in Canada.

“It’s the most amazing thing,” the Warren County politician said. “It’s too bad I’m not running for statewide office.”

One of Maag’s arguments for the bill is that Ohio’s neighboring states of Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia have speed limits of 70 mph. And as of April, the Ohio Turnpike — run independently — raised its speed limit to 70.

“Our roads were designed for that speed 40 years ago,” Maag said. “We’ve gotten better in our cars and equipment and tires and brakes, and to me it just makes sense.

“I drive on Interstate 71 two or three times a week back and forth to Columbus. People are driving 70 mph.”

A quick survey of drivers and truckers in Butler and Warren counties agreed with him.

“Half of (drivers) do it anyway,” said Linda Hart of Monroe. “It would be OK, but I go 65.”

Three truckers driving through Butler County along I-75 on Friday said they wouldn’t be opposed to the increase, either, but getting on and off exit ramps is a concern.

“If a car is going 70, we have a difficult time getting onto the interstate and making lane changes,” said trucker Ron Sheldon of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Sheldon’s trucking company put a governor on his truck that limits his speed to 64 mph. David Horton from Kansas, said 61 mph is the maximum his big rig can reach.

“Companies have decided that 65 is more economical,” Davis said. “(The OTA) thinks 65 is fast enough. It’s a lot more economical. You get half a mile less per gallon roughly from 65 to 70. And when you’re talking 300 gallons every time you fill your truck, it amounts to a good piece of money.”

The gas costs add up when you consider trucks average just six miles per gallon.

Davis says OTA’s main concern is having all vehicles going the same speed on the interstates.

“We supported the speed change (from 55 mph) to 65 (in 2009) because it made everybody run the same limit,” Davis said. “We feel that all the vehicles ought to go the same speed, whatever that speed is, so you aren’t having them cut in and out like you do when you have differential speed limits.”

The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol haven’t endorsed the increase to 70 mph.

The ODOT representative on the Ohio Turnpike Commission voted against last year’s increase for the 241-mile expressway.

“At this point, the idea to increase the speed on Ohio’s highways is simply that — an idea,” said Steve Faulkner, press secretary for ODOT. “As the measure makes its way through the legislature, ODOT is likely to monitor its progress and engage in the legislation debate at the appropriate time, if needed.”

Data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows accidents went up 13 percent on the turnpike from 2010 to 2011, but fatal accidents dropped from six to four.

Maag’s office also points to data that shows the number of fatalities on Ohio’s interstates has been dropping the past decade, with just 87 fatal accidents in 2010. In 2009, the number was 98. The previous eight years, there were more than 110 fatal accidents per year on Ohio’s interstates.

(Story from the Middletown Journal)