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AAA Wants Scott Meeting, Veto On Higher Speed Limits
May 13, 2014
The nation’s premiere auto club is increasing pressure on Gov. Rick Scott for a face-to-face meeting in the hopes of persuading the governor to veto a proposal that could result in higher speed limits on Florida highways.
AAA asked Scott more than a week ago for a sit-down to talk about the narrowly-approved measure that could see maximum speed limits hiked by 5 mph. Auto club officials say they have yet to hear back from Scott’s office regarding the request.
A spokesman for Scott said Friday that the governor hasn’t made a decision on the bill and that his aides would be willing to discuss the bill.
“Our office would be happy to meet with AAA to hear any concerns they have with this legislation,” said Scott spokesman John Tupps.
But Karen Morgan, AAA manager of public policy, said Friday the governor’s office had not responded to AAA Senior Vice President Kevin Bakewell’s May 1 request for a meeting.
“Increasing speed limits on Florida roadways would result in more speed-related crashes, injuries and deaths and hinder the state’s effort of moving toward zero traffic fatalities,” Bakewell wrote.
The proposal was not among the 58 bills forwarded to Scott on Thursday to be signed, vetoed or allowed to become law without gubernatorial action by May 23.
The bill (SB 392) would change state law to hike the maximum allowable speed limit on limited access highways from 70 mph to 75 mph, and on four-lane divided highways outside urban areas from 65 mph to 70 mph. The Department of Transportation would be responsible for decisions about the speed limits, and would also have the authority to set minimum speeds on certain highways.
Bakewell in his letter contends the bill is “a green light for higher speeds” that will enable motorists to travel up to 80 mph without fear of being fined, resulting in more accidents, deaths and higher costs to the state. Under current law, the penalty for driving up to six miles above the posted speed limit is a warning.
“Throughout the legislative session, no compelling argument was offered as to why the speed limits should be raised,” Bakewell wrote.
AAA points to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study showing that one-third of the nation’s motor vehicle fatalities in 2012 were speed-related. But proponents of the bill contend that many motorists are already driving at the higher speed and that the measure takes the issue out the hands of politicians, giving the transportation agency the ability to decide the safest speeds for state roads.
Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad told lawmakers during committee appearances that his agency, which didn’t request the bill, would only conduct the speed studies in select areas where conditions may warrant an increase.
Lake Worth Democratic Sen. Jeff Clemens, one of the sponsors of the bill, argued during session that a 5 mph increase is unlikely to impact road safety.
Still, the proposal faced opposition from lawmakers at every stop in the committee process before being passed by a narrow 58-56 vote in the House and a more comfortable 27-11 Senate vote.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Comments
8 Responses to “AAA Wants Scott Meeting, Veto On Higher Speed Limits”
Posting a limit that does not match the speed drivers know is safe & comfortable has no influence on actual travel speeds. 70 years of DOT data backs up this fact…
While we now know from real on the ground DOT collected data from areas that now have proper higher limits that posting proper safe comfortable engineering based maximums makes travel safer. Many times average speeds drop if drivers feel the limit is engineering and safety based. Proper maximums calm down traffic flow reducing conflicts that cause aggressive driving. On the roads and freeways that have received proper maximum based on engineering, speed data and safety records travel became safer!!
Proper maximums make travel safer for all that must share the road….The current 70 mph maximum if a political not based on science maximum….
Under posted political maximums do not make travel safer! They lead directly to conflicts in flow between drivers and those conflict lead directly to accidents. Contrary to AAA non-sense under posted political maximum increase the frequency of accidents and those cost lives!!!! THAT IS A FACT!!!
I really wish the people would actually look into the real collected data on this issue instead of just parroting AAA, insurance lobby non-sense!! Speed Kills was always a non-sense slogan that meant nothing in the real world…
This claim and assumption encouraged by those that benefit from keeping limits artificially low is the lie that raising the posted limit to proper engineering, safety and speed studied based will lead to higher than today average speeds. WE have decades of collected DOT data from around the world saying that this is not backed by the collected DOT data from places that have posted proper higher limits.
What the real facts collected in Colorado, TExas & Utah show is that the average speed was the same or slowed down when proper comfortable to drivers limit was posted!!
DRIVERS WILL NOT TRAVEL FASTER OR SLOWER THAN THEY FEEL SAFE OR COMFORTABLE!!!
I guess I won’t be joining AAA!
I support 75+
How many times are the AAA going to repeat their cooked up, made up not stats supported, not reality based garbage that in no way matches the stats collected since limits began to rise in the late 1980s?
Contrary to this non-sense the AAA, the insurance lobby keeps repeating the facts actually show that the roads have continued to get safer & safer as limits have risen….
And this claim of speed being the main cause of less than 1/3 of crashes is also a non-sense lie when comes to how they present it! The real facts are that the speed they claim is such a problem has nothing to do with the posted maximum. But what the stats actually show is that this speed is travel too fast for conditions, weather related! Their speed kills non-sense slogan has nothing to do with posted maximums. The real DOT collected crash data shows that 98-99% of the times those conditions are weather related which is always left out of their presentation and claim!!! The current under posted maximum of 70 mph has nothing to do with this stat they keep spewing over and over!
Tell the truth AAA, speed doesn’t kill! Tell the truth the real danger out there is related to drivers no slowing down for conditions. And raising the maximum to proper levels for optimum conditions makes travel safer!!!!!!!
I currently work in South Texas where the speed limit is already 75 mph on two lane roads. Talk about get run over by semis! You want to take a nice drive to the store and enjoy the scenery, forget it. If you aren’t watching these idiots you will get nailed. Take it from someone who drives this every single day. It is stupid and dangerous!
Every time you turn around there is a serious wreck. Increase the speed to 70 or 75 and that’s a cue for all the idiot drivers to do 80 or 90. Yeah, GOOD plan. SMH.
70 and 75 will translate to 85 and 90. Try entering or exiting hwy 29 on a blind hill when a car or large commercial vehicle comes roaring over that hill.
Just the other day I was slowing to turn and had activated my right turn signal, when in my rear view mirror a car came over the hill bearing down on my vehicle as a missile. I turned my vehicle onto the shoulder and into a residential yard to avoid being rear ended.
These idiots will not be able to handle the higher speeds. Hwy 29 is dangerous enough as it is.
AAA is using fear mongering.
If one were to look at the 75 mph death rates one would discover that with just one exception (ND), EVERY STATE HAD A DECREASE IN THEIR DEATH RATE THAT HAD 75 mph LIMITS!
Here are the FARS data:
AZ 1996 55/65 mph death rate 2.36 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.38
ID 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.99 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.05 (Now 80 mph)
KS 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.89 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.29
ME 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.32 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: .95
MT 1996 55/65 mph death rate 2.12 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.79
NE 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.80 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: .95
NV 1996 55/65 mph death rate 2.18 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.02
ND 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.26 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.62
OK 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.96 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.47
SD 1996 55/65 mph death rate 2.24 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.23
TX 1996 55/65 mph death rate 2.02 2011 with 75 mph AND 80 MPH speed limit death rate: 1.27.
UT 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.64 2011 with 80 mph speed limit death rate: .92
WY 1996 55/65 mph death rate 1.94 2011 with 75 mph speed limit death rate: 1.46 (Now 80 mph)
FL Death Rate dropped form 2.2 in the 90s to 1.25 in 2011!!!!!
THAT IS ALMOST THE SAME as TX! (1.27)
75 mph SHOULD BECOME LAW! NOT be veto because AAA is up to a call in campaign to stop reasonable limits on rural roads!