Senate Committee Approves Bills Raising Speed Limit To 80 MPH In Some Areas

LANSING (WWJ) - Speed limits could increase on some rural highways and expressways under legislation approved by a Michigan legislative committee.

A state Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday approved several bills tied to speed limits across Michigan. One of the bills calls for the speed limit to be raised to 80 miles per hour on some rural freeways.

Retired State Police Trooper Thad Peterson spoke to state lawmakers about how drivers react to new speed limits.

"The one thing that changes significantly when we change a speed limit is the compliance rate, the number of people who are driving legally," said Peterson. "So when the speed limit goes up, most people continue to drive at the exact same speed as they were before. What that means is that more people are driving legally than they were before and that helps the entire system."

Another piece of legislation would revise the speed limits in school zones.

"The main factors that actually regulate speeds are not necessarily speed limits, they're the environment around the roadway," said Peterson. "So, when drivers perceive that there are children and buses and things like that around a school zone, that's what has the greatest impact on actual travel speeds."

The bills now move on to the full Senate.