TRAVELERS headed south for the summer may notice their ride is a little bit faster thanks to a new bill proposing a major highway speed limit change.
A sneaky amendment to a new transportation bill proposes raising the interstate speed limit from 70 to 75 mph.
The change was added to a law brought to the Florida Senate would raise the limit on the mega-highway, Interstate 95, and I-4.
The I-95 highway stretches for almost 2,000 miles, starting from Route 1 in Miami, Florida, and going all the way up to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing that connects Maine with the Canadian province of New Brunswick.
State Senator Nick DiCeglie told local CBS affiliate WJAX that 17 other states already have maximum highway speeds of 75 mph.
DiCeglie said that if the bill passes, it will be a little longer before the speed limits actually go up.
“The Florida Department of Transportation will be required to do a study,” DiCeglie told WJAX.
The bill easily passed its first committee meeting on Wednesday, but frequent highway drivers aren’t as thrilled about the idea.
John Navarra, a resident of Daytona Beach, shared his perspective on the varying traffic conditions along I-95. He mentioned that in places like New Mexico, where there’s less traffic and higher speed limits, he felt safe. However, he expressed that in Florida, where he just experienced lane changes, a speed limit of 70 mph seems appropriate.
One motorcyclist said drivers already ignore the current speed limit, so there’s no point in increasing it.
“[Drivers are] coming by me on a motorcycle at 80, 85 and 90 miles an hour,” said Warner.
Warner believes increasing the speed limit will only give drivers the confidence to go even faster.
“They don’t enforce what they got now,” he said.
“So, if they raise it to 75 would they enforce it? Probably not.”
Despite concerns raised by drivers like Navarra, there is confidence that the Florida Department of Transportation will ensure that any increased speed limits on the highway are implemented safely and effectively.
“It’s the number one priority of all of us here in the legislature,” said DiCeglie.
“So, I think it’s long overdue and, you know, I’m looking forward to continue having the conversation.”
In 2014, a similar bill was proposed but quickly vetoed by former governor Rick Scott who feared safety concerns, Wink News reported.
How to fight a speeding ticket
According to a legally reviewed post, there are five effective strategies to fighting a speeding ticket if it was wrongfully issued.
- If pulled over and issued a ticket, drivers can argue or dispute a driver’s personal opinion. When issuing a speeding ticket, an officer is required to write their opinion and come to an “objective” conclusion. If the ticket was written based on that judgment, it can be contested. An example would be if you were going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone because others were traveling at the same speed, you could argue that it would be more dangerous to travel at 65 mph.
- You can dispute the officer’s presentation of evidence. If you were ticketed for something like running a stop sign or making an illegal u-turn, you can’t contest that if an officer saw you, but you can call things into court like eyewitnesses, diagrams, or photos.
- Argue that the ticket was issued by a “mistake of fact.” This is tricky, but a “mistake of fact” is a mistake made by a driver about a situation that was beyond their control, or if a driver legitimately did not know they were violating the law. For example, you were driving in two lanes because the lane markers were so worn down that you could not see them.
- You could say circumstances justified your driving. You could say you were speeding to pass a possibly drunk driver, or avoiding an accident by rapidly changing lanes. However, the argument won’t work if there’s proof you continued to speed after passing.
- Similar to the above, it could be argued that speeding was necessary to avoid harm. The key is to argue that if you weren’t speeding, you or someone else could have been harmed.
- Consult a traffic attorney, if all else fails. Many have free consultations to decide whether or not there’s a case.
Source: FindLaw
“Although the bill does not mandate higher speed limits, allowing for the possibility of faster driving on Florida’s roads and highways could ultimately and unacceptably increase the risk of serious accidents for Florida citizens and visitors,‘’ Scott wrote in a veto message.
“I strongly respect the opinion of state and local law enforcement officers who have contacted me to warn about the possible serious negative consequences should this bill become law.
“While the evidence suggests that increased driving speeds are not the sole cause of traffic accidents, they clearly contribute to the increased severity of vehicle crash outcomes in the form of needless injuries and deaths.”
The new bill also includes changing the speed limit from 65 to 70 mph on four-lane highways in rural areas.
Other roads in the state may raise the speed limits from 60 to 65 mph.
