Report Reveals 75 MPH Speed Limit in Michigan Possible Cause of Increased Accidents
On certain roads in Michigan, drivers will find a speed limit of 75 miles per hour, allowing their inner speed demon a legal way to lash out. But, a road crowded with speed demons, even law-abiding ones, has caused a lot of trouble and pain to motorists.
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The Public Act 445 of 2016 law raised the speed limit on designated areas of Interstate 69, I-75, US-10, US-131, US-127, and US-31, resulting in a total of 614 miles that boast the high speed limit in the Great Lake State.
According to Bridge reporters Jonathan Oosting and Mike Wilkinson, “State records show average speeds have increased 2 mph and more drivers are going over 80 mph, while crashes, injuries and fatalities increased at a higher rate on the freeways than other roads in 2018, the first full year after higher speed limits were posted.”
Although no increase in crashes and accidents is ideal, it wasn’t as many as predicted by critics of the 75 mph speed limit. The is primarily due to the locations of the increased speed limit.
According to the Bridge, Michigan officials only allowed the 75 mph speed limit to apply to the “safest freeways in the state” and ones that were already recording drivers pushing the old 70 mph limit.
“Police did not identify speed as a primary factor in any of the 14 fatal crashes on 75 mph freeways in 2018, the highest number in five years. But experts warn that faster speeds increase the likelihood of such crashes — and their severity — because drivers have less time to make life-or-death decisions as they hurtle down freeways,” according to Oosting and Wilkinson.
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One year’s data may not be an accurate representation of the 75 mph speed limit and its effect on drivers traveling on these specific highways, but isn’t allowing drivers to travel at such a high speed just asking for more tragedies?
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.