The Wyoming Legislature is considering a bill that increases speed limits on highways from 65 to 70 mph provided those areas pass a safety study.
Rep. David Zwonitzer (R-HD9), a cosponsor of the bill, said its focus is the creation of a Department of Transportation study into the issue.
“It allows the department to study two lane highways in order to determine the safety of raising the speed limits from 65 to 70 miles per hour,” Zwonitzer said.
If certain highways do not fulfill the criteria of the safety study, the speed limit will not increase, according to the bill.
“If a stretch of two lane highway has inadequate shoulders or any other deficiency, it will not see the speed limit increase,” Zwonitzer said.
Zwonitzer also said Montana’s Department of Transportation executed similar studies and a decrease in vehicular accidents followed.
Pat Persson, district engineer for the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) Region 1, said the increase in speed limits would be beneficial, but also poses some safety concerns. Persson said Wyoming’s rural nature creates a need for expedient travel, making the legislation practical.
“We rely on automobiles as a primary mode of transportation,” Persson said.
Persson also said the nature of accidents at higher speeds is reason for action from WYDOT. In an attempt to reduce the rate of crashes on severe turns, Persson said, should the legislation pass, WYDOT would put up modified yellow speed advisory signs in certain areas.
Carmen Accord is a student at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) who works at the University of Wyoming. Accord said she commutes on smaller highways to her home and to LCCC, and that increasing the speed limits would be initially inconsequential to most drivers.
“Since so many people go over 65 mph as it is, it would not have too much effect at least immediately,” Accord said. “Once people see that the speed limit has increased, they’ll start speeding faster than 70 mph.”
Accord also said she thinks crashes would decrease over time as drivers get used to the new limits.
“Initially crashes and safety might be an issue. But over time, it would become normal again,” Accord said.
A bill has been advanced by the Wyoming State Senate that could increase the speed limit to 70 miles per hour on certain highways throughout the state. The bill was advanced by a 3-2 vote.
