CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — You could soon drive faster on some North Carolina roads.
State lawmakers are considering raising the state’s maximum highway speed limit from 70 to 75 miles per hour. This would likely mainly affect areas where the speed limit is already 70.
“It ain’t got to be 5 o’clock traffic for the last 10 years to get us 10 miles in 45 minutes,” said Jordan Tate, a Charlotte driver.
He’s full speed ahead on the idea of the fast lane getting faster.
“Please Lord, just up the speed limit five miles an hour,” said Tate.
North Carolina lawmakers are looking at doing just that.
“Going 75, I could work with that,” said Karen Sykes, a Charlotte driver.
The idea is higher speeds could be good for the economy because it would allow trucks carrying goods to shave time off their routes.
“That’s a good idea because a lot of people get where they’re going a little bit faster,” said Tate.
On the other hand, the extra miles per hour could increase the risk of crashes. A study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found an 8.5% increase in traffic deaths for every five miles per hour added to the speed limit.
“There’d be more accidents in Charlotte,” said William Wambach, a Charlotte driver.
The statistic makes some drivers think lawmakers should pump the brakes on this idea.
“Charlotte can’t drive, so they don’t need to change the speed limit to 75,” said Wambach.
This proposal also involves increasing the cut-off for serious speeding charges on interstates and highways from 80 to 85 miles per hour. A house committee is currently considering the bill.
