Florida Governor To Veto Increased Speed Limits
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Governor Rick Scott |
Florida Governor Rick Scott announced yesterday that he will veto a bill that would increase Florida's maximum speed limit from 70 mph to 75 mph.
"AAA
is extremely pleased with the Governor’s decision to veto Senate Bill
392 which would have allowed higher speed limits on Florida roadways,"
said Kevin Bakewell, Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs
Officer, AAA - The Auto Club Group.
"Speed-related crashes are a major
contributing factor in traffic crashes including 30 percent of traffic
fatalities. Maintaining Florida’s current speed limits will undoubtedly
prevent injuries and save lives on our roadways. For citizens and our
nearly 100 million annual visitors, the Governor’s action should send a
message that safety in Florida is a top priority."
The
bill passed the Florida Senate 27-11 and the Florida House 58-56.
State Senators Thad Altman and Andy Gardiner, and State Representatives
Steve Crisafulli and Tom Goodson, whose districts include Brevard
County, voted in favor of increased speed limits. Representatives Ritch Workman and John Tobia did not vote for or against the bill.
The
National Maximum Speed Law was enacted in 1974 to reduce U.S. fuel
consumption due to rising gas prices and gasoline shortages resulting
from the 1973 Oil Embargo. The federal law reduced speed limits to 55
miles per hour. In 1995, the law was repealed which permitted individual states to increase speed limits beyond 55 miles per hour.
In
2009, an extensive study was published in the American Journal of Public Health
which analyzed the effect of
speed limits and traffic fatalities from 1995 to 2005 following the
repeal of the National Maximum Speed Law. The study estimates that the
increased speed limits cost 12,545 lives and $12 billion during that
period.
The study concluded that: "Reduced speed limits would save lives; they would also reduce
gas consumption, cut emissions of air pollutants, save valuable years
of productivity, and reduce the societal cost of motor vehicle crashes."
Traffic
accidents are the number one cause of injury-related deaths for
children ages 14 and under, according to the U.S. Center for Disease
Control.