Two-lane state highways could see speed limits rise from 55 to 60 miles per hour under a bill passed Wednesday by the Iowa House.
SF 378, passed 76-16, would increase the default speed limit for all vehicular traffic zones, while keeping in place other limits, like the 25 mph limit in residential and school districts. The measure was amended in the House to make changes to penalties for breaking the speed limit to reflect the increase from 55 to 60 mph.
House Speaker Pat Grassley said House Republicans were “pretty enthusiastic” about the proposal during caucus discussions.
“We’ve heard from a lot of Iowans … maybe even more so from rural Iowa,” Grassley said. “As long as I’ve been around here, there’s been that request of the Legislature. And I think it maybe is the perfect storm at this point in time to see just that slight increase.”
However, there were some opponents to the bill. The State Police Officers Council is registered against the bill, with members telling WHO 13 News they opposed raising the speed limit because car crashes are more likely to result in serious injuries and fatalities at high speeds. Rep. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines, spoke Wednesday in opposition to the bill, saying an estimated six more Iowans per year will die in traffic accidents if the speed limit is increased.
“Statistics don’t bleed, but real people do,” Baeth said. “… This is a kid who won’t make it to his graduation. This is a father who won’t make it home to dinner, a sister who had her whole life ahead of her.”
The measure returns to the Senate for further consideration.
Robin Opsahl covers the Iowa Legislature and politics for Iowa Capital Dispatch, where this story first appeared.
