SPRINGFIELD — New life has been given
to a debate over Illinois speed limits most thought was settled.
Earlier this week, Gov. Quinn vetoed a bill that would have allowed Illinois’
toll roads to increase their maximum speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph.
After passing the Illinois legislature and earning Quinn’s approval in 2013, the
speed limits on Illinois’ public interstates increased to 70 mph in January of
this year.
In his veto letter to the Illinois General Assembly, Quinn said concerns with
safety prevented him from signing the bill.
“Studies show that increased traffic speeds lengthen vehicle stopping distances,
produce more violent collisions and ultimately increase the loss of human life,”
Quinn said in the letter.
Quinn cited a recent study conducted by the Illinois State Toll Highway
Authority that says more than 70 percent of drivers exceed the posted speed
limit by at least 15 mph and more than 90 percent of drivers exceed the limit by
more than 10 mph in off-peak hours.
“The convenience of increased speeds for drivers on Illinois tollways does not
outweigh the safety risks to children, families, and our dedicated public
servants,” the governor stated.
However, primary Senate bill sponsor Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, called the
governor’s decision “political at its core.”
“The governor used to say ‘let the will of the people be the law of the land,’”
Oberweis said. “Well, this is certainly the will of the people. Why is he going
back on his motto now? Over 70 percent of Illinoisans were polled showing they
support this.”
Oberweis argued that the old adage “speed kills” is misleading.
“It’s actually variations in speed that causes accidents,” the senator said.
“Multiple studies have shown that maintaining the flow of traffic is the biggest
indicator of safety on the road. Drivers who are 10 mph faster or 10 mph slower
are at the greatest risk for causing or being a victim of an accident.”
A joint study conducted by Purdue University and the Indiana
Department of Transportation titled “An Analysis of Speed Limit
Policies for Indiana” looked at speed limit laws and accident trends
through modern U.S. history.
The study examined the two opposing schools of thought: Quinn’s —
that higher speeds create a more precarious roadway — and Oberweis’
— that the danger comes with greater speed variances.
The research concluded that, in general and allowing for other
variances such as weather and intersections, a combination of both
is the main cause of accidents. Higher speed does lead to a
statistically significant increase in accidents, but speed variance
regardless of average speed may have an even larger correlation.
Also, most casualties happen on county and two-lane highways,
Oberweis said, so saying it’s dangerous to increase the speed limit
by 5 mph on tollways to match the rest of Illinois interstates is
largely untrue.
Oberweis said he believes he has the Senate and House support to
garner a supermajority vote to override Quinn’s veto.
“This bill passed the General Assembly with overwhelming support
last spring,” Oberweis said. “It had more than 30 sponsors. I don’t
think we’ll have a problem beating the veto.”
Oberweis plans to wage his veto override effort in the upcoming
November legislative session.
