On March 11, the Florida House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1220, which focuses primarily on transportation. The bill contains many amendments, but Amendment 135551, in particular, has caught the attention of many Floridians.
The amendment proposed a “strike-all,” meaning it would replace all existing language with new provisions. According to the Florida Senate’s house message summary, prepared by The Professional Staff of the Committee on Transportation, in Amendment 135551, the House is proposing that Florida increase “the maximum allowable speed limit from 70 to 80 miles per hour on limited-access facilities, and from 60 to 70 miles per hour on other highways outside of an urban area.”
On March 12, the Florida Senate refused to concur on the provisions of House Bill 1220, and it died due to their differences. When speaking with students from the University of Central Florida, opinions on the law were mixed, but a trend appeared: students believed that increasing the speed limit would make roads less safe. The proposed change to Florida’s speed limits has sparked significant debate, with some arguing it could also reduce the severity of penalties for traffic violations.
“There’s a different bill that’s recently been put into place that makes it so drivers who get a ticket after going [50 miles per hour] above the limit are hit with a super speeder ticket, which is more expensive and can cause felony charges,” Rachel Chambless, a senior communications major, said. “By raising the limit, it lowers the risk of getting that type of ticket.”
At the other end of the spectrum are the cautious drivers who worry about the pressure they might face from fast drivers.
“We have enough car wrecks as is,” Emily Effert, a freshman advertising and public relations major, said. “Also, not many people are comfortable driving that fast or even being in a car that fast.”
Gabriela Goodlatte, an English major, had similar concerns surrounding speeding and safety.
“Some people say that it isn’t even relevant because people already drive this fast, but if the speed limit is 80, people will feel more comfortable going 90, and so on,” Goodlatte said. “This feels like we’re turning into Fahrenheit 451.”
Studies have shown that even minor increases in speed limits can lead to more dangerous travel. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, increasing the maximum speed limit by just 5 mph led to a 8.5% increase in fatality rates on interstates and freeways. This statistic demonstrates the concerns associated with raising highway speed limits, as it could put drivers at significant risk.
On March 12, the Florida Senate refused to concur on the provisions of House Bill 1220, and it died due to their differences. Due to this stall, the speed limit will not increase in Florida through this legislation. Still, the existence of this bill raises the question of whether speed limits will increase in the future, and how Florida legislators view highway safety.