Plenty of teens running late for school might enjoy putting “the pedal to the metal;” however, increasing the speed limit on route 70 is not a good idea.

Since Monday, April 4, 2016 the State Highway Administration raised the speed limit on two parts of Route 70.

The speed limit along the 31 miles from U.S. Route 29 in Howard County to state Route 144 in Frederick County, and a 45-mile stretch between state Route 180 in Frederick County and the Pennsylvania line will be 70 mph.

The previous speed limit for I-70 was 65 mph.

This 65 limit will stay the same near the Baltimore Beltway and around Frederick.

Last year, the U.S. had the highest one-year percentage increase in traffic deaths in half a century according to data released by the National Safety Council (NSC).  Research has not determined the causal relationship, but there is some speculation that the improving economy has helped to put more drivers on the roads.

The number of fatalities from speeding alone has gone up over the years.

When the speed limit was 65 mph many people drove 70 or 75.

Now that the speed limit on this road has increased, drivers are mostly likely to increase their speed as well, to 75-80 mph.

If drivers are going way over the speed limit they could be putting themselves and other drivers at risk of getting into a car accident that could be fatal.

Many drivers like the change since people were driving 70 mph anyway.

Deputy Tim Calimer, the LHS SRO, has worked in the traffic unit for seven years, enforcing laws and handling crashes.

Deputy Calimer said, “Nobody does the speed limit anymore, but most crashes, whether minor or serious, are results of speeding”

However this increase in speed is not necessary.

At 65 mph people were able to get to where the they needed to go in a reasonable time.

Raising the speed limit is hurting drivers and the U.S., rather than helping them

Think of all the money being spent on gas.

In one study, using a Subaru Outback, driving an average of 5 mph faster than a speed limit of 65 mph would save a driver 4 minutes for every hour spent on the road, but causes drivers to spend at least 46 dollars extra on gas every month.

If the average driver goes 5 mph over the speed limit on a road like I-70 they are paying 79% more for gas than a driver who is following the speed limit going 65 mph.

In addition to this, the Association for Safe International Travel estimates that  on average, road crashes cost 820 dollars per person.

This money lost could be used for other things besides paying off damages caused due to speeding.

By raising the speed limit on I-70 the State Highway Administration is also creating a need for speed amongst drivers who are already speeding.  I don’t see a good reason to be happy about this change.