Rural Drivers Applaud Speed Limit Hike, Safety Experts Worry

Some Experts Fear it Will Lead to More Fatalities

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota is pushing the speed limit to 60 mph on most two-lane state highways.

The Star Tribune reports that state traffic officials say more than two-thirds of rural highways slated for the increase have already posted the new limit and that the rest should be completed this year. Many rural residents pushed for the change, but some national safety experts fear the 5 mph bump will lead to more fatalities.

Russ Rader works for Virginia-based nonprofit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Rader says raising the speed limit reduces a driver’s ability to quickly brake and survive a crash. He says rural two-lane roads are more risky because of hazards including ditches and trees.

Republican Sen. Torrey Westrom says the change merely decriminalizes what people were already doing.