A move to raise the speed limit to 60 mph on Iowa highways where the current limit is 55 mph has passed another hurdle in the Statehouse.
The bill cleared the Iowa Senate in March of last year and advanced Wednesday afternoon from a House subcommittee. Rep. Megan Jones, R-Spirit Lake, says there is significant interest among House Republicans in passing a measure to increase the speed limit.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety is registered as undecided on the legislation on the Iowa Legislature’s website. However, a spokeswoman for the agency cited an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report that found traffic fatalities increase by about 8 percent for every 5 mph increase in the speed limit.
Speed limits on interstate highways in Iowa were raised to 70 mph in 2005.
