The sponsor of a bill to raise the speed limit on North Dakota’s Interstate highways from 75 to 80 miles per hour said the bill will save time and money – and will not increase the number of accidents.
Senator Lonnie Laffen (R-Grand Forks) told the Senate Transportation Committee he had several reasons for introducing the bill. One is time.
"If you drive 50,000 miles a year -- and a lot of people do -- this amounts to a savings of one hour a week," Laffen said. "An entire week each year. Imagine getting back an hour a week for every week, and, bonus, not having to be on the highway. This would be an incredible gift."
Laffen said many drivers already are doing 80 and above on the Interstates. And he said he wants to cut down on the number of dangerous highway stops by the Highway Patrol – which will also mean less speeding tickets, and less money drivers will have to pay out.
"This change will no raise our prevailing speed," Laffen told the Committee. "It's not going to change our accident statistics. All it will do is save citizens time and money. And for the Highway Patrol, it will eliminate more than 100,000 dangerous roadside stops."
No one spoke in opposition – but Triple-A North Dakota sent a message to Committee members, saying they opposed the bill. The Committee did not take immediate action.