70 is the new 65 in Va.
The Virginia Department of Transportation will post 70-mph speed limits on 680 miles of interstates no later than Dec. 31, 2010, Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Wednesday.
While campaigning for governor, McDonnell proposed the speed limit increase to 70 mph in rural and less populated areas as a way to improve transportation in the Commonwealth. This change will result in 61 percent of Virginia’s 1,119 miles of intestates being posted at 70 mph.
“The increase in the speed limit from 65 to 70 mph in rural and less populated areas of the state will help Virginians arrive at their destinations quicker and safer and will speed the delivery of goods and services throughout the commonwealth. This is just one step forward in our efforts to significantly improve Virginia’s transportation system,” McDonnell said.
VDOT outlined to the Commonwealth Transportation Board today at its meeting in Richmond plans to complete the speed limit increases around the state. The change to 70 mph follows the passage of House Bill 856 and Senate Bill 537, which were signed into law by the governor in March. The bills allow VDOT’s commissioner to increase the maximum highway speed limit to 70 mph on certain highways after the completion of a traffic engineering study.
VDOT studied more than 786 miles of interstate highways for potential speed limit changes. Engineers reviewed crash patterns and history, speed data, physical conditions of the roadways and traffic patterns for candidate segments of highway. After input from Virginia State Police, segments that could safely be raised to 70 mph were identified. The speed limits on these segments will be increased to 70 mph in phases, with all changes scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010.
More information and a complete listing of those segments that will change to 70 mph can be found here: http://www.virginiadot.org/news/resources/Statewide/VDOT_FINAL_RECOMM_LISt.pdf
A map of the segments changing to 70mph can be found here: http://www.virginiadot.org/news/resources/Statewide/70MPH_FINAL_RECOMM.pdf.
Speed limit increases are based on findings from engineering studies and needed safety improvements to ensure the safe travel of all motorists. After completion of the studies, engineers determined it best to maintain a speed limit of 65 mph on 189 miles of those segments reviewed. These are primarily in urban areas, areas with high crash histories, or in Virginia’s Highway Safety Corridors.
Additional safety improvements for some segments are also planned for the coming months. These include the installation or upgrade of guardrail, rumble strips and additional signage.
Changing the speed limit to 70 mph will increase motorist safety by allowing traffic to move at a more consistent speed and reducing the conflict between faster and slower-moving traffic. The 70 mph speed limit change will also assist travelers in shortening commute times and will more efficiently move goods and services throughout Virginia.
Drivers are reminded that law enforcement agencies will enforce the posted speed limit on any highway. To avoid a traffic citation, motorists must travel at or below the posted speed limit on any highway. Drivers should also be mindful of traffic conditions, weather and other factors that might require them to travel below posted speeds.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
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Quicker yes…Safer? I guess the court is out while the statistics start to be totalized. I just imagine the I 81 I 64 melthing pot. Even if it says 65 through there, there are many that will not adhere. Coming from I-64 to Northbound I-81 needs a quick reaction as the exit to Fishersviile/Staunton needs immediate attention.
As you may know, Virginia is the only state that bans the use and sale of radar detectors. There is no evidence that the radar detector ban increases highway safety. Our nation’s fatality rates have fallen consistently for almost two decades. Virginia’s fatality rate has also fallen, but not any more dramatically than it has nationwide. Research has even shown that radar detector owners have a lower accident rate than motorists who do not own a detector.
Maintaining the ban is not in the best interest of Virginians or visitors to the state. I know and know of people that will not drive in Virginia due to this ban. Unjust enforcement practices are not unheard of, and radar detectors can keep safe motorists from being exploited by abusive speed traps. Likewise, the ban has a negative impact on Virginia’s business community. Electronic distributors lose business to neighboring states and Virginia misses out on valuable sales tax revenue.
Radar detector bans do not work. Research and experience show that radar detector bans do not result in lower accident rates, improved speed-limit compliance or reduce auto insurance expenditures.
• The Virginia radar detector ban is difficult and expensive to enforce. The Virginia ban diverts precious law enforcement resources from more important duties and this ban may be ILLEGAL.
• Radar detectors are legal in the rest of the nation, in all 49 other states. In fact, the first state to test a radar detector ban, Connecticut, repealed the law – it ruled the law was ineffective and unfair. It is time for our Virginia to join the rest of the nation.
• It has never been shown that radar detectors cause accidents or even encourage motorists to drive faster than they would otherwise. The Yankelovich – Clancy – Shulman Radar Detector Study conducted in 1987, showed that radar detector users drove an average of 34% further between accidents (233,933 miles versus 174,554 miles) than non radar detector users. The study also showed that they have much higher seat belt use compliance. If drivers with radar detectors have fewer accidents, it follows that they have reduced insurance costs – it is counterproductive to ban radar detectors.
• In a similar study performed in Great Britain by MORI in 2001 the summary reports that “Users (of radar detectors) appear to travel 50% further between accidents than non-users. In this survey the users interviewed traveling on average 217,353 miles between accidents compared to 143,401 miles between accidents of those non-users randomly drawn from the general public.” The MORI study also reported “Three quarters agree, perhaps unsurprisingly, that since purchasing a radar detector they have become more conscious about keeping to the speed limit…” and “Three in five detector users claim to have become a safer driver since purchasing a detector.”
• Modern radar detectors play a significant role in preventing accidents and laying the technology foundation for the Safety Warning System® (SWS). Radar detectors with SWS alert motorists to oncoming emergency vehicles, potential road hazards, and unusual traffic conditions. There are more than 10 million radar detectors with SWS in use nationwide. The federal government has earmarked $2.1 million for further study of the SWS over a three-year period of time. The U.S. Department of Transportation is administering grants to state and local governments to purchase the SWS system and study its effectiveness (for example, in the form of SWS transmitters for school buses and emergency vehicles). The drivers of Virginia deserve the right to the important safety benefits that SWS delivers.
Please sign this petition and help to repeal this ban and give drivers in Virginia the freedom to know if they are under surveillance and to use their property legally:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/repeal-the-virginia-radar-detector-ban