NORTH CAROLINA — There’s a new push to raise the maximum speed limit on North Carolina highways.
A bipartisan bill filed this week would increase it from 70 to 75 miles per hour, likely only on highways where the current speed limit is 70.
Supporters say that could still save time on the roads. For example, a trucker could shave 40 minutes off a round trip from Wilmington to Asheville.
However, critics worry that raising the speed limit on I-40 by those five miles per hour could increase the risk for crashes.
A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found an eight and a half percent increase in traffic deaths for every five mile per hour increase to a road’s speed limit.
Right now, the bill is in a house committee.
It would also increase the cut-off for more serious speeding charges on the highway from 80 to 85 miles per hour.
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