Nevada legislators urged to reject 85-mph speed limit bill

Opponents of a bill to possibly raise the speed limit on rural stretches of Nevada highways to 85 mph urged lawmakers to put the brakes on the proposal for public safety. (Thinkstock)

Sparks Sen. Don Gustavson talks during the transportation committee hearing on raising the speed limit on some Nevada Highways to 85 mph Tuesday, March 10, 2015, in Carson City. (Tim Dunn/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Dennis Osborn, with the Nevada Highway Patrol, talks against a proposal to raise the speed limit on some Nevada highways to 85 mph during a transportation committee hearing Tuesday, March 10, 2015, in Carson City. Paul Enos with the Nevada Trucking Association, left, also spoke against the proposal. (Tim Dunn/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

CARSON CITY — Opponents of a bill to possibly raise the speed limit on rural stretches of Nevada highways to 85 mph urged lawmakers to put the brakes on the proposal for public safety.

Senate Bill 2, sponsored by state Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, would authorize the Nevada Department of Transportation to increase the maximum allowable speed from 75 mph on stretches of highway where it deems the higher speed is reasonable.

Gustavson told the Senate Committee on Transportation, which took no action on the bill, that it would save motorists time and argued it would enhance safety because many drivers already travel at the faster rate.

“People drive at the speed their comfortable with,” he said, noting other states including Utah, Montana and Texas have raised speed limits on some roads or done away with them.

“This is already being done in other states where it is not a problem,” Gustavson said.

He also stressed that bill wouldn’t automatically raise the limit, but would enable the Nevada Department of Transportation to do so upon study and analysis.

The Transportation Department, however, is against the bill, as are most members of the state Board of Transportation chaired by Gov. Brian Sandoval.

“Negatives outweigh the positives when motorists are traveling at faster speeds on our roadways,” said Rudy Malfabon, NDOT director.

Other opponents included law enforcement, a trauma surgeon and a representative of the trucking industry, who argued the key to highway safety is uniformity of traffic flow.

They also said kinetic energy, or the force behind faster moving vehicles, leads to more horrific and potentially fatal accidents.

“Kinetic energy … decreases survivability of occupants in a vehicle,” said Col. Dennis Osborn, chief of the Nevada Highway Patrol. He also said faster vehicles often come up suddenly behind slower ones and because of their speed are unable to maneuver to avoid a rear-end crash.

Eric Spratley with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said a driver who slams on the brakes while traveling 65 mph will skid for 205 feet before coming to a stop. The distances increases to 265 feet at 75 mph and 344 feet at 85 mph.

Alistair Chapman, a trauma surgeon at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, said the force of high-speed crashes increases the changes of serious injuries.

He also said that speed data show fatalities are greatest on rural interstates where transportation times to hospitals is much longer.

“Raising the speed limit in rural areas …. Will exacerbate our challenge of treating these patients coming from rural areas,” Chapman said.

“I urge you to put the brakes on this bill.”

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb