Speed Limit Oregon

¶ … Drive 55" isn't just a song; it's the truth. Drivers in Oregon need a higher speed limit on major freeways to encourage a more natural flow of traffic. Raising the speed limit to 75 miles per hour is not going to create more hazardous roads. In fact, raising the speed limit to 75 mph would encourage a more natural and therefore safer flow of traffic in the left-hand lanes of major state freeways. Real road hazards include distractions like texting while driving, or impairment like sleepiness or intoxication.

These are the issues law enforcement should concern itself with, leaving alone those who drive 75 mph. For a long time, speed limits have been associated with highway safety with the assumption that slower is safer. While it is certain that reckless driving is a public safety hazard, speed itself is not. Raising the Oregon freeway speed limit to 75 mph will help law enforcement divert resources properly, promote safe driving by reducing frustration, and facilitating the natural flow of traffic.

It is important to remember that speed limits are arbitrary, and in many cases, artificially low for road and driving conditions. In some cases, artificially low speed limits can cause traffic accidents because of the increased potential for erratic or inconsistent drivers. Drivers who pay attention and who are unimpaired are safe drives, whether they drive 55 or 75. Most drivers in Oregon already drive 75 mph, which is why raising the speed limits on Oregon freeways to 75 mph is a natural transition from the current 65 mph.

Oregon is a fairly large state, and people who live in rural areas drive long distances that are conducive to higher speed limits than would be necessary in urban areas. Speed limits should reflect the needs of the drivers, the road conditions, and other situational variables. Because most drivers already clock in at 75 mph, it would seem that 65 mph is an unnaturally, and unnecessarily, low benchmark. Pulling a driver over for driving 75 mph takes away resources from law enforcement that could be diverted to more important causes, like fighting crime.

Allowing drivers to take responsibility for their own behavior on the road empowers us to become self-aware citizens who understand that road safety depends on factors beyond the speedometer. As someone who has been driving in Oregon my whole life, I can attest to the fact that rural roads run more smoothly when drivers are permitted to flow with traffic and drive unimpeded by unnecessary speed traps. Nobody wants traffic accidents, which is why safety is the only reason to enforce a speed limit.

It is understandable that the opposition to a 75 mph speed limit comes from safety concerns. However, law enforcement also needs to be realistic about what constitutes road safety. Drivers who weave in and out of traffic changing lanes recklessly while talking on the phone are the real hazards on the road. The vast majority of Oregon residents are safe and defensive drivers who maintain awareness of the road and the drivers around us. We are not the problem, and nor is driving 75 mph, which is hardly.