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Oregon governor vetoes speed limit bill
On Sept. 3, Gov. John Kitzhaber
vetoed SB 558 that would have authorized the state DOT to raise
speed limits on rural interstates as high as 75 for cars and
70 for trucks. In his official veto message, Kitzhaber said,
"There is no question that increased speeds will compromise
the safety of our rural interstate highway system, and the evidence
is clear that highway fatalities will increase as speed increases."
Land Line repeatedly asked Gov. Kitzhaber's press office what
"evidence" the governor was referring to, but no information
was ever provided.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Randy Miller, tells Land Line there is little likelihood that the governor's veto can be overridden. Miller did say that he intended to introduce another bill to allow higher speed limits during the next legislative session, scheduled for January 2001.
South
Carolina will consider split speed limits
Rep. Becky Rogers Martin,
chair of a transportation subcommittee of the House Education
and Public Works Committee, is considering introducing a bill
to reduce truck speed limits. Rep. Martin tells Land Line she
is concerned about speeds and congestion on I-85 in her district.
"We need to do something to slow it down," she said.
"We've had some bad accidents where the truck couldn't
stop in time and I'm very concerned about that." Martin
indicated she is collecting data relating to lower truck speeds
and will also investigate the need for more officers for speed
enforcement for all vehicles.
According to 1998 statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 474 of South Carolina's 1,002 total highway deaths were speed related. There were 74 speed-related deaths on interstate highways in the state. These statistics apply to all vehicles, not just trucks.
The legislative session does not begin until Jan. 11, 2000, but safety-conscious truckers should nip this one in the bud. Contact lawmakers at their district offices now and urge them to oppose split speed limits.
Ohio
uniform speed bill stalled
Due to opposition by state
police, there has been no progress on uniform speed limit bills
before the legislature. Bill sponsors have reportedly requested
a meeting with state police officials to discuss the issue.
65
mph for trucks in Michigan?
Before the summer legislative
recess, a tentative agreement to test a 65 mph truck speed on
rural interstates was hammered out between legislators supporting
uniform speed limits and MDOT officials. Michigan truckers should
contact their lawmakers now and urge them to support this proposal.
Wisconsin
quota bill clears Assembly
AB119 will prohibit the state
from "directly or indirectly" requiring an officer
to issue a specific number of traffic citations or warnings
in a specific period if it becomes law. The WI Assembly passed
the bill by a vote of 96 to 2 on Sept. 23. AB119 has been assigned
to the Senate Committee on Insurance, Tourism, Transportation,
and Corrections.
Oregon
AAA fighting new fuel tax
The Oregon chapter of the
American Automobile Association says it has more than enough
voter-signed petitions to force a special election to challenge
new fuel taxes. Signed by Gov. Kitzhaber on Sept.1, the new
law increases the state's gasoline tax by five cents per gallon
and ends the weight-mile tax for trucks, implementing a tax
on diesel fuel of 29 cents per gallon instead. AAA contends
that the new law unfairly burdens motorists while giving truckers
a break. The state's Republican central committee has voted
to support AAA's initiative, even though Republicans in the
legislature were instrumental in the bill's passage. If AAA's
petitions are validated, the special election will take place
in May.
It is estimated that eliminating the weight-mile tax would save the state $50 million in administrative costs per year. Republican Party chairman Perry Atkinson reportedly favors separating the weight-mile tax issue from the issue of the gasoline tax increase. Whether or not that will be the case is not yet known.
Florida
legislators may
consider split speed limits
Sources in the Sunshine State
indicate that legislators will take a look at lowering truck
speed limits when the legislature convenes in March 2000.
In 1998, the total number of speed-related deaths was 612 (for all vehicle types) on Florida highways. That's 156 less than in 1997, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Crashes on interstate highways accounted for 85 of those deaths.
Even though the legislative session is not scheduled to begin for several months, now is the time to head this one off at the pass. Proponents of differential speed limits will not wait until March to begin lobbying, and in order to have the maximum impact, Florida truckers shouldn't either. Contact lawmakers at their district offices and urge them to support uniform speed limits for all vehicles.
Ohio quota
bill in committee
Rep. Ron Young's HB 394 will
prohibit requiring law enforcement officers to issue a minimum
number of traffic tickets on a periodic basis if it becomes
law. The bill was assigned to the Committee on Criminal Justice
in June. There has been no further action. 
