Nebraska Speed Limits will be increased

Posted By: Pierce Georlett

pgeorlett@klkntv.com

Governor Ricketts signed a law today in Nebraska City that will streamline speed limits all across Nebraska.

"What this bill will do it will help us streamline and make uniform over speed limits across our state highways as well as give us the opportunity to be able to use the engineering work that we have done to be able to make sure we got the right speed limit," said Gov. Pete Ricketts. 

This speed limits bill that was introduced earlier this year by Senator John Murante of Gretna, and it went through a lot as it seemed like every body in Nebraska put their two cents into what went into the speed limit bill.

"This bill probably got more public impact than any bill that was offered this year," says Sen. Murante "not only did we have a public hearing in the state capitol building but Sen. Hughes, Sen. Frisen and myself toured the state of Nebraska soliciting public input as to what the people wanted to do with the speed limits in our state. And the people spoke loud and clear that our speed limits didn’t make a lot of sense."

Opponents of the speed limits law argue that it makes the roads much more dangerous, but Sen. Murante says that it actually makes the roads safer

"What the scientists tell us is very clear that when we set the speed limit at the rate of the people driving it’s the safest way to go about it," commented Sen. Murante "when South Dakota raised their speed limits by five miles per hour they actually saw 14% reduction in traffic fatalities. I think Nebraskans could expect the same."

You can be expecting to see these speed limit changes to nearly every highway in Nebraska.

"The overwhelming majority of highways in the state of Nebraska will see the streamlining and harmonization that we have talked about today," added Sen. Murante "and it’s all over the state of Nebraska."

The law would raise speeds up to 65 miles per hour on four lane highways all throughout Nebraska.