The American West is great for its wide-open spaces, and sometimes not-so-great for its boring interstates with little more than a shrub or two to look at for miles on end. Arizona Rep. Nick Kupper has an idea that could make the state’s highways decidedly less mundane by removing speed limits on certain rural roads during the daytime. Even at night, the proposal suggests that 80 miles per hour is plenty safe on a route like Interstate 8 south of Casa Grande.
These ideas are all bundled inside the Reasonable and Prudent Interstate Driving (or RAPID) Act. If it passes, a pilot program would run on the aforementioned section of I-8. The legislation was filed earlier this week, on December 15, and locals are already voicing their concerns about Kupper’s proposal:
“I think that’s crazy,” one driver said to Phoenix local news outlet Fox 10. “I have no idea what that guy’s thinking!”
Kupper told Fox 10 that he modeled House Bill 2059 after practices in Montana and Germany, with the latter being famous among gearheads for its autobahns. While some German autobahns feature posted speed limits, others do not. That means anybody in a V12 supercar can fly by VW Golf hatchbacks at top speed without worry of being pulled over.
“Both found that roughly 83% of drivers stayed around 77 mph because that’s where they feel comfortable,” Kupper explained. “Drivers in these zones tend to keep a closer relative speed to each other compared to speed limit zones which is a major factor in why these zones are actually safer.”
The RAPID Act specifically says that derestricted speed zones can only be designated “outside an urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more persons.” Additionally, the highway segment must have a crash rate below the statewide average based on data from the last five years. Sufficient infrastructure is the final requirement for a stretch of road to have its speed limits removed, as HB2059 calls on state highway and transportation officials to set standards for what’s deemed acceptable.
As I understand it, the RAPID Act gives drivers more freedom to determine acceptable speeds in any given situation while driving through a derestricted zone.
“A person shall not drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the circumstances, conditions, and actual and potential hazards then existing,” it reads. “A person shall control the speed of a vehicle as necessary to avoid colliding with any object, person, vehicle or other conveyance on, entering or adjacent to the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to exercise reasonable care for the protection of others.”
Systems similar to this can work, but whether or not such success translates to Arizona roads remains to be seen. Is Kupper crazy for this? Or is he on to something? I think it’s too early to call, but it’s tough for me to trust my fellow Americans on this one.
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