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NC bill could raise speed limits on highways if made law

The debate about if higher speed limits will work isn't just happening in the General Assembly.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The way you get from point A to point B in North Carolina could get a little quicker. House Bill 386 aims to increase the max speed limit to 75 mph on North Carolina highways.

The response to House Bill 386 is a lot like Highway 77. Some have hit the brakes on the idea while others are full steam ahead. 

Chalante Moultrie is a truck driver, so the open road is his office. He is one of the many who said this proposed change is a good one. 

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 "Not only are you looking at cutting back on time, but traffic flows a lot better and smoother," he said. 

He added a lot of people are already driving the speed or faster anyways. 

"As far as those who are following the speed limit, and as long as it’s not too big of a hassle, I think speed limits should be raised a little bit," Moultrie said.

Some drivers like Alex Roraback disagreed. 

“I think it could be very dangerous because of the traffic and the overflow right now," Roraback said. "I think it would look like NASCAR 2023.” 

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According to data from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, increasing the speed limit by 5 miles per hour attributes to an 8.5% increase in deaths on interstates. In North Carolina, nearly 24% of all traffic fatalities were related to speeding. 

NCDOT said speed limits are determined by a few factors:

  • Alignment of the road
  • Density
  • Crash history 
  • How far someone can see

The House Transportation Committee is next up to consider the bill.

Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

  

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