Earlier month, the State Highway Administration increased the speed limit in certain of sections of Interstate 70 in Maryland to 70 miles per hour.

According to the State Highway Administration, traffic engineers conducted a safety review of collision information, road design and driver behavior to determine locations where the increase would be appropriate.

It determined that long segments of the highway, excluding those through more urban areas such as Frederick, could handle the higher speeds.

The new speed limit took effect in early April and increased existing limits from 65 to 70 miles per hour. The stretch extends 31 miles from Maryland route 144 to U.S. Route 29, in addition to a 45 mile section from the Washington County-Pennsylvania line to Maryland Route 180.

Speeding Dangers

The decision seems contradictory to several reports that indicate speed is a leading cause of many auto accidents throughout the country. A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that one in five drivers admit to attempting to get where they are going as fast as possible.

Nearly 50 percent of drivers surveyed in a 2013 study, said that speeding is problematic in the U.S. According to the NHTSA, speeding-related fatalities account for one third of all traffic deaths every year, totaling nearly 10,000 deaths annually.

Speeding endangers drivers, their families, other motorists and pedestrians. Safety officials continue to urge drivers to reduce their speeds in poor weather, to obey posted speed limits and to leave enough time to arrive at destinations safely.

The NHTSA Administrator reminds drivers that “the need for speed should never trump the need for safe and responsible driving.”

If you have been the victim of a driver who was speeding, call the experienced auto accident attorneys at Goldberg Finnegan today to learn more about your legal options through a free, no obligation consultation.