The Iowa Legislature is considering a bill that will raise the speed limit by 5 mph on divided four-lane interstates — from 65 mph to 70 mph.

Now, 5 mph may not sound like much, but consider this: on a trip from Davenport to Council Bluffs, a 295.7-mile jaunt along Interstate 80, that change in legal speed would save you 19 minutes. In a state like Iowa, with little more than corn fields, grain bins and endless horizons to stimulate a driver, those 19 saved minutes could be the difference between boredom and … less boredom.

Indeed, it seems to us that all state speed limits should be determined by the entertainment value of the particular state. This is intuitive, isn’t it? On relatively interesting interstate highways, like Interstate 87 in New York City, for example, one should be comfortable with a 65-mph limit. After all, there are a lot more vehicles and a lot more to see. In contrast, Interstate 94 through North Dakota offers nothing — absolutely nothing — and rightfully earns its 75-mph limit.

Perhaps it’s state pride, but we like to think Iowa offers a happy medium between these two places. Our lack of skyscrapers, exotic foliage and any semblance of ethnic diversity is at least balanced by the world’s largest truck stop and the “Field of Dreams” field, right?

With that in mind, the proposed bill seems to fit the state nicely; a 70-mph speed limit accurately reflects Iowa’s visual qualities.

The change would also match us up more evenly with other Midwestern states — Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas each have a 70-mph limit. Illinois, with a 65-mph limit, and Nebraska, with a limit of 75, are exceptions, but remember: Illinois has Chicago and Nebraska is Nebraska.

Legislators are proposing higher fines for speeders to accompany these higher limits, with fines for going 10 mph over the limit almost doubling. This also makes sense. With greater power comes greater responsibility — currently, the fine for going 10 mph over the speed limit is about $43. With the new speed limit, going 10 mph over the limit — or 80 mph — would be about an $82 fine. Although it seems like a lot, it’s really just the same (actually a little less) than going 20 mph over the current speed limit. An increase in fines would also keep Iowa, both in speed limits and in fines, even with most of the other Midwestern states.

On the downside, you wouldn’t have the excuse that “I just forgot the speed limit was back to 65” when getting pulled over on your way back from Minneapolis.