I would like to respond to Jeff Morrison’s March 3 column “Breaking the speed limit not a God-given right.”

Mr. Morrison, what you fail to realize is that the speed limit that is currently in effect in Iowa is arbitrary if not unfair.

Traffic engineers in the United States use a principle known as the “85th percentile rule” to set speed limits on all roads, including interstates.

This rule simply states that speed limits should be set at the speed that 85 percent of the traffic will feel comfortable traveling at or below.

This ensures maximum amount of unity in traffic flow, which then decreases accident rates.

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, that number was 76.1 mph in Iowa in 2001.

Clearly, your next argument would be that the 85th percentile speed would continue to increase as the speed limit increases.

But according to statistics, the surrounding states that have 70 mph speed limits (Missouri, Minnesota and Kansas) all have 85th percentile speeds nearly identical to Iowa.

Surrounding states with 75 mph speed limits (South Dakota and Nebraska)have 85th percentile speeds that hover around 80.

In addition, I am from Lincoln, Neb., and have made plenty of trips down both Iowa and Nebraska interstates.

I have never heard a soul in Nebraska claim the speed limits are arbitrary or unfair, and I go 80 mph on interstates in both states.

I have seen almost no difference in speeds between Iowa and Nebraska other than good citizens in Iowa trying to obey an arbitrary speed limit.

The low speed limit causes a speed discrepancy between cars that creates more accidents than the higher speed limit does.

In summary, speed limits in Iowa should be raised accompanied by a state patrol crackdown on speeders going more than a few mph over the speed limit.

This would cut down on the discrepancy in speeds between cars and allow people to go a speed they feel comfortable traveling without the fear of getting pulled over.

Ben Voelker

Junior

Civil Engineering