The Visor

Highway Speeds Revved Up

November 18, 2009

Nick Pelini

Years of sluggish driving and absurd speeding tickets are finally coming to a halt, or in this case, a step on the gas.

Beginning this week, the speed limit on the recently reconstructed stretch of highway from Cleveland-Massillon Road to Vernon Odom Boulevard has finally been increased from 55 mph to 65 mph. Route 8 through Cuyahoga Falls has also been raised to 65 mph.

This new swift speed has come after years of driving at one of the lowest speed limits in the country. Compared to last year, a 32 percent increase in tickets has been handed out which has lead many to believe that the speed limit was only slow solely to give tickets.

Raising the speed limit does not come without controversy. It inevitably ignites the debate over what speed limit is safe. Arguments that 65 mph is too fast and will cause more crashes always surface; however, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that only 14.2 percent of last year’s crashes were due to unsafe speeds. Also, 65 mph is the standard limit in most other states.

The speed limit change comes as a welcome to many throughout Summit County on the three-lane stretch of highway. So push the pedal to the metal and drive on.

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