Arizona Backs Off Split Speeds
Trucks can keep cruising the Arizona deserts at the same speed as four-wheelers thanks to a state Department of Transportation study.
“There is a potential safety hazard when cars and trucks are required to travel at different speeds,” said Mike Manthey, a traffic engineer with the agency. “Potential conflicts occur when more vehicles are passing one another, increasing the chances of crashes between cars and large trucks.”
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Legislation signed by Gov. Jane Hull in April would have restricted truck speeds on Arizona’s rural Interstates to 65 mph and kept cars speeding by at the current limit of 75 mph (5-1, p. 4). However, the law has a provision that would maintain the status quo if the transportation department found that lowering truck speeds would be unsafe.
The study by ADOT released July 5 was a definitive thumbs down on split speeds for cars and trucks. It found lowering truck speeds would actually make the roads less safe.
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