Illinois Senate and House Members Approve Bills to Raise Large Truck Speed Limit to 65 Mph
In Illinois, the Senate and House have approved bills to increase the speed limit for heavy trucks on rural interstate highways to 65 miles an hour. The two bills however, are not identical, so the legislation will need more work before it can go to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.
While the interstate highway speed limit for cars is 65 mph, the speed limit for semi-trucks is currently 55 mph. This has caused concern for traffic safety experts who think that having different speed limits increases the chances of traffic accidents. Illinois Senator Don Harmon from Oak Park, however, isn’t sure this is true. He points out that when the state of Missouri adopted a uniform speed limit on all state roads, the number of traffic deaths jumped.
House Bill 3956 passed with a 77-35 vote. A 38-14 vote lead to the approval of Senate Bill 1467. Cook County is not included in either bill. The five counties around Chicago are exempt from the House bill.
Large Truck Accidents
The owners and drivers of large garbage trucks, fully-loaded delivery trucks, semi-trucks, 18-wheeler trucks, and tractor-trailers have a responsibility to make sure that these vehicles are operated safely on US roads. A collision with one of these large vehicles can be deadly for the occupants of smaller vehicles and motorcycles, as well as bicyclists and pedestrians.
If you or someone you love was seriously injured in an Illinois truck crash, please contact our Chicago truck collision law firm today for your free case evaluation.
Although you cannot control a truck driver's behavior behind the wheel of a large truck, there are steps other motorists can take to avoid getting involved in a collision with a large truck, such as:
• Avoid cutting in front of a large truck and slowing down suddenly. The drivers of large trucks need more time to stop their vehicles than the drivers of passenger vehicles.
• Know that you if you are unable to see the trucker when you are looking at the truck’s side mirror, chances are the driver can’t see you and you should get out of the truck’s blind spot.
Legislators tackle speed limits for semis, overtime and steroids testing, Galesburg.com, March 26, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Illinois Lawmakers Want to Raise Semi-Trailer Truck Speed Limit to 65mph, Chicago Truck Accident Lawyer Blog, March 12, 2009
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