Petition to Raise the Long Island Expressway Speed Limit to 65 mph

There is a growing movement here in Long Island to raise the speed limit of the ever-popular L.I.E. from 55 to 65 mph.  The movement is based on the following reasoning:

1. That the design of the L.I.E. can support the increase in speed, and
2. That recent (and not-so-recent) laws would finally allow this to happen.

The first issue is can the L.I.E. support the 10 mph increase?  Popular theory goes that any increase in speed limits will show an increase in traffic fatalities, or at least auto accidents.  But more recent studies have show that there is an “undetectable correlation” between speed limits and safety.  At the very least, both sides should be able to agree that most tests done so far have been inconclusive.

The second issue is that changes in laws would now legally allow the speed limit increase on the L.I.E.   To begin, the reason the speed limit is 55 mph is based on a 1973 federal law that mandated the speed limit on all interstate highways be 55 mph.  Twenty years later, in 1993, this federal law was repealed, and the speed limit decision became a state matter.  Even more recently, in 2003, the state of New York passed a law allowing the State Transportation Department to increase speed limits at its discretion.

Based on these two issues, and these two issues alone, there appears to be a standstill.  Those in favor of raising the speed limit of the L.I.E. have the law on their side, but perhaps not the corroborating evidence (auto accidents, car accidents, etc.).  Without further study of the precise impact the speed limit increase will have on auto, car, and truck accidents, the speed limit of the L.I.E. will probably remain 55 mph.

Michael Levine is a Long Island accident lawyer with RGG&L.  His firm specializes in cases involving Long Island car and truck accidents. To learn more about Long Island accident attorney, Long Island auto accident lawyer, Long Island car accident lawyer, Manhattan accident attorney, and Long Island personal injury attorney visit rapplaw.com.