Ball State University students will soon be able to drive a little faster during daily commutes or the occasional trip home -- legally.
On May 6, Gov. Mitch Daniels approved a bill to raise the speed limits on some Indiana roads, but don't bump that cruise control up an extra five mph just yet -- the Indiana General Assembly passed the bill in April, Daniels signed it earlier this month, but speed limits won't officially change until July 1.
Hoosier motorists will still have to wait until after the Indiana Department of Transportation replaces speed limit signs along the affected highways.
The bill, Senate Enrolled Act 217, will raise the speed limits on interstates in rural areas from 65 mph to 70 mph. Speed limits on rural four-lane divided highways will also change from the standard 55 mph to 60 mph.
Although the House and Senate both passed the bill, there were some dissenters. Rep. Tiny Adams of District 34, which includes Muncie, was unable to vote on the bill because he suffered a stroke toward the end of the legislative session, but he was never in favor of the proposed changes.
"I would not have voted for it, and I made my feelings very clear early on," Adams said.
Other representatives' reasons for not voting for the bill included studies linking speed to the causes of accidents or parents with stories of sons and daughters who were killed in traffic accidents.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, one of every three deaths from traffic accidents was caused by people driving too fast.
Of Indiana's 834 traffic deaths in 2003, 217 of them were related to how fast the person was traveling, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
However, the new speed limits could mean shorter commute times for many Ball State students. Rachel Myers, senior elementary education major, said she can't wait for the speed limits to change. During weekly commutes between Muncie and Indianapolis to work during the Spring Semester of 2004, traffic would normally move at about 75 to 80 mph, she said.
For the fall of 2005, she will be student teaching for Indianapolis Public Schools but will still have to make frequent trips to Muncie and looks forward to the new speed limits.
"As long as people aren't complete idiots about it, things should just move a little smoother," Myers said.
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