Iowa’s lawmakers appear to be on the verge of raising the speed limit on the state’s two-lane highways. We think it’s a terrible idea and call on them to reject it.

The bill now before the legislature would establish the default speed limit at 60 mph rather than the current 55 mph. But because four-lane highways have an established speed limit of 65 mph and highways that are part of the interstate system have a 70 mph speed limit, the impact of this bill would be realized on the two-lane routes like U.S. Highway 169.

We see lots of bad things coming from this concept, and nothing good.

Let’s start with the basic approach to speed limits that so many drivers have. Essentially, they figure that no cop will stop them for going five to seven miles over the speed limit. So that means a 60 mph limit now becomes effectively a 65 mph limit. Does that sound like a good idea on the hilly sections of U.S. Highway 169 north of Fort Dodge?

Yes, there are probably a few drivers going that fast there now, but having every driver cruising along at 65 mph in that area sounds like a recipe for tragedy.

In terms of traffic safety, Iowa had a landmark year in 2025. It was the first time since 1925 that traffic fatalities dipped below a total of 300. Putting in a new, higher speed limit will wreck the progress achieved on reducing traffic deaths.

The independent, non-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied the correlation of speed limits and traffic fatalities from 1993 to 2017.

Here’s what the group reported:

“A 5 mph increase in the maximum state speed limit was associated with an 8.5 percent increase in fatality rates on interstates/freeways and a 2.8 percent increase on other roads.”

We believe the institute’s calculations still hold true for 2026.

If the threat of more traffic deaths isn’t enough to convince someone that a higher speed limit isn’t a good idea, consider the impact it will have on drivers’ wallets.

Because of the Iran war, gasoline prices have surged to as much as $3.56 per gallon in the local area as of Tuesday and may well go higher. And it will take a long time, if ever, for those prices to come back down.

Driving faster means that you burn more gas. The U.S. Department of Energy reported that “gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph.”

The result of a higher speed limit seems to be that Iowans will spend more of their hard-earned dollars on gasoline. Does anybody really want to hand more money to the oil companies?

We don’t see any advantages of a higher speed limit to outweigh the safety and financial problems it would pose.

Supporters may argue that being able to drive faster will reduce travel times. We are skeptical that the higher speed limit would do much for travel times, other than shave a few minutes off of most trips.

We believe negative consequences of a higher speed limit far outweigh any slight decreases in travel times that may result. We call on legislators to set aside the speed limit bill and concentrate on other items that would benefit Iowans.