(KIWA Staff Photo)
Statewide Iowa (Sioux County Radio) — A new Iowa law will raise the state’s default highway speed limit from 55 to 60 miles per hour beginning July 1st.
Senate File 378 increases the default speed limit for vehicular traffic unless another limit is posted. The law also expands certain protections tied to lower-level speeding violations and how they affect insurance and licensing consequences.
Sioux County Sheriff Nate Huizenga says the five-mile-per-hour increase is not expected to drastically change driving habits, and he believes that “a lot of people are traveling sixty miles an hour already.”
Sheriff Encouraging Drivers NOT to “Push It Higher”
While many drivers may already travel near 60 miles per hour on rural highways, Huizenga says motorists should not view the higher limit as permission to push speeds beyond what is posted.
Huizenga notes that speeding violations within five miles per hour of the limit are often handled at an officer’s discretion.
Minor Speeding Violation Changes Included in Bill
The legislation also expands the speed-zone range, in which the first two speeding violations within 12 months — if they are 10 miles per hour or less over the limit — receive limited protection from certain insurance and licensing consequences.
Under the updated law, those protections now apply in zones between roughly 34 and 61 miles per hour, instead of the previous 35-to-55-mile-per-hour range. Huizenga says those changes are unlikely to significantly alter enforcement practices in Sioux County.
Sioux County Roads Still Require Caution
Huizenga says road conditions, wildlife activity, weather, and visibility still play a major role in safe driving decisions, regardless of the posted speed limit.
The sheriff says drivers should continue slowing down in hazardous areas and during poor weather or low-light conditions.
Perkins Corner, Million Dollar Corner Remain Areas of Focus
Huizenga says the Highway 75 intersections known as Perkins Corner and Million Dollar Corner continue to be among the county’s highest crash-prone areas.
The Iowa Department of Transportation is planning future improvements in those corridors, including proposed roundabouts at the Highway 75 and Highway 18 junctions and offset right-turn lanes near Million Dollar Corner. Huizenga says the sheriff’s office has supported efforts aimed at reducing severe crashes in those locations.
