House approves raising interstate speed limit to 70
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House Wednesday voted to raise interstate and tollway speed limits to 70 mph.
Suburban counties would be allowed to opt out of the higher limit.
After a 85-30 vote, the plan — which has already been approved in the Senate — moves to Gov. Pat Quinn for final review. Quinn's Department of Transportation has opposed raising the speed limit.
The proposal originally came from state Sen. Jim Oberweis, a Sugar Grove Republican. Some lawmakers argue drivers already drive well over the speed limit anyway, so raising it won't cause much change on the roads.
But others say faster cars mean more — and more serious — crashes.
“It is bad for the public's health,” said state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat.
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