BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — In late February, Rep. Doug Pickett, R-Oakley, told his colleagues at the Idaho Statehouse about a proposed legislative fix to what he described as a fatal problem on the state’s major highways: differential speeds.
The bill he sponsored sought to eliminate Idaho’s split speed limits, which for over a decade have allowed cars to whiz along some rural stretches of interstate at 80 mph, capping heavy trucks at 70 mph. Pickett argued that a uniform speed limit would improve traffic flow and reduce the potential for crashes on the interstate, even if it meant opening the door for large commercial trucks to legally do 80.
“What this addresses is the fact that inconsistent road conditions are the biggest dangers on the highway, not speed itself,” Pickett said in a House Transportation Committee hearing on Feb. 26…