2/12/2013
Speed limit to increase Thursday on U.S. 95 near Potlatch
LEWISTON – In consultation with local jurisdictions, the Idaho Transportation Department this week authorized increasing the speed limit on a section of U.S. 95 near Potlatch.
An ITD maintenance crew plans to replace existing signs Thursday, increasing the speed limit from 45 mph to 50 mph between mileposts 361 and 363. The new speed zone is near the Idaho 6 junction, about a mile from Potlatch.
Motorists are advised to comply with posted speed limits.
The decision to increase the speed limit by 5 mph came after a December engineering study that indicated at least 85 percent of the motorists on that segment already drive at 50 mph. Increasing the speed limit will improve highway safety by ensuring that more drivers travel at the same speed.
Vehicle crashes are least likely to occur when vehicles travel at or slightly above the 85th percentile, ITD engineers explain. The 85th percentile speed reflects a safe speed for existing conditions as perceived by most of the motorists and becomes “largely self-enforcing.”