Deadly accidents may slow increase in speed limit

This weekend’s deadly accidents might put the brakes on a proposal to raise the speed limit on Iowa’s Interstates. House Speaker Brent Siegrist, a republican from Council Bluffs, says the accidents may make lawmakers queasy about increasing the speed limit. He says they will still take a shot at passing it though. A bill to be considered in the House Transportation Committee this week would raise the limit to 70 miles per hour. Siegrist concedes excessive speed causes many accidents, but he says weather often plays a role. At least 17 people were killed in highway accidents this past weekend, which made it the bloodiest three-day period on Iowa’s roadways in a decade.