Legislators should put the brakes on a bill which would require the Department of Transportation to study certain roads with speed limits of 55 and 70 mph and consider raising the limits to 60 and 75 mph, respectively.

It’s time we asked ourselves why we need to continue raising the speed limit. Is it just to legitimize those who are speeding already? What would it achieve?

Minnesota’s year-to-date traffic fatalities reached 103 last weekend. While the milestone sets a pace slightly below the record 657 deaths set in both 2002 and 2003, and reflects a 10-percent decrease from 2003, it’s too early to become complacent and decide it’s OK to increase the speed limit.

Statistics tell us the greatest number of fatal and serious injury crashes occurs during the summer months. In Minnesota, a majority of traffic fatalities takes place on rural two-lane highways.

Perhaps our state can look at increasing the speed limit when drivers and passengers finally buckle up. One only needs to look at a couple of serious accidents in the state &045; one in which an unbelted 4-year-old was killed and five unbelted children and adults were injured, and another in which three unbelted young adults were killed &045; to know people still aren’t buckling up as they should.

Couple not being buckled with excessive speed, and it’s more fatalities.

Once drivers and passengers alike get the message about buckling up, then we can study raising the speed limit. We need to fix the problems we’ve got before we create more.