The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Linn Laney
I am shocked by Mr. Kupper's argument for the elimination of the speed limits on some Arizona freeways.
He is proven wrong by the insurance companies first of all. He doesn't have much experience in the state of Arizona. He is active in small towns that are known for retirement and farming.
Arizona is already one of the worst states for car accidents, in terms of frequency and fatalities. Raising the speed limit won't slow those numbers down. It will make vehicle collisions more deadly and more frequent. The additional speed would involve more vehicles, kill more innocent people and cost the state more in damages. This is a ridiculous idea.
Mr. Kupper is a paralegal, hardly an expert in the field of road safety, insurance, healthcare from major car accidents and long-term care for people injured and maimed in severe accidents.
Comparing Arizona to Montana and other small states is no good either. Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the United States. The traffic from Phoenix through these towns to California or to Mexico is much more than what Montana sees on their busiest holiday. To try to compare them is a non-issue. And Arizona's population is growing bigger by the day. With Californians moving in and driving back and forth, people owning property in Rocky Point, Mexico, and all the large corporations moving into Arizona, things will only get more packed with people and the interstates more crowded, causing more dangerous driving situations.
The big 4x4 trucks already go 30 MPH over the speed limit now, putting so many citizens at risk. I love those trucks, but not when the drivers speed and have no respect for the law. I worked for lawyers for years, and in the medical field for many years, and saw firsthand the terrible damage that can be caused by vehicles speeding through traffic. Someone I knew was killed by one.
To let crazy drivers have free rein on our roads is just irresponsible and reckless. The roads belong to all of us, and America was built on rules and laws. To let some folks who don't think straight or who like to live dangerously endanger us all doesn't seem like something a normal politician would even suggest. Like saying a drug abuser can take drugs between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
Kupper isn't from Arizona. Hasn't been here long. He's a Republican with some ideas. But are they good ideas? Good for the people of Arizona? This idea is opening our interstate to lawlessness.
Kupper states the police wouldn't even be around. They would be off doing real work. So people wouldn't have police nearby in case of road rage or if they needed help. Bad idea. With all the crime, shootings and danger, who wants more lawlessness out in the middle of nowhere? Speeders, maybe. They are the only people this benefits.
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