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Michigan’s 75-MPH Speed Limit Has Made Highways More Dangerous

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Michigan’s 75-MPH Speed Limit Has Made Highways More Dangerous

Speed can still kill. That's the lesson Michigan is learning on the 600-plus miles of rural freeways where the speed limit was raised from 70 mph to 75 mph thanks to a 2017 law. With the number of drivers now going over 80 mph on the increase, more people are getting into crashes and losing their lives.

Bridge Media analyzed state police records and found that roads with the new 75-mph speed limit had, on average, more crashes and injuries in 2018 (the full first year for the new limits) compared to the entire road network. While the statewide average for crashes rose 3.4 percent in 2018 compared to the annual average from 2014-16 (remember, the speed limits went up part of the way through 2017), the average on the 75-mph roads went up 17.2 percent, Bridge Media found.

The real-world average speed increase on the 75-mph roads in one single-day test sample was just under 2 mph (from 74.6 mph in 2016 to 76.9 mph in 2018), but the total number of people going over 80 mph went from 10 percent to 40 percent of all cars. The result for some rural Michigan roads is that plenty of people are still driving well under 75 mph, but more are now going even faster.

New-Car Sales Continue Slide, Meaning Good Time to Deal

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New-Car Sales Continue Slide, Meaning Good Time to Deal

New cars and car loans are getting more expensive, but there may be a happy twist for car buyers. Automakers can't sell you enough, and if the economy takes a dip, they'll be very ready to deal.

U.S. light-vehicle sales through the third quarter were down 2 percent year over year, and many non-luxury automakers are struggling. When hot brands like Jeep and Subaru take dives of 13 and 9 percent in just September, you know something's off.

NPR

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GM And LG Chem Plan $2.3 Billion Electric Battery Venture In Ohio : NPR

General Motors and LG Chemical plan to make battery cells for electric-powered vehicles, unveiling a joint venture that they expect to create more than 1,100 jobs in northeast Ohio. The companies say they'll invest up to $2.3 billion in the venture.

The project is centered around Lordstown, Ohio, where GM shuttered a plant last March that had produced the Chevrolet Cruze. The new plant in the Lordstown area will make battery cells for GM's upcoming all-electric vehicles, from a Cadillac sedan to a new electric truck that's slated for release in late 2021.