Members of the Georgia House of Representatives are considering increasing the minimum speed to drive on state highways.

Right now, Georgia highways have a minimum speed of 40 mph, though the speed limits vary based on location and route.

Under House Bill 809, some state highways would have their minimum speed increased to 50 mph.

According to the proposal, any highway with a speed limit of 65 mph or more would have the minimum speed set to 50.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Georgia Dept. of Public Safety about the proposal.

The department shared a letter sent by Commissioner William W. Hitchens, III to bill sponsor Rep. John Carson saying:

“As commissioner of the GA Department of Public Safety, I have no concerns as it relates to increasing the minimum speed limit on Georgia’s interstates. Our agency has seen several crashes that have occurred due to slow moving vehicles on roads through the state. Driving below the speed limit can in some cases, be as dangerous as traveling above the posted speed limit. Vehicles that are traveling below the minimums peed can cause traffic issues such as long backups and cause motorists to take evasive actions due to approaching the vehicle faster than expected. This can be exacerbated when traversing hill crests and curves without a long sight distance. Additionally, crashes occur on multi-lane roads when drivers change lanes to pass slower moving vehicles.

While DPS doesn’t experience a lot of crashes based on the minimum speed, crashes that we do investigate seem to have more significant damage and injuries due to the speed difference.”

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