BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: SB 333
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: La Malfa
VERSION: 4/25/11
Analysis by: Carrie Cornwell FISCAL: NO
Hearing date: April 26, 2011
SUBJECT:
Speed limits
DESCRIPTION:
This bill allows, until January 1, 2016, a person to drive a
large truck or a vehicle pulling a trailer at up to 65 miles per
hour on a specified section of Interstate 5 (I-5) in northern
California.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law generally sets a maximum speed limit of 65 miles
per hour (MPH) on freeways. In some instances, however, it
allows the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), with the
approval of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), to post a speed
limit of 70 MPH when Caltrans determines that a 70 MPH speed
limit would facilitate the orderly movement of vehicular traffic
and would be reasonable and safe. Caltrans has used this
authority to post a speed limit of 70 MPH on certain sections of
I-5, including most of the 120-mile section from Woodland, which
is 20 miles east of Sacramento, to Cottonwood, which is about 15
miles south of Redding.
Existing law also prohibits a person from driving the following
vehicles at speeds in excess of 55 MPH on any roadway:
A motor truck or truck tractor having three or more
axles, including when such a vehicle is pulling a trailer.
A passenger vehicle or bus pulling another vehicle.
A school bus transporting any school pupil.
A farm labor vehicle when transporting passengers.
Any vehicle transporting explosives.
This bill
1. Permits, until January 1, 2016, a person driving a motor
SB 333 (LA MALFA) Page 2
truck or truck tractor having three or more axles or any
motor vehicle pulling a trailer to drive at a speed of up
to five MPH less than the posted speed limit on I-5 north
of Woodland and south of Cottonwood (i.e., at 65 MPH).
2. Requires, by December 31, 2015, Caltrans and CHP to
report to the Legislature on the traffic flow and traffic
safety effects of this change in law.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . The author introduced this bill in response to
complaints about truck traffic causing congestion along I-5 in
northern California. The posted speed limit on the section of
I-5 that this bill covers is currently 70 MPH, but trucks are
restricted to 55 MPH. When one truck passes another or merges
for any reason into the left lane of this two- lane freeway,
vehicles caught behind the truck must slow to 55 MPH. The
author believes that truck traffic would not be an issue if
trucks were allowed to drive at a speed closer to the speed of
other vehicular traffic, rather than 55 MPH. This bill would
result in a speed limit of 65 MPH for trucks and vehicles
pulling trailers on this stretch of I-5. The author included
the 2016 sunset date to provide an opportunity to determine if
I-5 traffic flow does improve as a result of increased speed
limits for trucks and cars with trailers.
2.Safety concerns . As truck speeds increase truck-related
traffic collisions can also increase due to the greater
stopping distances required for higher speeds, leading to
increased injuries and fatalities. CHP notes that currently
the stopping distance for a fully loaded tractor-trailer
(80,000 pounds) traveling at 55 MPH is 323 feet. At 60 MPH
this distance increases to 372 feet, and at 65 MPH, the speed
allowed under this bill, the stopping distance is 425 feet, or
102 feet farther than if the tractor-trailer were traveling at
55 MPH, the speed limit set in existing law.
CHP reports that between 2005 and 2009, unsafe speed was one
of the most frequently reported primary collision factors in
truck-related collisions on I-5 in the four counties (Yolo,
Colusa, Glenn, and Tehama) that this bill covers. In these
collisions, trucks were found at fault 43 percent of the time.
While this shows that other vehicles are mainly at-fault,
trucks accounted for less than a quarter of all traffic on
SB 333 (LA MALFA) Page 3
this stretch of freeway, according to Caltrans data. It could
be argued, therefore, that allowing large trucks and vehicles
with trailers to travel at 65 MPH on this section of I-5 would
exacerbate the number and severity of these collisions.
Still, it is often argued that variations in vehicle speeds on
a roadway causes accidents. Under existing speed limits,
trucks are limited to 55 MPH and cars can go 70 MPH, resulting
in substantially different speeds and perhaps causing some of
the truck-related collisions noted above. This bill would
narrow the speed differential between cars and trucks to five
MPH.
3.Technical amendments .
On page 2, line 15, strike "December" and insert "March"
On page 3, line 13, strike "Shasta" and insert "Tehama,
Glenn, Colusa"
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday, April 20,
2011)
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.