TRENTON — A lawmaker from Monmouth County thinks it's time for the state to re-examine the speed limits on major highways, but he wants politicians to stay out of the decision-making process.

"Speed limits should be set solely on sound engineering criteria, not the hunches of lay persons," Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said in a statement issued this afternoon.

O'Scanlon said his statements that were aired on WCBS radio in New York earlier today were taken out of context, making it appear he supports raising the speed limit to 75 mph on the state's two busiest highways: the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway.

In a phone interview with The Star-Ledger, the Assemblyman said he supports speed limits that can safely handle traffic, but he believes it's up to engineers and other experts to decide what is a safe speed.

Based on previous traffic studies, he said, it's likely experts would determine a safe speed for the Turnpike and Parkway would be 70 to 75 mph.

“We should never have the situation where observance of a given traffic law makes you a serious hazard to yourself and others,” O’Scanlon said. “But that’s what’s currently happening. Almost every section of the Parkway, where the posted limit is 55 miles per hour, is actually designed to safely handle speed limits of 65 to 75 miles per hour. And these are the speeds 80 to 90 percenttof motorists are driving anyway. That is the case around the world, people naturally drive at reasonably, safe and prudent speeds.”

In his radio interview, O'Scanlon said raising the speed limit on the Turnpike and Parkway would cut down on accidents because vehicles would be traveling at closer to the same speed, thus decreasing the number of lane changes.

"You only have crashes and accidents when you have people overtaking other people," O'Scanlon told WCBS radio. O'Scanlon said he consulted with traffic engineers and studies before reaching his conclusion.

O'Scanlon also contends that a higher speed limit will make it less likely that police will arbitrarily pull over drivers.

A personal injury attorney quoted by WCBS disagreed strongly, saying that collisions will undoubtedly rise if vehicles are allowed to travel faster.

While most of the Garden State Parkway has a 65 mph limit, the top legal speed is 55 mph in some areas.

A bill that would change the speed limit hasn't been introduced in either the Assembly or Senate.

O'Scanlon is a co-sponsor of a bill that would double fines for motorists who fail to keep right. The Assembly passed that bill in June, but it is not yet law.

Star-Ledger staff writer Len Melisurgo contributed to this report.

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