In this undated photo provided by the Utah Department of Transportation a worker installs a highway sign. Utah is increasing the speed limit to 80 mph on several stretches of highways around the state. The state legislature approved the new, faster zones during the last session. The change was spurred by a Utah Department of Transportation study that found that fewer crashes occurred on the existing stretches of highway with 80 mph speed limits. The new fast zones include Interstate 80 from the Nevada border to Utah Route 36 in eastern Utah and Interstate 15 from Brigham City to the Idaho border in northern Utah. Speeds will also be increased on Interstate 15 between Santaquin and North Leeds in central-southern Utah. The 75 mph zones remain on that stretch through two mountain passes and Cedar City. (AP Photo/Utah Department of Transportation)

A bill to add more stretches of highway in Utah with a speed limit of 80 miles-per-hour is closer to becoming law. A senate committee sent the bill to the full chamber for a vote Wednesday. The bill allows Utah’s transportation department to decide what highway sections to increase speed limits.

Representative Lee Perry, R-District 29, is also a Utah Highway Patrol Trooper. On a <a href=”http://610kvnu.com/assets/podcaster/328/2014_01_24_328_18333_2867.mp3″ target=”_blank”>recent KVNU Crosstalk program</a>, Perry said he has mixed emotions about it because he admits that as a citizen it would be nice to be able to drive a little faster when you get out in the wide open spaces heading for some place like Wendover. But on the other side he sees the crashes.

“If people are wearing seatbelts and driving consciously and really paying attention, obviously with bad weather and things like that slowing down, I can live with it. We can live with those situations if people take responsibility for their actions.”

But Perry said he would hate to see an 80-mile-per-hour speed limit going through Salt Lake County.