It’s no coincidence that when Kansas lawmakers increased the speed limit on most major four-lane highways and interstates from 70 mph to 75 mph on July 1, they left Kansas Highway 10 off the list.

The commuter highway linking Johnson County to Lawrence is a dangerous, and too often deadly, stretch of roadway. The Kansas Highway 10 safety committee was shown statistics last week that 15 percent of K-10 drivers travel faster than 77 mph within the 70 mph speed limit zones. There is also concern about the number of drivers sending text messages as they travel, frequently taking their eyes off the road to look at their phones.

As the first recommendation from the group — made up of Douglas and Johnson county officials and residents and formed by Gov. Sam Brownback to study whether the state should put cable median barriers along the highway — it will ask the Legislature to designate the stretch of K-10 as a highway safety corridor. State transportation officials in Washington, New Mexico and Virginia said highway safety corridors have helped reduce crashes and save lives along dangerous stretches.

In New Mexico, department of transportation spokeswoman Megan Arredondo said the state saw 275 fewer crashes, or a 28 percent reduction, from 2001 to 2008 in its 12 safety corridors for areas that have a high number of injuries and deaths. Law enforcement has the authority to double fines on drivers who speed in the areas.

Highway safety officials in other states urged Kansas to get input from the community and law enforcement agencies before setting up a highway safety corridor that could include more signs warning drivers, extra traffic patrols and increased fines. Still, when he heard a description of K-10 between Lawrence and the suburban Kansas City area, the head of a safety corridor in Virginia said he thought it could be a good candidate to become a safety corridor.

Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, said at last week’s K-10 safety committee meeting he intends to propose legislation in January and seek bipartisan support for creating a K-10 safety corridor.

A danger persists along K-10 and perhaps such a safety corridor can help address the problem. It should at least be considered.