A House panel yesterday endorsed Gov. Parris N. Glendening's proposal to raise the speed limit to 65 mph, but opposed a ban on radar detectors that the administration wanted tied to the higher limit.
The Commerce and Government Matters Committee voted to strip the ban, and tough new penalties for speeders, from Mr. Glendening's proposal to increase the speed limit on 271 miles of rural interstate highways.
Still, Bonnie A. Kirkland, the governor's chief lobbyist, said she was pleased by the panel's endorsement.
"The governor is confident that the full House and Senate will pass this and, if radar detectors don't make it this year, we'll take another look at that in the future," she said.
However, highway safety advocates mourned the loss of the radar detector ban and a measure that would have helped police enforce the mandatory seat belt law.
"We will see an increase in deaths and injuries, no doubt about it," said Jacqueline S. Gillan, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. "You can repeal the speed limit, but you can't repeal the law of physics."
Ms. Gillan also was disappointed by an action yesterday by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, which killed a measure that would have allowed police to stop motorists who are not wearing seat belts. Currently, officers can only write tickets for seat belt violations if they first stop motorists for other infractions.
The 65-mph proposal now goes to the House floor. In past years, bills to increase the speed limit have faced one major roadblock: former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who vetoed or threatened to veto similar legislation every year since 1991.
Mr. Glendening began pushing the higher speed limit in his State of the State address last month.
Members of Commerce and Government Matters argued yesterday that the safeguards -- originally proposed by the State Highway Administration and safety advocates -- were unnecessary intrusions upon motorists.
Bruce C. Bereano, a lobbyist for radar detector manufacturers, has described radar detectors as safety devices that make motorists more aware of their speeds -- an argument repeated by Del. John S. Arnick, a Democrat from Dundalk, during the committee's debate.
Del. John S. Morgan, a Laurel Republican who opposed the ban, said, "This isn't just about speeding . . . people should be allowed to have technology that puts them at least on par with government surveillance."
The sponsor of the amendment that stripped out the radar-detector ban was Del. John F. Wood Jr., a St. Mary's County Democrat and the committee vice-chairman.
"I don't think [radar detectors] have anything to do with . . . 55 mph vs. 65 mph," Mr. Wood said.
The Senate voted, 40-6, yesterday to require motorists to turn their headlights on whenever they use windshield wipers. The Commerce and Government Matters Committee endorsed a similar proposal, on a 15-6 vote, sending it to the floor of the House.