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March 10, 1999 1:38 PM, EST

A panel created by the Louisiana Legislature recommended lawmakers force trucks to drive 5 mph slower than cars on all multilane highways.

The final report of the Council on Automobile Insurance Rates and Enforcement did not sit well with all of its participants.

Five of the nine members agreed with state police Capt. Danny Baxter that, "A slower truck is a safer truck."

Texas and Arkansas have such laws and they work, said David Chozen of the Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission.

However, the rest of the council, including Tom O’Neal, owner of a trucking company; Kay Covington, a staffer with the Office of Motor Vehicles; and Jim Champagne, an employee of the state highway safety commission, voted against slowing down truckers.

Champagne said his commission wants trucks to drive slower than cars, but there is no evidence that slower trucks are safer.

The report will be sent to the legislature, where debate on the issue is expected to begin in April.