Texas Considers Highest Speed Limit in Nation
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Most parts of Texas limit speeds to 70 mph but have slower limits in and around cities and communities of over 100K people. The real grip that many drivers have in Texas is that the roads that have the 70 mph speed limits only apply during the day and they reduced the speed to 65 mph at night. So along Texas highways you will see a white sign with black 70 mph and another sign just below it that is black with a white 65 mph on it.
Some lawmakers want to get ride of the day/night speed limits and lift the limit from 70 to 75mph and some want to go up to 80 and 85 mph. The unpopulated areas in Western Texas have some 80 mph speed limits which some law makers want to raise to 85 mph.
Of course, 75-80 mph is the normal traffic flow on most of the Interstates now...If they increase the speed, the traffic will just go even faster...like 85 and 90 mph.
...Rich
Some lawmakers want to get ride of the day/night speed limits and lift the limit from 70 to 75mph and some want to go up to 80 and 85 mph. The unpopulated areas in Western Texas have some 80 mph speed limits which some law makers want to raise to 85 mph.
Of course, 75-80 mph is the normal traffic flow on most of the Interstates now...If they increase the speed, the traffic will just go even faster...like 85 and 90 mph.
...Rich
TomT
Well-Known Member
This is mostly for roads in far out in West Texas where you can go a hundred miles between towns.
EddieS'04
In Memoriam 1950-2022
Thats funny Richard. Tell that to middle aged Texas women in suburbans and tahoes. I have been doing 75 in the slow lane. Had to take the break down lane to save my rear bumper...LOL
Maybe the law is sponsored by one of them...LOL
Eddie,
That's funny but I know what you mean...that's why I said people are still driving at 75-80 mph with the current posted speed limits.
Back in 1994 I was driving to Dallas because my granddaughter was having liver transplant surgery (2nd in 2 days) and it was down to the last minutes if she was going to live long enough to get the surgery. I was driving (with my flashers on) at 90+ mph for the last 35-40 miles and was shocked that I was being passed by the normal traffic on the Stemmons Freeway going past Dealy Plaza !!!...I guess I was holding them up? bottom line, my granddaughter got the transplant and everything worked out fine.
...Rich
That's funny but I know what you mean...that's why I said people are still driving at 75-80 mph with the current posted speed limits.
Back in 1994 I was driving to Dallas because my granddaughter was having liver transplant surgery (2nd in 2 days) and it was down to the last minutes if she was going to live long enough to get the surgery. I was driving (with my flashers on) at 90+ mph for the last 35-40 miles and was shocked that I was being passed by the normal traffic on the Stemmons Freeway going past Dealy Plaza !!!...I guess I was holding them up? bottom line, my granddaughter got the transplant and everything worked out fine.
...Rich
Kevin Lang
Well-Known Member
I ponder why interstates even need speed limits. These roads are designed to get from point a to point b as fast as possible.
My only gripe with this is that having to go that fast will be murder on my MPG.
Cops pulling over a car on an interstate for "speeding" is far more dangerous to the public than traffic going a few MPH over the limit. Rubbernecking kills.
Speed traps often beget more speeding, as once cars get out of the "rubberneck zone" and pick up speed, people seem to go faster to make up for the time lost.
Also, most states have laws that all motorists must get out of the lane closest to a police car on the shoulder. Even at the 65 mph speed limit, a forced merge like that is extremely dangerous, especially as most cops pull people over on the right hand side of the road, forcing slower traffic to merge into faster traffic.
Most interstates are 2 lanes. Suddenly loosing one of them is very unsafe.
My only gripe with this is that having to go that fast will be murder on my MPG.
Cops pulling over a car on an interstate for "speeding" is far more dangerous to the public than traffic going a few MPH over the limit. Rubbernecking kills.
Speed traps often beget more speeding, as once cars get out of the "rubberneck zone" and pick up speed, people seem to go faster to make up for the time lost.
Also, most states have laws that all motorists must get out of the lane closest to a police car on the shoulder. Even at the 65 mph speed limit, a forced merge like that is extremely dangerous, especially as most cops pull people over on the right hand side of the road, forcing slower traffic to merge into faster traffic.
Most interstates are 2 lanes. Suddenly loosing one of them is very unsafe.
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KL,
Most of what you said is probably true. But I really don't think most speed laws have anything to do with safety...It's all about revenue for the state.
If the Texas highways are deemed to be safe to drive at 80 or 85 mph, why were the same highways considered unsafe at 75 mph now?...Nothing changed but the speed limit sign??
...Rich
Most of what you said is probably true. But I really don't think most speed laws have anything to do with safety...It's all about revenue for the state.
If the Texas highways are deemed to be safe to drive at 80 or 85 mph, why were the same highways considered unsafe at 75 mph now?...Nothing changed but the speed limit sign??
...Rich
Mark K 2
Well-Known Member
I'd hate to HAVE to do at least 85 mph on I-35 between DFW and Austin. That section of interstate is the most nerve-wracking that I've ever driven. Four lanes worth the traffic crammed into two lanes doing bumper-to-bumper at 75 mph. Nuts.
Jacob Dryer
Well-Known Member
A speed limited increase doesn't mean you have to increase your speed beyond what you are comfortable with.. drive the minimum just stay the hell out of the left lane if you are going to do it.
JDBoxes,
Easier said then done. I live near I-35 and Waco is right in the middle between Dallas and Austin, right where Mark is talking about. If you do not keep up with the flow of traffic you will get run over. You will have 18 wheelers 2 ft from your back bumper going 75 mph and tapping their air brakes. You can blame the driver of the 18 wheeler, but if you are not keeping up with the flow of traffic, you become the safety problem. One of the first things I learned when I started to drive was to keep up with the flow of traffic....you are not on the road to enforce the speed limit.
...Rich
Easier said then done. I live near I-35 and Waco is right in the middle between Dallas and Austin, right where Mark is talking about. If you do not keep up with the flow of traffic you will get run over. You will have 18 wheelers 2 ft from your back bumper going 75 mph and tapping their air brakes. You can blame the driver of the 18 wheeler, but if you are not keeping up with the flow of traffic, you become the safety problem. One of the first things I learned when I started to drive was to keep up with the flow of traffic....you are not on the road to enforce the speed limit.
...Rich
Kevin Lang
Well-Known Member
True, and it makes no sense. The state--all 50 of 'em--seem to count on getting revenue from speeders. That's a varying source of income, but the budget seems to accept it as a God-granted constant, and cops are forced to try and make it one. And we, literally, pay the price for it.
Though most of the issues I have with the speed-trap system would be solved by cameras. The camera doesn't jump into high-speed traffic to pull people over. The camera doesn't force a lane of a major highway to spontaneously close. The camera doesn't put officers at risk. The camera doesn't have to be called in to court.
I don't like cameras, but if this speeding BS has to happen, the mobile camera seems a better solution than the outdated cop on the side of the road method.
I agree with that. If you don't want to go the speed of traffic, don't get in that traffic. It's easier to accept your own limitations and deal with them, then to force everyone else to accept your limitations (in this case, driving slower).
gary s
Well-Known Member
speed limit or not.
imo, florida has the highest speed driven. i.e: I-75/95
imo, florida has the highest speed driven. i.e: I-75/95
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
Still, I have been singled out at least two times and gotten a speeding ticket when simply "going the same speed as the traffic around me.". Both times I was told that is not a lawful excuse.
TJR
TJR
Joke: A cop pulls a guy over for speeding. The guy says, "but officer I was just trying to keep up with the other traffic". The cops says, "Sir, there was no other traffic around you"...The guy replies, "Well that just shows you how far behind I am". :grin:
...Rich
...Rich
Nelson Atwell
Well-Known Member
I remember one time on I-15, between LA and Las Vegas, going 95 mph and the traffic was still passing me. Montana doesn't have a speed limit on many roads, so I don't know how Texas could have faster.
Contrary to popular belief, Germany does have speed limits on autobahns. Most of the time it is marked 100-130 kph. On the stretches which have "unlimited" speed limit, you can still be cited for unsafe driving during certain conditions (weather, road conditions, poor vehicle condition to include improper tires for the speed.). Additionally, most insurance companies won't cover damages when driving over 130 kph, no matter who is at fault.
Contrary to popular belief, Germany does have speed limits on autobahns. Most of the time it is marked 100-130 kph. On the stretches which have "unlimited" speed limit, you can still be cited for unsafe driving during certain conditions (weather, road conditions, poor vehicle condition to include improper tires for the speed.). Additionally, most insurance companies won't cover damages when driving over 130 kph, no matter who is at fault.
Nelson,
I think Montana dropped their "No Speed Limit" down to 80 MPH because of all the confusion caused by the law and people getting ticketed by the police for driving too fast for road/traffic conditions.
I agree that Germany has a lot of speed limits on sections of the autobahn, particularly around larger cities and towns. Yes it is true that police can ticket you for driving too fast for road conditions, etc. That's always been true even here in the USA.
I think you are wrong on the insurance companies not covering damages if you drive over 130 kpm. That is one of the rumors that was passed on to US military personell when I was there. They also said that if you did not wear a seatbelt, insurance companies did not have to pay for your medical treatment for injuries...All of that was false then, and probably false now. I know of a number of Germans and Americans who were involved in accidents while driving faster than 130kph, and others who were not wearing seat belts and their insurance still covered everything..probably faster than most US insurance companies.
I do know that I heard that some auto rental insurance would not cover damages to rental cars if you drove too fast (don't recall the exact speed).
...Rich
I think Montana dropped their "No Speed Limit" down to 80 MPH because of all the confusion caused by the law and people getting ticketed by the police for driving too fast for road/traffic conditions.
I agree that Germany has a lot of speed limits on sections of the autobahn, particularly around larger cities and towns. Yes it is true that police can ticket you for driving too fast for road conditions, etc. That's always been true even here in the USA.
I think you are wrong on the insurance companies not covering damages if you drive over 130 kpm. That is one of the rumors that was passed on to US military personell when I was there. They also said that if you did not wear a seatbelt, insurance companies did not have to pay for your medical treatment for injuries...All of that was false then, and probably false now. I know of a number of Germans and Americans who were involved in accidents while driving faster than 130kph, and others who were not wearing seat belts and their insurance still covered everything..probably faster than most US insurance companies.
I do know that I heard that some auto rental insurance would not cover damages to rental cars if you drove too fast (don't recall the exact speed).
...Rich
