Texas raised the speed limit to 85

Jstas

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7511083.html

AUSTIN, Texas ? The Texas House approved a bill that would allow the speed limit on some highways to be raised to 85 mph, which would be the highest in the nation.

The measure passed Wednesday on a voice vote was part of a larger transportation bill. It would authorize the Texas Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on designated lanes or entire stretches of roadway after doing engineering and traffic studies, the Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.

The Senate is considering a similar bill.

"They have high-speed roadways in Europe, and there could be some merit in having some of those highways in Texas," said Rep. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham, who introduced the bill. "Given the right engineering, we should consider it."

Texas currently has more than 520 miles of interstate highways where the speed limit is 80 mph.

One such stretch of Interstate 10 "is as nice a road as you can build; it's flat with a long line of sight, wide lanes and good shoulders," said Rep. Joe Pickett of El Paso. "For people like us who travel that long distance, it could be good" to raise the limit to 85 mph, he said.

Some auto insurers oppose the measure, citing safety concerns.

"Obviously, the two things that kill most people on our highways are speed and alcohol. Increasing it to 85, or even 75, will have a dramatic impact on the death and injury rate on those highways where it's implemented," said Jerry Johns, a spokesman for the Southwestern Insurance Information Service.

He said drivers already exceed 70 mph highway speed limits.

"But 85 mph is simply too fast to drive even on a flat road. Any little hitch can cause an accident at that speed. There is still traffic on those roads, and to drive 85 mph is simply ludicrous," he said.

The Transportation Department hasn't done the speed and safety analyses of roadways the legislation would require, said department spokeswoman Kelli Petras.

"It would be awesome to travel it, but you'd have to look at the safety and other factors," she said.

Could you imagine that happening in Jersey? Speed limits are more of a suggestion here. You can pass at sign that say 55 MPH on the highway while traveling at 70 MPH and still get passed like you are standing still. If they are already doing 85 on the highway, raising the limit would be like a green light for 120 MPH.

Imagine the Parkway at 120 MPH.

cnh

Yeh, not happening in Jersey!

But on another note, a lot of the vehicles in my state would be 'unsafe' flying around at 85 mph? People up here have to pay a HEAVY excise tax on their vehicles unlike the standard fee most of you pay, the registration is a graduated decrease from the 'original' price of the vehicle up to five years from the original price. Then it remains fixed. Nutty, I know? I've never seen anything like this in all the states I've previously lived in: Pa., N.J. and N.Y.?

But because of the fees people are driving their vehicles to the end of their lifespan and it also does NOT encourage new purchases much. I remember paying close to 400 dollars in registration fees when my wife bought her Prius. And now it's only down to 300 a year?

Drive safe. Unless you have a 'super' vehicle.

cnh

AsSiMiLaTeD

Awesome, was hoping they'd pass that.

Even at those speeds, it'll still take 4 light years to travel from one side of the state to the other...

nooshinjohn

Don't mess with Texas.

bobman1235

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Awesome, was hoping they'd pass that.

Even at those speeds, it'll still take 4 light years to travel from one side of the state to the other...

A light year is a distance, not a time.

Jstas

bobman1235 wrote: »

A light year is a distance, not a time.

Stop nitpicking. Just because YOUR hooptie can't make the Kessel run in less than 7 parsecs doesn't mean no one elses' can!

exalted512

Sweet. We need an autobahn here too.

All the roads around here are still 70 though
-Cody

cokewithvanilla

Finally, a speed limit that is more realistic

TNRabbit

When I was stationed in Turkey back in the late 90s, I hit 148 mph on the autobahn one time in a Volkswagen Jetta....

devani

wish they had more strict law for left lane hoggers in NJ....it's the worst

slk55amg

When I picked up my SLK55 at the factory in 2006, after breakin I was driving at 160mph on the Autobahn, I had to stay in the right lane to allow others to pass me because I was going to slow...........

audiobliss

Wow, I would love to see that happen in so many other areas.

codyc1ark

Seems pretty fast to me, I understand Texas is a very large state, but have you ever seen what happens to a vehicle when wrecked at 70mph plus? Or for that matter, the occupants. I urge everyone next time they are in a full parking lot and walking into a store, look at the tires on most vehicles, do you want someone with bald tires, cords showing, hurling at you (and perhaps your kids) doing 85+?? Scary... Don't send a wrecker, send a spatula.

ViperZ

There is nothing wrong with a higher speed limit. What needs to be improved is drivers' education. You can't just get a license and jump on the highway doing 85+.
German authobahns have no speed limit, and these autobahns are one of the safest roads on Earth. Why? Because people there are properly educated on how to drive, and they obey the rest of the rules on the autobahn (i.e. they do not hog the left lane where cars go close or over 300 km/h). It's a blast driving on the autobahn!

TNRabbit

ViperZ wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with a higher speed limit. What needs to be improved is drivers' education. You can't just get a license and jump on the highway doing 85+.
German authobahns have no speed limit, and these autobahns are one of the safest roads on Earth. Why? Because people there are properly educated on how to drive, and they obey the rest of the rules on the autobahn (i.e. they do not hog the left lane where cars go close or over 300 km/h). It's a blast driving on the autobahn!

^^^^^^^what he said!^^^^^^^^^^

DMara

ViperZ wrote: »

German authobahns have no speed limit, and these autobahns are one of the safest roads on Earth. Why? Because people there are properly educated on how to drive, and they obey the rest of the rules on the autobahn (i.e. they do not hog the left lane where cars go close or over 300 km/h). It's a blast driving on the autobahn!

You need to get your fact straight. It's not because they're properly educated on how to drive; it's because they drink and drive :biggrin: Drink Deuscht beer + drive extremely fast, got to satisfy both conditions to have a blast while being safe :biggrin:

slk55amg

I asked someone at the Mercedes factory, about accidents." We don,t have accidents only casulties"

cstmar01

wooohoo! Now if only slow butt WI could do it that way I can get my cheese faster!

NJ wouldn't be the only one traveling at the speed of light, please include IL drivers. FIBS I tell ya.

maximillian

ViperZ wrote: »

Why? Because people there are properly educated on how to drive, and they obey the rest of the rules on the autobahn (i.e. they do not hog the left lane where cars go close or over 300 km/h). It's a blast driving on the autobahn!

Yup. The exam required to get a license there is really long. It requires people to understand the mechanical portions of the car. As the following link points out, 30% of the people who take the test fail the first time. If you stay there for longer than 6 months you are required to take it.

http://www.howtogermany.com/pages/driving.html

You are right about the left lane... stay out of it unless you intend to go fast and get out as quickly as possible or you may be a hazard to someone else wanting to go 120+mph. Oh, and people are WAY more courteous about the left lane. They pass and they get out of the way, even if you are only going slightly faster than they are. Truly enjoyable driving there.

I rented a car there a while back and traveled with a German colleague. I was doing 75-80 mph initially when he commented that I was going slow. He said normal people go about 90-100 mph, although there were plenty of other cars going slower.

Finally, the cars there can easily go this fast and you can't tell. They hardly vibrate the way many cars here do after you go 70 mph. I had a basic model Mercedes (it was a common man's version) and the engine topped out around 115mph. NO vibrations in the steering wheel. Truly nice.

thuffman03

ViperZ wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with a higher speed limit. What needs to be improved is drivers' education. You can't just get a license and jump on the highway doing 85+.
German authobahns have no speed limit, and these autobahns are one of the safest roads on Earth. Why? Because people there are properly educated on how to drive, and they obey the rest of the rules on the autobahn (i.e. they do not hog the left lane where cars go close or over 300 km/h). It's a blast driving on the autobahn!

Also drivers are not talking on the cell phone, texting, eating, drinking and singing along with the radio. They have complete undivided attention to doing one thing. That is driving the car.

We in the US ignore rules of the road. Heck, today on my way to work I approached an intersection, I had the right of way and she was at a stop sign, and as I approached she pulled out. I had to come to a complete stop or I would have hit her. And she looked at me as if I was in the wrong.

Slinger182

cstmar01 wrote: »

wooohoo! Now if only slow butt WI could do it that way I can get my cheese faster!

NJ wouldn't be the only one traveling at the speed of light, please include IL drivers. FIBS I tell ya.

Damn cheddar headers always just cruisin in the left lane doin 2 miles over the limit.

Joe08867

cnh wrote: »

Yeh, not happening in Jersey!

But on another note, a lot of the vehicles in my state would be 'unsafe' flying around at 85 mph? People up here have to pay a HEAVY excise tax on their vehicles unlike the standard fee most of you pay, the registration is a graduated decrease from the 'original' price of the vehicle up to five years from the original price. Then it remains fixed. Nutty, I know? I've never seen anything like this in all the states I've previously lived in: Pa., N.J. and N.Y.?

But because of the fees people are driving their vehicles to the end of their lifespan and it also does NOT encourage new purchases much. I remember paying close to 400 dollars in registration fees when my wife bought her Prius. And now it's only down to 300 a year?

Drive safe. Unless you have a 'super' vehicle.

cnh

It might not be legal but have you driven on Route 78 or 287 lately. 85mph is child's play. I agree though, some of the cars I see are in pretty bad shape and I would hate to see them go any faster than they do now.

jbooker82

The problem they will have is 3 old geezers trying to pass each other with all them doing 50-55 mph. Then throw in som semi's passing each other at .25mph faster than the other one.


The larger the difference between the posted speed limit and the actual speed your driving creats more road rage.

leroyjr1

cstmar01 wrote: »

wooohoo! Now if only slow butt WI could do it that way I can get my cheese faster!

NJ wouldn't be the only one traveling at the speed of light, please include IL drivers. FIBS I tell ya.

We drive 85-90 mph anyways. Don't need no stinking sign to tell me that.

txcoastal1

I drive 40K-50K a year on these TX Freeways and would not mind this at all, we already maintain these speeds ...at least we now won't have slow downs when DPS is around

Jetmaker737

Higher speed limit makes massive sense. Yeah people including me already go way over the limit. The problem is the left lane campers who feel justified going 60. You can flash 'em, honk, whatever, they won't budge. ****. With a higher limit maybe they lose their self righteousness. And if they don't have the balls to drive fast then they can just move to the right.

ViperZ

Joe08867 wrote: »

It might not be legal but have you driven on Route 78 or 287 lately. 85mph is child's play. I agree though, some of the cars I see are in pretty bad shape and I would hate to see them go any faster than they do now.

Again, as in Europe. Right lane = trucks and slow cars. Middle lane = "average driving", your 85 mph. Left lane = PASSING LANE and really fast cars.

Also, make it a law, like in many many countries, that left lane is the PASSING LANE. Get the eff out of that lane if you're not passing.

But of course, I'm dreaming... We will never get great traffic laws for many reasons... cops feed on speeders, not on left lane hoggers... traffic jams become worse and worse every day, so it doesn't matter what time of day it is, you'll be just standing on some of those highways anyway In Ontario, they made this new law about a year ago. You go 50 km/h over the limit (of 100 km/h), and they take away your car and your license, the fine is up to $10K and up to 6 months in jail...

bobman1235

If you drive through Connecticut (I think) they have signs saying "stay right except to pass." I'm not sure if it's "law" or just a public service sign.

obieone

I wish they'd secede already, the suspense is killing me!

fatchowmein

One of the local radio AM stations mentioned that the 85 mph was meant for west Texas where there's already an 80 mph speed limit. This does open the door for other roads but a careful study is required to make certain cars can travel safely at that speed on the specified route. I'm not expecting the 35 corridor from San Antonio to Dallas to increase from 75 to 85 due to congestion.

RuSsMaN

Sweet, I wonder if the cruise control works at 105 in the Suburban? Scratch that, I wonder if my tires can handle it?