Get your motor running, head out on the highway, Texas speed limits going up

[greench440]

At a time when the legislative idiots in my part of the country are lowering speed limits and jacking up fines to cover budget problems, it's nice to see that a small pocket of reasonableness persists.

Texas backs 85mph speed limit.  

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

[Burnspot]

I love this line from the insurance guy mentioned in that article:

"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,"

Has he actually driven across Texas? Seems like any speed is too much for this fella, lol.

[Hoochie Papa]

I would think Insurance companies would be loving it. After all, it is a justifiable reason to hike insurance rates full well knowing the risk factor increase is negligible.

[Rogue]

I love this line from the insurance guy mentioned in that article:

"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,"

Has he actually driven across Texas? Seems like any speed is too much for this fella, lol.

I hope it succeeds.  Go Texas!  

As for that insurance guy, it's obvious he has never driven farther than 12 miles from his suburban home.  He probably obeys every speed limit there is thinking he could die at any moment.  

Any little hitch get kill you at 55 too so WTF does that matter?  Just walk then!

[greench440]

Kansas also raising speed limits!  Hope this becomes a trend and my legislators feel compelled to be like all the other cool kids and raise our speed limits.  I still think there is no hope for Oregon though.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/04/kansas-legislature-approves-75-mph-speed-limit/

The bill also includes a provision to let motorcycles run red lights that refuse to change.

[dorklord]

I hope it succeeds.  Go Texas!  

As for that insurance guy, it's obvious he has never driven farther than 12 miles from his suburban home.  He probably obeys every speed limit there is thinking he could die at any moment.  

Any little hitch get kill you at 55 too so WTF does that matter?  Just walk then!

Have you SEEN what can happen when your sneaker catches a crack in the sidewalk at full walk?

[Rincewind]

Are you listening, Pennsylvania???    We are a 65mph State.    

[Justin]

Are you listening, Pennsylvania???    We are a 65mph State.    

I pity you  

I'm so used to the 75 MPH and 80 MPH limits out west here, it seems so slow going 65 anymore.

And what's the big deal about 85 MPH? Only 5 faster than 80.. was riding I-70 in Utah on the weekend and the limit is 80, and I didn't see cars flying off the road, or disintegrating when the came across any little "hitch".

[Cablebandit]

Are you listening, Pennsylvania???    We are a 65mph State.    

We're also broke.  I'm surprised they haven't lowered it to raise revenue via ticketing.

[mcb]

wow, as a Kansas native living in Texas, both of those stories make me happy.  Also, the Kansas bit about not reporting tickets under 85mph to insurance companies pretty much removes any monetary concerns I had for obeying limits when I'm traveling through my home state.  I one time 200-300 dollar ticket doesn't bother me as much as raised insurance for 3 years.  

[DataDan]

From the Houston Chronicle article linked above:

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.
In 2002 some Texas limits were raised from 70 to 75mph, and in 2006 80mph became legal on a few roads. From a Fox News story about the latter outrage:

"This will result in more deaths. The research is pretty clear about that," said Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "You get someplace faster but at what cost?"
Fatal crashes have been declining steadily for many years--in the US and in Texas--for reasons that probably have nothing to do with speed limits or speed enforcement. But with increasingly high limits in Texas, the insurance industry geniuses quoted above would surely expect a greater percentage of the carnage on high-speed freeways. This chart shows the percentage of fatal crashes in Texas on roadways with a speed limit of 70 or more.

[scottzilla]

I've driven in Texas numerous times and determined ANY speed is dangerous for Texans.

[Rogue]

I'm sure they don't advertise it but collisions in the German Autobahns are pretty horrific.  When it happens at high speed there is usually nothing left but debris.  That is just fact.  People make mistakes and shit happens.  It's physics and you can't change that.

Raising the speed limits to 80-85 in rural areas where there is nothing around for miles just lessens the gap from the limit to what is the "natural" limit imposed by conditions to the average motorist.  If on average, people are doing 80 in a 65 then it's usually an indication that the road and conditions allow those speeds.  Yes the margin for error is smaller at 80.  The answer is to increase or improve driver's training.

It's not the speed limit that will improve safety, it's Driver's Training.  No amount of cops and 55 mph is going to help us more than improved and frequent Driver's Training, backed up with reasonable and smart speed laws and enforcement.

Right now, our speed enforcement is based on revenue generation.  Everyone knows it and everyone involved in this system is indirectly "on the take" on it.  From cities, counties, States, courthouses, insurance companies, etc.  

You know why the insurance companies are against it?  Because traffic citations will go down and they will have no reason to raise your rates.  Fooking blood sucking lawyers and thieves!  

[Fourstring]

I pity you  

I'm so used to the 75 MPH and 80 MPH limits out west here, it seems so slow going 65 anymore.

Chicago's 'burbs are all 55 mph.  I defy anybody to drive that speed and live.

We took a recent family vacation to Georgia; once we got out of IL it was surreal to see other cars going 80 like it was no big deal.

[J-Mac]

Making it legal to shoot the people merging onto the Interstate at 20 MPH will weed out the problem pretty quick.

[county]

The thing about speed limits is they are kinda irrelevant to a lot of us.

[Smoker]

Are you listening, Pennsylvania???    We are a 65mph State.    

Never stopped you from triple digits.

[Kneescrubber]

This is only a 5 mph increase of what is already in place. The only areas this will affect will be sections of I-10 between Sonora and El Paso and sections of I-20 between Midland and El Paso. I really don't get the big brew-ha-ha.  

[Kneescrubber]

The thing about speed limits is they are kinda irrelevant to a lot of us.

Correct. They are merely a suggestion.  

[Andrew]

Making it legal to shoot the people merging onto the Interstate at 20 MPH will weed out the problem pretty quick.

I am with you on that