Texas Highway Could Be First in Nation With 85 MPH Speed Limit

It is easy for young drivers and legislators to cheer speed limits requiring extremely fast reflexes. The reality is that older drivers pay taxes and have a right to "see the USA", including Texas. Extremely high speed limits mean that many drivers will exceed it by 10 to 15 mph regardless.

All of todays younger drivers, assuming they survive, will "get there turn" as they advance chronologically and will then be disadvantaged by the ones coming up behind them. I guess there is some justice in that.

There goes your fuel economy. But I'd still rather get where I'm going faster than worry I just got 2 mpg lower trying to get there.

Higher speed limits do not require you to travel at that speed. You can still do the same speed you are currently traveling.

This, pretty much:

a) Driving lessons in Germany are based on a four-year graduated licensing programme, and each level requires *months* of training and classes on a level akin to that of a professional driving course (not as in "defensive driving" but more of the sort of training race drivers would take).

b) Driving licensure and lessons in Germany aren't cheap--the cost to get a license in Germany is around $1000 (and no, discounts are NOT given for reasons of low income). There are also yearly MANDATORY car inspections upon renewal of registration and other costs that make driving...rather pricier than in the US (and this isn't even counting the cost of diesel fuel in Germany versus the US).

c) That said--a vehicle is not an absolute necessity in Germany; unlike most of the US outside of big cities like Chicago or New York, Germany actually HAS a functional public transport system (including buses, trams, light rail, subways, and high-speed rail) where it's possible to get from one part of the country to another without a car.

You hate it ?? try driving a large r v and have them pull in front of you and slow !!!

Except that anything much below 10-15 mph the prevailing speed limit is a hazard to both you and the other traffic.

Everyone has an equal use of the public roads. If the limit is 80 as in parts of UT,and soon 85 in parts of TX, RVs and trucks should keep right, respecting those that want to travel faster. Good professional drivers will see faster traffic in the left and wait before passing. Like any group, some are jerks that think they own the road and can block faster traffic for miles as they pass multiple vehicles or pull out in front of faster traffic, requiring those in the left to react quickly.

In addition, any time I'm traveling below the limit by 5 or more, I have my hazard lights flashing as well. Good way to indicate to people coming up behind you that you are traveling slower than expected.

In different parts of Canada I've noticed the speed differentials to be quite large, and safe at the same time. One night I was traveling through at around 80 mph, and passed by some traffic that was doing maybe 60 mph (don't recall the kph). I completed my pass and moved over, to then be passed by someone doing around 100 mph. At no point in time did it feel unsafe, just keep right and look before switching lanes when passing.

In general, Canadians are superior drivers compared to the US. They actually use turn signals, keep right except to pass, stop at red lights, don't talk or text as often, etc.....

Surprised it hasn't been said yet: EVERYTHING's bigger in Texas!

In some countries in Europe, using your hazard lights when there is no real hazard is illegal.
I'm not sure why, but it apparently creates a ... hazard.

Would love to take a drive on this road one day...

It is required to use if you are below by a certain amount in many places. I don't recall what it is, I think I've seen then number around 15 mph below the speed limit.

There was a study done many years ago by NHTSA where they determined that the speed limits on most US roads were set artificially low. That same study showed that the posted speed limit had very little effect on the prevailing travel speed, that MOST people would drive at speeds they find to be reasonable and prudent. As I recall, the lowest accident rate was experienced by those traveling in the upper speed percentile of the group, with higher accident rates experienced by those in the 95th percentile and above, while the highest accident rate was experienced by those traveling at the lowest speeds.

If the speed limits are set by monitoring prevailing travel speed and setting them to a certain percentile (85%?) as they used to, there would likely be less speed differential which can pose a real danger.

I guess I'll have to find an actual link to the study before JGermann jumps all over me.

That said, I'd like to see some additional driver training/demonstration of proficiency requirements to go along with higher speed limits here in the USA. Perhaps not as rigorous as Germany's driver standards but certainly requiring more skills than being able to parallel-park your car.

- Phil

I would love to see more stringent licensing, rather than the standard entitlement to a license. I would also be in favor of a retest every 5-10 years, both written and a driving portion.

In Arizona the license plate is based upon the value of the vehicle and age being reduced each year by 15% making the driving of a 10 year old car plates cheap transportion especially to those that may not be able to afford new tires every few years.

At high speeds 4 year old tires are just waiting to blow especially in the desert areas. Although any tire may have a defect or be underinflated. To many times I have seen clunkers passing me 20 plus mph over the limit with a family in the vehicle.

Not sure is a good idea, however on I8 from San diego to Yuma and beyond I often think about it.

Wish they'd raise some of the PSL's here in NY. Maybe not 85 but some of the old 55's should go to at least 65.

What is this, the Texas autobahn?

It has to many wild hogs on it at the southern end to be traveling at that speed. Hit a hog and its adios. It is also a toll road.

I totally agree with you. A national speed limit of 55mph would save so many lives and might eventually reduce the price of gas as consumption drops. But I'm sure most people who advocate 85mph are not impressed with reducing highway fatalities.

I could swear that last fall when I took the 130 toll road around Austin, Tx that the speed limit was 85.

A national speed limit of 35 would save even more lives and save even more gas. Then again, we could quit giving licenses to people just because they have a pulse and save a lot more.

You are correct, this is an old thread, the speed limit went into effect in Oct. 2012.

then I am all for it !!!!

If anything goes wrong with a tire, gators in the road, etc the ability to recover is greatly reduced at extreme speeds.
Also, remember older drivers pay taxes too, probably more than the young ones and deserve to be on the road. 85 mph is for the selfish youth who do not understand they will get there turn, unless they cut their life short by death.
...AND this includes texting and driving. I do not think most understand just how fast you can veer off the road as the speed get up there, or just how quickly you can murder the driver in front of you with you while texting.
Come on folks, think about the other guy on the road just for once. That other person on my road my be your family member and someone just like you kills them.

With billions of folks around the earth we could use a few more population control measures like this... Plus ~10mph and your getting mighty close to the triple digit area.

Finaly I can Install the WORP DRIVE on my car

"Don B" said in part...

You are mainly right... but also somewhat wrong.

Years ago, as a volunteer fireman, I worked many a accident scene in which some of the vehicles were literally torn in half (with the two pieces being yards apart)... yet the driver was standing there with just a few bumps and bruises.

On the other hand, there were times when we rolled up on the scene we saw very little, if any, damage to the vehicle... yet someone was deceased inside.

Accidents are funny things. Sometimes the one that has the worst damage has no injuries... while the scratch and dent one was otherwise.

Nuvi1300WTGPS

Thank that would be too fast for me... so I'll be the gal in the right lane.

85 MPH is awful close to the design limit of most tires. As the speed increases, the temperature of the tire increases and pressure builds. Exceed or run at the design speed for some distance and you are in danger of a blowout. Blowouts at 85 MPH would have disastrous effects on 99% of the drivers (and no, you are not part of the 1% as those are drivers having high-speed handling training),

Big deal, you save a few minutes on a trip, burn more fuel, and if you would be unfortunate enough to get in an accident what are the odds you live to see another day.

There was no gas shortage in the '70s, there was a price shortage. People who were around then should know that.

My Passat gets around 45 MPG at around 80 MPH, I'd be content with dropping to low 40s at 85 mph.

We have 80 mph now in Utah

The I15 between Fillmore and St. George has been 80 MPH for several years now. That stretch is suitable for high speeds.

I tried going that fast once but I was still getting passed by everyone I figure that 70 - 75 MPH will get me where I want go.

That must indicate how quickly people want to leave the wildfire areas!!

Fred

No 80 in Bama.

In Germany the general level of obeying the law is much higher, and accidents tend to be fatal. Imho I see many people who still drive with hands at 10 and 2, despite being instructed not to do so since 1992. 85 limits means traffic will be moving at 95-100. Not good nor safe for the general public.

My sis in laws 2014 failed at 700 miles. She calls it made in TN junk. Well she uses another word for junk! TDI haha over $4 per gal that's bad math

It does seem that no matter what the speed limit is, traffic, in general, will be moving 10 mph over it.

The first time I drove I-10 in west Texas I passed a gas station with a half tank of gas figuring I didn't need to stop right then. It was after dark and I was running on fumes when I hit the next station.

Regarding the guy from Hawaii, wouldn't you think it would be cheaper to rent a car than paying freight to have one shipped both ways? Unless the guy was moving here.

Let those body parts fly.

where a blind man could drive 85 safely...here on the east coast we really have no concept of straight and flat when it comes to road

…on the state road in front of my house when the cops aren't looking. Coulduse a speed camera, what?

Where is the bad math? $4.00 a gal and my TDI gets just under 50MPG. Your gasoline powered car gets what maybe 30MPG and your paying approximately $3.50 a gallon for regular. On a 1000 mile trip I go through 20 gallons of diesel that cost me $80. In that same 1000 mile trip you go through 33.3 gallons of regular for a total cost of $116.67.

The bonus for us Canadians, at least in the west coast, is that our diesel prices are usually within a penny or 2 of the cost of REGULAR gas, and thats a penny or 2 LESS than regular. In the US diesel often costs more than PREMIUM.

Thanks for doing the math for me, I was too lazy to type it out Where I live, diesel is $4.15, and I believe unleaded is.... $3.85? I don't know of of any gas cars that can get excellent mileage at higher rates of speed, they seem to drop dramatically at higher rates. I have seen as high as 60 mpg, although not very often.

On a side note, the car can get about 700 miles to a tank. Sounds to me like an unfortunate mis-fueling or bad fuel...

We just came off a 4.5 month trip covering some 18,000 miles in the US, and what you're posting was not my universal experience. In Illinois where we started and some other states, no question, what you say is true. But in many of the other states with the 75 mph and especially the states with the 80 mph and even 85 mph limits, particularly in the southwest, no. There are always a very few nutballs, and we saw some of them that passed us at 90+ pulled over down the road. But generally speaking, when the speed limit is high, the great majority of drivers we saw obeyed it either literally or no more than 3 mph over. And when you see the locals doing it in-state, you know it's because ticketing 10-mph-over-the-limit, when observed by police, is strict.

Maybe I'm getting too old but that sounds too high and I don't even drive around Texas. Maybe years ago, I would say it sounds good but with all the distractions available now while driving, faster and faster speeds just means less reaction time.

Keep on truckin'