Texas (80mph!), Iowa (70), Indiana(70) Raise Maximum Speed Limit

http://www.thenewspaper.com ^ | 6/20/05 | not stated

[Diddle E. Squat]

Drivers in Texas, Iowa, and Indiana will enjoy higher speed limits next month as legislation raising the top speeds on rural roads takes effect.

On Friday, Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) signed HB 2257 into law making 80 MPH the maximum allowable speed in the state. Rural portions of I-10 and I-20 will enjoy the new top speed, while other rural roads could see the limit rise to 75 MPH. Both the state House and Senate adopted the legislation without opposition last month.

On July 1, a law signed by Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (D) creating a 70 MPH speed limit goes into effect. This new limit better reflects the actual speed of cars on rural highways which averages 69.8 MPH according to sensors embedded into the pavement.

In May, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (R) signed SB 217 into law raising the maximum limit from 65 MPH to 70 MPH in areas with less than 50,000 population. The law also raises the limit for trucks from 60 to 65 MPH, and gives a 10 MPH boost to several roads currently posted at 55 MPH. The state will begin placing the higher-limit signs on July 5.

[rwfromkansas]

Exactly. I would not feel comfortable taking my eyes off the road much at 80 mph, much less eat in the car like some try.

I can barely do it at 30 and usually just have to pull off to the side of the road. I would kill myself trying to eat a burger going 80.

[dc27]

So comparing our highways to the Autobahn is really not a good comparison, IMO.

I drove quite a bit in Germany and never saw a pothole anywhere. The Autobahn is very thick concrete. There is nothing like a Porsche 911 passing you like you were standing still, while you are doing 175kph.

[Peace will be here soon]

"Someone else who thinks government needs to be a nanny?"

Huh, no. Someone who spends quite a bit of time driving on the highways in this country, and knows there are alot of idiots on the road.

""It isn't speed limits that cause problems on the roadways, it is lack of driver training.""

Can`t disagree with you there. But who is suppose to train these drivers, the "nanny state"?

[Petronski]

I find that anything above 80 requires my complete attention, and above 90 is frankly too intense to do for long.


Plus I'm afraid I'll smoke my transmission.

[Socratic]

I never knew a Vette could get such good milage. Good going.

[xrp]

No, there are plenty of driver's training/education classes run by private industry. Completing one of these should be a requirement for obtaining AND RENEWING a license.

[tfecw]

Toss in the German car inspections compared to the American car "inspections" ;)

"Right blinker work? Tail lights work? Okay you pass"

Also if I remember correctly it's/was a heck of a lot harder/expensive to get a license over there. None of this 30 bucks for 7 years stuff.

I'd be interested in what the average person's top speed is when they are driving. I know some asshats are going to bomb down the road where the limit is what their car can do, and grandma and grandpa will putt along at 40 regardless. I've found myself topping out at 80ish regardless of the speed limit. Even down in Texas when it was 75 i think i may have done 85. I honestly couldn't see myself going any faster than that for any sustained length of time. I wonder what the average driver would do?

[RobbyS]

True, and there was, when I was there, a practical limit on speeding. In accidents above 130 Kph, (78), insurance may not pay off.

[Cobra64]

Well, they have done studies on this i believe 55 is the most efficient use of gas. I like the idea of higher speeds but it seems like the wrong time. Maybe if they actually cut the speeds BACK to 55.

And you may want to call Jimmah, put on a sweater, and sign up for the habbitat, wait for the governemnt to tell you where to buy gasoline. The 70's were tee-rific for gasoline rationing weren't they? Now where is Ted, Barbara, and Nancy on this issue?

[VeniVidiVici]

Maybe if they actually cut the speeds BACK to 55 then we could put enough pressure on the politicians to get tough on the Saudis :D

The one good thing about aging 30 years from the last time politicians introduced this insanity, is that I'm a much better shot than I was as a teenager.

[RobbyS]

That can be a problem. You have clusters of cars riding bumper to bumper. Better if lanes on right traveling faster.

[rwfromkansas]

I normally can't stand to go more than 85. It just gets too scary after that for me.

And normally I have to be below 80, even on the interstate.

[tfecw]

"I normally can't stand to go more than 85. It just gets too scary after that for me.

And normally I have to be below 80, even on the interstate."

Speeding tickets are just too expensive to push past 80 ;) I drive from NY to DC a lot so sometimes it gets tiresome. In the People's Rebublik of Maryland i NEVER speed. That place honestly scares the crap out of me. Cops are everywhere. I saw a partially rusted out Ford pull someone over once. They also have those "aggressive driver" laws. I'm also too afraid to change lanes in that state, wouldn't want to be considered "aggressive" ;)

[Cobra64]

It's not an unrealistic issue. If mass needs to move, it takes enregy to move the mass. The Vette I had weighed about 3200 lbs. Even though it had a 5 litre V-8, it takes "X" joules of energy to move that mass. On the other hand, when I shot the car out of the shoot, 0-60 in 6 seconds, then that was a poor use of energy. Bottom-line, fast cars are NOT necearilly fuel monger, unless you drive them in that manner.

[Echo Talon]

Drive steadily at posted speed limits.
Increasing your highway cruising speed from 55mph (90km/h) to
75mph (120km/h) will boost fuel consumption by about 20%.
You can improve your gas mileage about 15% by driving at 55mph
rather than 65mph (104km/h).
Note how quickly efficiency drops after 60 mph

Not sure what site this is, but this is where I found this info eartheasy

[JayNorth]

Better if lanes on right traveling faster.

Exact opposite of how we drove when I lived in Europe, and high speed driving there was a lot safer than in the good ole U.S.A. Everyone there knew that you stayed in the right lane until you were passing. When you got out in the left lane you did your business and pulled back in with no dilly-dallying. There were no "left lane vigilantes".

[Peace will be here soon]

"No, there are plenty of driver's training/education classes run by private industry. Completing one of these should be a requirement for obtaining AND RENEWING a license."

And what are the poor folks suppose to do. They don`t have the money to pay someone to teach them to drive. So average joe taxpayer will have to foot the bill.

Then what if someone fails, they won`t be able to drive. Then they can`t work....... Oh you know the story. I could see the lawyers lining up to take the cases.

We can`t hardly get teachers in this country to take a competency test....... It`ll never happen my friend, never going to happen.

[Jrabbit]

I'm off I-20 in Kaufman Co. They just recently lowered the limit to 60 on this stretch between Dallas and Terrell. It's a training zone for the HP....and they get lots and lots of training!

[Huntress]

Explain how the autobahn is one of the safest roads in the world despite no speed limit at all?

One possibility: German drivers generally don't dart in and out of traffic because the slower drivers stay to the right, instead of cruising along in the passing lane.

[Southack]

"Drivers in Texas, Iowa, and Indiana will enjoy higher speed limits next month as legislation raising the top speeds on rural roads takes effect. On Friday, Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) signed HB 2257 into law making 80 MPH the maximum allowable speed in the state. Rural portions of I-10 and I-20 will enjoy the new top speed, while other rural roads could see the limit rise to 75 MPH. Both the state House and Senate adopted the legislation without opposition last month."

Yes!