Texas Allows 85 mph Speeds

The Texas House passed a bill that allows speed limits to be as high as 85 mph in certain areas. Texas is now the fastest state in the union.

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In the late 1990s, Montana earned the name “Montanabahn” after replacing daytime speed limits with a recommendation of “reasonable and prudent”, prompting visitors from around the country and the world to sample Montana’s high-speed interstates. Tickets were typically issued in Montana for speeds exceeding 100mph, and speed limits were valid and enforced at night.

In 2006 I flew to Los Angeles to buy a 1990 Infiniti Q45 and drove it home to St Louis. The first-generation Q, with its 280hp V8 and shark-nosed aerodynamics, was an outstanding high speed cruiser. I soared through west Texas and noticed that despite an 80mph speed limit, most passenger cars were safely traveling at 90-100mph during the daytime.

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I-40 through Texas is wide open, barren, and sparsely populated, with flat, wide, and well-maintained stretches of highway. Visibility is excellent thanks to clear skies and flat earth, and population density is low.

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Above: I-40, Texas

Compare that to Illinois, an equally rural state with flat, empty stretches of highway, where the speed limit is a paltry 65 mph with heavy enforcement.

Lower maximum speed limits make sense in congested areas like the northeast corridor or within city limits, but Illinois, outside of Chicagoland, is a bland, characterless expanse of corn and nothingness. I grew up there, so I know.

Meanwhile, Missouri and Indiana, which both neighbor Illinois, have speed limits as high as 70 mph.

See the National Motorist Association’s position on reasonable and realistic speed limits.

Interactive Map of State Speed Limits:
http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/us-speed-limits-map-by-state/

Texas Approves 85 MPH Speed Limit, The Fastest State In America:
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/04/texas-approves-85-mph-speed-limit-the-fastest-state-in-america.html

4 Responses to Texas Allows 85 mph Speeds

  1. Matt Beazer says:

    It’sa red state… you’re free to kill yourself out of stupidity, but God frowns on you killing yourself on purpose so that’s illegal.

    Illinois is Democrat land, at least Chicago, and speed kills, dontcha know? They have to save you from yourself, unless you’re terminally ill and want to wack yourself!

    Some day we’ll have no “liberals” or “conservatives” and we will make laws based on common sense and personal liberty rather than what political or religious bent our politicians pretend to be. All politicians are faking their personal convictions, pretending to be what they think the people want.

    Underneath they’re all scum sucking, lying, cheating, money hungry narcissistic whores to power who would sell their children to whatever evil being they pretend to scorn for an extra buck or smidgin of power.

  2. Ian says:

    Why does this photo look like it’s from 1967?

  3. jesda says:

    Someone let a hipster handle the photography

  4. jesda says:

    Matt: I agree 100%

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