Speed limits across the US are on the rise! Up-to-date state-to-state info & news...

I-40 on way to Vegas from Phoenix is 85mph which is fun cause everyone is doing 100mph plus...

TXDot raised the speed limit on 2 lane country roads in Texas to 75! The little winding country road that I used to take to work went from 60 to 75 overnight.

Wow that's a big jump for a 2-lane country road!

vwracer said:

I-40 on way to Vegas from Phoenix is 85mph which is fun cause everyone is doing 100mph plus...

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Only 2 problems with this: First, I-40 doesn't run through Vegas, and Second, I-40 doesn't run through Phoenix. However, US 93 DOES run through both, so perhaps you meant it?

romad said:

Only 2 problems with this: First, I-40 doesn't run through Vegas, and Second, I-40 doesn't run through Phoenix. However, US 93 DOES run through both, so perhaps you meant it?

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93 and 40 are the same thing for 22.2 miles on that route.

kpenner said:

TXDot raised the speed limit on 2 lane country roads in Texas to 75! The little winding country road that I used to take to work went from 60 to 75 overnight.

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Texas took 2 1/2 years to study where they would raise the posted limit to the state maximum passed in 2011.

In the end TxDOT decided to posted the limit across the state everywhere a specific reason could not be found prevent the increase. The last stats I saw the increase was posted on 98 % of the states highways ( US, State and FM ) & freeways. Under the new limit law passed in 2011 they were able add some 80 zones. The areas where they saw the increase were previously 70 & 75 under the previous law that allowed for higher limits only in sparsely populated areas....

Today in Texas the politically driven push for limit increases is in urban areas of Texas where the epa had forced a limit reduction as a way to abate pollution levels exceeding federal mandated maximums. Today with improvement to industry pollution controls and with cleaner vehicles on the road the epa is granting the ability to raise urban limit by on average 5 mph. This increase is not allowing the limit to go to levels where speed studies say they should be. But they are pushing posted limits closer to actual 85th percentile speeds which will make travel safer...........

vwracer said:

I-40 on way to Vegas from Phoenix is 85mph which is fun cause everyone is doing 100mph plus...

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Not disputing your facts but I could find nothing stating the limit anywhere in Arizona is posted any higher than 75. The law on the book is a bit confusing as to what can be enforced where but according to what I could find the maximum posted is 75 mph.....

rotarykid said:

Not disputing your facts but I could find nothing stating the limit anywhere in Arizona is posted any higher than 75. The law on the book is a bit confusing as to what can be enforced where but according to what I could find the maximum posted is 75 mph.....

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You are correct. I drive I-40 from Kingman to Flagstaff (which includes the 22 miles in question) several times a year. It is a 75 mph speed limit and the Arizona police are quite fond of writing tickets to out of state drivers. I won't go over 80 on that road.

Have Fun!

Don

Idaho & Wyoming now in the rarefied air of 80 mph speed limits

Idaho and Wyoming now have on the book signed by the governor 80 mph maximums. Both laws go into effect July 1,........

Idaho and Wyoming will become the third and fourth American states to bump speed limits on their interstates to 80 miles per hour (128.7 km/h).

Last week, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead signed a bill into a law to permit 80 mph speeds (up from 75 mph) on certain highway segments. The change was endorsed by 24 votes against 6 by the state’s Senate, while the House lawmakers approved it on a 53-6 vote.

Neighboring state Idaho is looking to do same, with certain stretches of interstate to have their speed limit increased to 80 mph. The bill passed the senate on a 30-4 vote, but it’s now up to the Transportation Department to decide which roads will allow drivers to travel at speeds of up to 80 mph.

Although the bill has seen strong opposition in Idaho, with some state representatives raising safety-related concerns, Rep. Marc Gibbs said the change can be safely implemented. In Utah, for instance, a research based on speed studies found that vehicle crashes have slightly dropped over the past three years.

The new 80-mph limits will come into effect as of July 1, 2014, in both Idaho and Wyoming. Until then, Utah and Texas will remain the only states that allow all vehicles to travel 80 mph or higher on certain roads.

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and..........

You soon could be driving a bit faster on Idaho roads.

Governor Otter signed a bill that lawmakers passed to increase the legal speed limit on highways and interstates.

Get ready to go a little faster on Idaho highways and interstates.

A new law will change the legal speed limits for anyone driving through the gem state.

However, the Idaho Transportation Department did not back the bill.

"There isn't really direction on where we want to go on this as far as the Transportation Department. This wasn't a bill that was driven by ITD this is something that came from the legislatures to push this forward and change the speed limits,” said Nathan Jerke, ITD.

You will see a jump from 75 mph to 80 mph on the interstate and from 65 mph to 70 mph.

Now that the bill is law, the Transportation Department will conduct surveys across the state to determine whether an increase will be safe for you.

"We are trying to decide what the locations will be the speed limit increases. How are we going to factor in weather conditions and concerns,” said Jerke.

Once ITD conducts the surveys' you could see new signs posted as soon as late summer.

"We feel like the safety study that will be conducted by ITD will definitely take care of any danger area. For example in the Boise area 80-mph isn't appropriate and possibly other congested areas in urban spots,” said Senator Jim Patrick.

The law doesn't go into effect until July 1, 2014. ITD tells us they will begin doing surveys' this spring.

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"WyHP says Utah drivers the worst most dangerous speeding drivers"

Here is another article along the same line, but with data for neighboring states......

Here is something I thought might be a good read.....

I especially love the part about them claiming they do not target out of state drivers, LOL............

The Wyoming Highway Patrol hands out nearly twice as many speeding tickets to out-of-state drivers as it does to in-state motorists,

But the administrator of the patrol says the agency doesn’t target drivers from outside Wyoming.

An analysis by the Casper Star-Tribune shows that the Wyoming Highway Patrol handed out just over 21,000 speeding tickets to state residents in 2012 while writing nearly 40,000 to drivers from elsewhere in the country.

In 2011, the patrol issued 22,000 speeding tickets to Wyoming drivers while motorists with out-of-state plates received 39,644 speeding tickets, according to the state data.

Col. John Butler, administrator of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, said the agency doesn’t target out-of-state drivers. “We don’t base our enforcement action on what [the] plate [is] and where the people are from,” he said.

Wyoming’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry and the interstate highways that cross the state draw thousands of out-of-state drivers. Butler said tourists who get nabbed for speeding sometimes complain and vow never to return to the state.

“It’s an unfair comment,” Butler said. “We have a job to do.”

But drivers’ advocates are leery of law enforcement’s supposed blind eye to license plates.

“Any time you’re driving outside of your home state, you need to be careful for aggressive law enforcement,” said John Bowman, spokesman for the Wisconsin-based National Motorists Association. “It doesn’t surprise me that Wyoming issues more tickets to out-of-state than in-state drivers. It comes down to practicality.”

Bowman said drivers traveling outside their home state are easy pickings for law enforcement because they are less likely to contest a speeding ticket in court.

“If I am a Wisconsin driver and get ticketed in Wyoming, most likely I won’t be traveling back to the state for a court appearance to contest the ticket,” Bowman said.

The states that tallied the most tickets in Wyoming were Colorado, Utah, California, Montana, Idaho and Texas.

Even though Colorado earned the most out-of-state tickets, Butler said Utah drivers tend to be even wilder on the road.

“They tend to think it’s OK to drive five or 10 miles an hour over the limit,” Butler said of Utah drivers. “I don’t know what it is with them.”

Butler’s advice for those who like to hightail it on the open road is simple: Follow the law.

Butler said he and his colleagues have heard a litany of excuses in their combined years on the job. So many, he said, the patrol “should write a book.” He said he doesn’t recommend the hospital excuse. If someone says he or she is in a hurry to make it there, the patrol calls medical officials to verify.

The bathroom excuse doesn’t work, either, he said. And he added: “I’ve seen people get out of their car and go after we pull them over.”

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Wyoming Highway Patrol considers Utah drivers the worst speeders




We've all been there. A drive on the wide-open interstate is interrupted by flashing red lights and the blare of a siren.

A quick look at the speedometer confirms one thing: the likelihood of a speeding ticket.

Whether the run-in occurs in Wyoming or another state, it feels similar to a punch in the gut.

And an analysis shows that drivers whose license plates aren't adorned with the Tetons and the bucking horse are bearing the brunt of speeding citations issued by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Wyoming drivers do tally more tickets per capita than their counterparts in any other state or territory in North America. But the preponderance of tickets issued by the Highway Patrol here go to out-of-state drivers.

In 2011, the patrol issued 22,000 speeding tickets to Wyoming drivers. Motorists with out-of-state plates received 39,644 speeding tickets, according to the state data.

In 2012, it was more of the same. Wyoming drivers received 21,225 speeding tickets, compared with 39,596 for drivers from other places in North America.

Wyoming's multibillion-dollar tourism industry and oft-used transportation mainlines are magnets for out-of-state drivers. But their foreign status doesn't drive the ticketing, said Col. John Butler, Wyoming Highway Patrol administrator.

"We don't base our enforcement action on what (the) plate (is) and where the people are from," he said.

Butler said tourists who get nabbed for their heavy feet sometimes complain and vow never to return to the state.

"It's an unfair comment," Butler said. "We have a job to do."

But drivers' advocates are leery of law enforcement's supposed blind eye to license plates.

"Any time you're driving outside of your home state, you need to be careful for aggressive law enforcement," said John Bowman, spokesman for the Wisconsin-based National Motorists Association. "It doesn't surprise me that Wyoming issues more tickets to out-of-state than in-state drivers. It comes down to practicality."

Bowman said drivers traveling outside their home state are easy pickings for law enforcement because they are less likely to contest a speeding ticket in court. It's a "slam dunk," he said.

"If I am a Wisconsin driver and get ticketed in Wyoming, most likely I won't be traveling back to the state for a court appearance to contest the ticket," Bowman said.

The states that tallied the most tickets in Wyoming were Colorado, Utah, California, Montana, Idaho and Texas.

Colorado led the pack in 2011 with 12,333, and Utah followed with 6,243.

Among Wyoming drivers, it's well known that the sight of Colorado and Utah plates proves worrisome.

"If you don't keep up with the traffic in Denver, you will get run over," Butler said.

Even though Colorado earned the most out-of-state tickets, Butler said Utah drivers tend to be even wilder on the road.

"They tend to think it's OK to drive five or 10 miles an hour over the limit," he said. "I don't know what it is with them."

A quick Google search for "Wyoming speeding tickets" speaks to the multitude of out-of-state drivers ticketed in the confines of the state. One of the top questions is whether points and fines will transfer from one state to another.

Fortunately for those drivers with a tendency to put the pedal to the floor, Wyoming doesn't have a point system, said Jeff Goetz, a spokesman for the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

But Wyoming does have a driver's license compact with 44 other states (the exceptions are Wisconsin, Tennessee, Michigan, Massachusetts and Georgia). The agreement calls for states to notify one another when law enforcement tickets a driver.

States that participate in the compact will suspend drivers' privileges in their home state if the person is cited in another state and fails to appear in court or pay a fine.

The infraction will appear on the driving history in the state in which they were cited, not on their home state's driving record, said Sgt. John Townsend, spokesman for the Highway Patrol.

Butler's advice for those who like to hightail it on the open road is simple: Follow the law.

He and his colleagues have heard a litany of excuses in their combined years on the job. So many, he said, the patrol "should write a book."

He doesn't recommend the hospital excuse. If someone says he or she is in a hurry to make it there, the patrol calls medical officials to verify.

The bathroom excuse doesn't work, either, he said. And he added: "I've seen people get out of their car and go after we pull them over."

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State with the highest speed trap stats on out of state drivers


Driving the vast expanses of the great American West requires two things: books-on-tape and speed. Just try to make Casper from anywhere in the state with radio silence and the cruise control on 55. You’ll go mad.

I’m not advocating speeding. That would be reckless and could possibly toss our publisher into a state of anxiety. But the truth of it is, hammer down on a Wyoming highway is practically a rite of passage, and I have always trusted in our treasured and valued Highway Patrol to cut locals a break. And now we learn they do.

According to new data, Wyoming Highway Patrol issues far more speeding tickets to out-of-state drivers than Wyoming residents. This is at least some consolation to locals who have for years had to deal with the highest rate of tickets issued per capita than any other state or territory in North America.

WHP administrators say they don’t target non-bucking horse plates but that’s nonsense. Stops on I-80 are motivated primarily by the hope of a big score. Patrolmen are not going to waste their time and effort on running down a Riverton Ranger for doing 82 in a 75.

A California tag flying by at five over the limit, however, might entice a trooper to make the stop with dreams of a trunkful of methamphetamine to brag on back at headquarters.

State legislators recently jacked sections of I-80 to an 80-mph speed limit. It’s a good start. Even better would be to add another one of those dual limit signs distinguishing trucks from other motorists, only this one should read: “Speed Limit 80, 65 for Utah drivers.”

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Those numbers only tell part of the story. To reveal whether the argument is true (either one - WHP targets out of state drivers or not) you also have to know the population. That is, what percentage of the traffic on the road is from out of state?

Until that total population characteristic is known, statements from either side have the same intelligence content as the noises from my anal sphincter after eating garlic infused beans.

But even that is not completely sufficient. You also have to know what the mean and standard deviation is on each population component (in state vs out of state) in regard to speed is before a judgement can be made.

Doesn't anybody pay attention in statistics classes anymore?

Cheers!

PH

Now PH you know the old saying: "There are Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics"

Having lived in the region for a good part of the last 25 years I will break it down from my first hand knowledge....

Wyoming drivers do tally more tickets per capita than their counterparts in any other state or territory in North America. But the preponderance of tickets issued by the Highway Patrol here go to out-of-state drivers.

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This state is well known by Denver drivers to be more of a speed trap state than similar states in the region. Kansas & Nebraska are a close second and third. In Kansas it was really noticeable when they were the outlyer being the only state with a 70 maximum until ~3 years ago.

Wyoming & Kansas are states that enforce the posted limit with vigor not allowing much of a cushion over posted maximums most of the time. Nebraska tends to cut a little more slack on the posted limit most of the time, most of the time 83 or under is pretty safe in Nebraska.

While in Colorado as long are you are not following too close or doing something else dangerous listed before 90 is the cutoff speed east, north & south of Denver.......Reckless driving begins @ 100 in a 75 in Colorado so that I was told has something to do with the enforcement window in the state....

In 2011, the patrol issued 22,000 speeding tickets to Wyoming drivers. Motorists with out-of-state plates received 39,644 speeding tickets, according to the state data.

In 2012, it was more of the same. Wyoming drivers received 21,225 speeding tickets, compared with 39,596 for drivers from other places in North America.

Wyoming's multibillion-dollar tourism industry and oft-used transportation mainlines are magnets for out-of-state drivers. But their foreign status doesn't drive the ticketing, said Col. John Butler, Wyoming Highway Patrol administrator.

"We don't base our enforcement action on what (the) plate (is) and where the people are from," he said.

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Well yes & No on that one.....

They have a well known pattern of picking on out of state drivers more than instate for various discussed reason, out of state drivers do not challenge tickets they just pay them. Two drivers clocked at similar speed one has the happy galloping horse while the other has mountains pictured on their plate stats show who will get pulled over and ticketed.

While if all of the traffic has the happy galloping horse someone from the state will get the tickets. I have never heard of a WyHP officer writing a warning for speeding....

Butler said tourists who get nabbed for their heavy feet sometimes complain and vow never to return to the state.

"It's an unfair comment," Butler said. "We have a job to do."

But drivers' advocates are leery of law enforcement's supposed blind eye to license plates.

"Any time you're driving outside of your home state, you need to be careful for aggressive law enforcement," said John Bowman, spokesman for the Wisconsin-based National Motorists Association. "It doesn't surprise me that Wyoming issues more tickets to out-of-state than in-state drivers. It comes down to practicality."

Bowman said drivers traveling outside their home state are easy pickings for law enforcement because they are less likely to contest a speeding ticket in court. It's a "slam dunk," he said.

"If I am a Wisconsin driver and get ticketed in Wyoming, most likely I won't be traveling back to the state for a court appearance to contest the ticket," Bowman said.

The states that tallied the most tickets in Wyoming were Colorado, Utah, California, Montana, Idaho and Texas.

Colorado led the pack in 2011 with 12,333, and Utah followed with 6,243.

Among Wyoming drivers, it's well known that the sight of Colorado and Utah plates proves worrisome.

"If you don't keep up with the traffic in Denver, you will get run over," Butler said.

Even though Colorado earned the most out-of-state tickets, Butler said Utah drivers tend to be even wilder on the road.

"They tend to think it's OK to drive five or 10 miles an hour over the limit," he said. "I don't know what it is with them."

A quick Google search for "Wyoming speeding tickets" speaks to the multitude of out-of-state drivers ticketed in the confines of the state. One of the top questions is whether points and fines will transfer from one state to another.

Fortunately for those drivers with a tendency to put the pedal to the floor, Wyoming doesn't have a point system, said Jeff Goetz, a spokesman for the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

But Wyoming does have a driver's license compact with 44 other states (the exceptions are Wisconsin, Tennessee, Michigan, Massachusetts and Georgia). The agreement calls for states to notify one another when law enforcement tickets a driver.

States that participate in the compact will suspend drivers' privileges in their home state if the person is cited in another state and fails to appear in court or pay a fine.

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If memory serves they write most tickets for less than 11 mph above posted with little regard to what you are pulled over for to encourage out of state drivers not to challenge the ticket. With the ticket written in this range drivers qualify for ticket deferment if the pay for and complete a ~8 hour course of defensive driving. If you complete the class, pass the test, send in the certificate to the state all charges are dropped. The costs balance out to be about the same amount as just paying the ticket but in the end you get to keep your clean driving record.....

If you are a driver registered in a far away state you have the option of giving the state their money for the course then paying for it again taking it in your home state to get your ticket dropped....

By the way Nebraska plays the above described game to collect their money off of out of state drivers. I have first hand knowledge of Colorado drivers getting popped for the high 80s crossing Nebraska. Being written up for 85, paying for the DD course in Nebraska & Colorado, attending the DD course in Denver then having charges dropped.

I was in a car crossing Nebraska that got popped for 87 in a 75 a few years back, was written up for 85. Clear weather conditions light traffic, there was nothing dangerous about going that speed on that freeway that day! The driver payed for and took the 2 1/2 drive from Denver to take the DD course in Sydney NE to get all charges dropped. Again in this state they write almost double the tickets to out of state drivers that they do to in state drivers.

I also have a friend that got popped twice in a five mile stretch of I-70 in empty western Kansas for 74 in a posted 70. No one can tell that this crap in Kansas is about anything other the money they get from drivers crossing the prairie. The now posted 75 limit is still vigorously enforced with little if any cushion given, I know people getting tickets for as low as 78 in a 75 since the limit went up. I try to stay @ or below 77 when crossing Kansas......

80 mph maximum now defacto maximum for Utah anywhere UDOT deems safe

Utah now has a 80 mph maximum for where ever UDOT deems the limit to be safe......

Gov. Gary Herbert signed 51 bills Thursday and Friday that were passed during the recent legislative session, including a measure that will allow transportation officials to raise the speed limit along stretches of interstates and five bills relating to veterans issues.

HB80 expands on an experiment begun last year, wherein the state added 289 miles of 80-mph speed zones on rural freeways. The House sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, said during legislative hearings that along those stretches the average speed being traveled only increased by 1 to 2 mph.

Officials could raise the speed along the 75 mph stretches to 80 mph, or increase the 65 mph speed limits to anywhere from 70 mph to 80 mph, as they see fit.

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Powder Hound said:

Those numbers only tell part of the story. To reveal whether the argument is true (either one - WHP targets out of state drivers or not) you also have to know the population. That is, what percentage of the traffic on the road is from out of state?



Until that total population characteristic is known, statements from either side have the same intelligence content as the noises from my anal sphincter after eating garlic infused beans.



But even that is not completely sufficient. You also have to know what the mean and standard deviation is on each population component (in state vs out of state) in regard to speed is before a judgement can be made.



Doesn't anybody pay attention in statistics classes anymore?



Cheers!



PH

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Well said!

On my recent cross-country trip, the out of state drivers were the ones going the fastest. It would stand to reason that they would be the ones getting the tickets. In state drivers were going at or below the limit, so why should they be ticketed? This observation applies to most of the states I traveled through west of Chicago.

Last time I was in Utah on 80 mph roads I saw 2 cars upside down in the ditch. Lots of people just drive at the posted limit without regard for their car or driving ability. Like a video game or cell phone app. Not sure the majority can handle 80. Is it worth the risk?

leusgs said:

Last time I was in Utah on 80 mph roads I saw 2 cars upside down in the ditch. Lots of people just drive at the posted limit without regard for their car or driving ability. Like a video game or cell phone app. Not sure the majority can handle 80. Is it worth the risk?

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80 MPH is already how fast many (most?) drive in metro areas and along the Interstates.

Florida 75 bill needs a little support to get through AAA blocking efforts

75 bill heads to senate floor next week. Insurance lobby mounting full court effort to block measure.!.!.!.

This is exactly what happened in NC last year when they had a 75 bill sailing through the legislature on the way to becoming law! The insurance lobby has vowed to block every state effort east of the miss. that attempts to raise the limit to 75. They know that once one state does it 6-10 states will follow suit in short order. Raising the limit to a more proper level will have once effect on insurance companies profit, removing speeding surcharges they live off of in those states from drivers today doing nothing unsafe!!

A proposal that would increase the speed limit on Florida highways cleared its final committee Thursday and now heads to the Senate floor.

But organizations like AAA are opposed to the speed limit increase and have publicly asked lawmakers to vote against its approval.

"We're deeply concerned for the safety of Florida's roadway users with cars traveling at increasingly higher speeds on our interstates and other highways," said Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president, chief public affairs officer at AAA - The Auto Club Group.

"Based upon similar action in other states, this change in state law will likely result in more crashes, injuries and deaths on our highways," read part of a statement from AAA.

The House bill (HB 761) sponsored by Republican Rep. Matt Caldwell of Lehigh Acres has also received little opposition and has one more committee stop before being ready for a House vote.

Right now the companion bill in the Florida House remains stuck in committee. The bill that is currently stalled in the house needs a push from supporters, the people calling their representative if it is to have a chance of passing this year.


SB 932 would allow the Florida Department of Transportation to increase the speed limit from 70 to 75 miles per hour, while divided rural four lane highways would see the speed upped from 65 to 70 mph.

If the proposals were to become law, they would take effect on July 1....

"Seventy-nine. In the rain. With no headlights on."

With those words, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper John Schultz sped onto Interstate 10 and flipped on his red, white and blue flashing lights and pulled over a black Nissan Maxima. He told the driver she was getting a ticket for exceeding the 70 mph speed limit.

"She said, 'I had the cruise control set at 79.' Yeah, it's working," Schultz said as he wrote the ticket. "She said 'I just assumed I could go 10 over.' So if we change the limit to 75, she'd be going 85."

Actually real data shows that she is going 79 because that is a comfortable speed she feels is safe! And that same data says that if the limit is raised to 75 she will not increase her speed to 85! What the data shows is that she will likely do keep her speed in the 78-to 81 mph range the same as she does now. And that data says that is what the rest of the drivers around her will also do.

How do we ever get proper limits set with this kind of garbage still getting credence from those that are pretty smart.?.?.?.

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Highway safety advocates say that if the Florida Legislature passes a bill that would allow the state to raise the speed limit to 75 mph there could be more crashes, injuries and deaths. The bill's supporters say people are already driving that fast and the speed limit should reflect reality — and would actually be safer.

"If you artificially force lower speed limits on roads that can accommodate faster speed limits, what you're going to have is a greater disparity between the fastest drivers and the slowest drivers and that's actually a much more unsafe environment than having everybody going faster together," Sen. Jeff Clemens said.

The bill (SB 392) Clemens, D-Lake Worth, sponsored along with Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg sailed through committees with little opposition and is ready to be considered by the full Senate. A House bill (HB 761) sponsored by Republican Rep. Matt Caldwell of Lehigh Acres has also received little opposition and has one more committee stop before being ready for a House vote.

The measures would allow the Department of Transportation to raise the speed limit on interstate and limited access highways from 70 to 75 mph, from 65 to 70 mph on rural, four-lane divided highways and up to 65 mph on other roads. It does not automatically raise the speed limits.

"If you look back to when we rescinded the national speed limit (of 55 mph) in the mid-'90s until now, it's been 20 years of history and I think in only one year have fatalities actually increased. So the predictions of doom and gloom that we had in the mid-'90s just didn't come true," Clemens said.

But a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report showed that traffic fatalities on rural interstates increased by 10 percent in 1996, the year after the national speed limit was lifted and states were allowed to set their own standards.

And the fear of highway safety advocates is that another increase in Florida will result in more deaths because people will drive faster and be that much more at risk of losing control. The higher speeds also create more violent collisions, they say.

"It's clear that injuries and fatalities go up whenever someone raises the speed limit," John Ulczycki, a vice president of the National Safety Council, said in a press release opposing the bills. "Raising speed limits will increase the likelihood of a crash, and the government would in effect be telling people it's safe to drive faster."

Schultz, who patrols an area near Tallahassee, estimates most drivers on Interstate 10 are driving between 75 and 80 mph, and he thinks that will increase with a higher limit. Driving in the rain, he clocked a string of traffic going in the opposite direction.

"Seventy-eight," he said after the first radar reading. "There's 79 on the truck. That motorcycle right there is 82. Where I'm going with this is it's raining out and no one reduces their speed."

And a higher speed limit will make the situation more dangerous, he said. He also pointed out that the speed limit now is essentially 75 mph because the state only allows for warnings and not fines for the first five miles per hour above the speed limit.

"They're going to take it to the next extreme and go up even higher," Schultz said. "We want to keep people safe."

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I contend the 80 posted limit had nothing to do with the crash you saw

leusgs said:

Last time I was in Utah on 80 mph roads I saw 2 cars upside down in the ditch. Lots of people just drive at the posted limit without regard for their car or driving ability. Like a video game or cell phone app. Not sure the majority can handle 80. Is it worth the risk?

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I could tell the exact same story from trip down 401 west of woodstock ~30 years ago. I was running around 70 when a pack of cars came by doing in the mid to high 80s. About 5 miles down the road someone had messed up and cars were everywhere, in the ditch & median.....But that was with the 100 posted maximum? I contend the accident would have happened with little regard to what the posted maximum was.....

I really doubt and I bet the data shows the increase in speed limit to 80 had anything to do with the crash you saw....

Drivers every day exceed the safe speed for conditions, with little regard to what limit is posted......

At some point drivers have to take responsibility on not being so stupid as to assume that the posted limit is how fast you can always travel!! If they are really that stupid their license needs to be pulled. That is a safety measure that would actually make the road safer!


I'll ask the question, is that a valid reason to dumb down driving for rest of us???

What data is there showing that it is safer to try to force all to drive much lower than is safe when we drive through a region???

Does making us all drive slower, or having a limit lower than we all know is practical on a stretch of freeway or highway make anyone safer????

I say NO to all of that, that is from my 1,000,000+ miles clocked from my 37+ years of driving with a commercial and regular drivers license....

What I have noticed in Colorado, a state that has allowed higher speed travel for quite a while now. What I have seen is that drivers learn to up their skill level to match high speed conditions.

And enforcement in the state is today not aimed at speed enforcement, which I contend accomplishes nothing to make travel safer. What they do is to aim enforcement at reducing stupid and dangerous things that lead directly to more dangerous driving. They enforce things like following too close, in Colorado CHP sits off of exits with laser guns not to clock speed but to measure following distances.

CHP specifically looks for drivers failing to signal lane changes.

And the one way to get a aggressive driving ticket is by blocking the left lane! They don't care how fast you were going or what the speed limit was, what they do care about is the fact that drivers backed up behind you while you didn't clear the passing lane!

This kind of enforcement that CHP goes on TV, local news interviews to re-enforce the fact that speed isn't the focus of enforcement forces all the drivers to step up their driving skills and practices. On a local news interview story last summer the story was we are looking for drivers ignoring the rule on following too close. While they were videoing the story the CHP officers were clocking cars in the mid to high 80s, posted @ 75 but weren't going after anyone. The car they did pull over in the story was following too close at that speed! They were written a 4 point aggressive driving ticket with the camera rolling!

If you do any of these things for very long in Colorado you will find yourself with a very expensive aggressive driving ticket!

These things have made driving at high speed across the plains much more pleasurable and a lot safer.......

I myself am willing to have a few idiots have a bad day or even loose their life to make travel safer and more enjoyable for us all while crossing the empty west!!

leusgs said:

Last time I was in Utah on 80 mph roads I saw 2 cars upside down in the ditch. Lots of people just drive at the posted limit without regard for their car or driving ability. Like a video game or cell phone app. Not sure the majority can handle 80. Is it worth the risk?

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Yes. The answer is yes.

VeeDubTDI said:

Yes. The answer is yes.

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Haha that's one way to think about it.

My concern is that higher speeds magnify damage exponentially. We can all think of examples where speed is not the factor, and blame everyone else for their poor judgment or skills while we assume we are superior drivers and will remain safe. But when you're out on the road you're part of a system and bad things can happen. Those inferior drivers may come into your lane.

BTW sounds like the CHP is doing some good things looking for following distances, lane behavior, etc. Kudos to them. Eventually if driver training and the culture of driving becomes more serious like Europe maybe 80-85 will make sense in N.America. Until then I don't buy it. I'd rather see 65 and smaller fines for going over and more good police work so if someone is driving a quality high speed sedan like a TDI then they won't be nailed so hard for just speeding.

I won't quote stats because you can make them say whatever you want. Damn lies and all that... My opinion is based on experience driving through Utah and other western states, where 80 felt like an accident waiting to happen, with tiny bald tired Kias and old Corollas buzzing along beside me (in the left lane of course) at 80.

kpenner said:

Those higher speed limits work great in Texas! Love setting my cruise control on 90 when going to San Antonio (I know the speed limit is 85 but who cares!)

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On the downside, you must have massively poor MPG!!!

Based on that then the safest speed limit would be 0 MPH/KPH! Of course since the cops are allowed to exceed the limit, they could ticket you for even walking! Seriously, perhaps setting a MINIMUM speed would be in order, say 60 - 65 mph?

Speaking of minimum speed limits, a lot of highways have minimum speed limits. Around here it's 40 MPH.

In Colorado while going up a grade on a divided highway & freeway the minimum in the left lane is 55 in a 65 & 75 posted. I can think of about a dozen places across the state that are like this.

ON the rest of the freeway system the minimum is 45, which to me seems about 15-20 mph too low for higher speed sections.. The minimum law needs to catch up with the reality of how fast average speed travel is today.....

Please tell where you have driven that your suggestion of a political limit worked?

leusgs said:

Haha that's one way to think about it.

My concern is that higher speeds magnify damage exponentially. We can all think of examples where speed is not the factor, and blame everyone else for their poor judgment or skills while we assume we are superior drivers and will remain safe. But when you're out on the road you're part of a system and bad things can happen. Those inferior drivers may come into your lane.

BTW sounds like the CHP is doing some good things looking for following distances, lane behavior, etc. Kudos to them. Eventually if driver training and the culture of driving becomes more serious like Europe maybe 80-85 will make sense in N.America. Until then I don't buy it. I'd rather see 65 and smaller fines for going over and more good police work so if someone is driving a quality high speed sedan like a TDI then they won't be nailed so hard for just speeding.

I won't quote stats because you can make them say whatever you want. Damn lies and all that... My opinion is based on experience driving through Utah and other western states, where 80 felt like an accident waiting to happen, with tiny bald tired Kias and old Corollas buzzing along beside me (in the left lane of course) at 80.

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How do you know they were on bald tires?? Did you do a survey, collect data, do you have pictures of these bald tire cars that were around you on the road in Utah or other western state??????????

And those tiny cars you speak of are some of the safest and most widely produced cars in the world. They are sold and produced in numbers that exceed or equal the best selling car of all time, the Corolla and the Golf go back & forth as being the most produced vehicle in history!

I have driven from Denver to Edmonton a few times, travel speeds seem to similar on your side of line as they are on the US side in my experience.

In Alberta two lane highways and freeways are 110 km/hr. The same posted maximum on the freeways between and around Calgary & Edmonton... And the posted limits seems to obeyed or not in about same percent as it would be here.... A few trips back I drove from Edmonton across down to Vancouver. On that trip traffic was traveling 70-80 mph, no different speed wise or road design than the drive would have been across the same terrain on similar roads/freeways would be in the US!

Underposted limits in Canada seem to have no influence on actual travel speeds because they are ignored the same percent there as they have been here for decades..

Today thankfully all that speed kills slogan garbage is not as easily believed or even repeated much anymore since we have a couple decades collected DOT data now showing that proper limits based on real travel speeds make travel safer. WE are traveling the fastest in the history of driving while clocking the lowest death rate per miles traveled in the history of driving!

Over the last 35 years I have driven ~10,000 miles in every province except the Yukon across your country. Just as it was the first time I drove up there the last time speeds have nothing to do with what the posted maximum is. I observed travel speeds from ~68 to 75 mph while crossing the provinces on two lane highways. And 75 mph seemed to be the lower end of the average on freeway bits of highway 2. On the freeways up there just as down here drivers are comfortably and safely driving 75 to 85 on freeways. There was plenty of traffic topping the 80 mph point, I stayed below 75 mph and was passed by 99.9 % of traffic.

So I have call BS on you really believing that having underposted limits do anything for safety here or there. Nor do they any influence on actual enforced limits or driven speeds....

Where have you actually driven where under posted political speed limit had any effect at all on travel speeds??? I call BS if you say Canada because I have driven coast to coast on Canadian roads and can vouch for the fact they have little to any influence on actual average speeds!!

When was the last time you drove on the 400 series freeways??? No one has ever payed any attention to the 100 maximum! The last drive I made there the averages speed, allowed and driven was above 80 mph on much of my travels. So again on what planet have you driven on where under posted limit had any effect positive or otherwise on average travel speeds or enforcement???????

I read an article recently of the province police clocking drivers daily in the 130-140 km/hr range on a recently widened section of Highway 2 coming out of Edmonton. How they were mainly ticketing the drivers in the 140 range.

So again there is real data showing that travel speeds around your home province are no different than what is today finally becoming legal in parts of the US. So I just don't buy your claims with the facts showing that drivers are going the same speeds here as they do where you live. But here they can do it legally being something that makes you so uncomfortable???.......Makes no sense???


I am truly sorry if you felt uncomfortable in traffic driving at the posted limit, the same exact speed they safely and comfortably drive in the same cars illegally daily across your province.....


I really have to ask, are you a insurance lobby plant put here to counter reality??? In hopes of what??? the days of people believing the made up slogan that really meant nothing of speed kills is long past......

Finally now that we have the stats showing high speed travel is safe. We are today driving the fastest in the history of driving have year after year of clocked the safest roads in the history of driving. Thankfully states are coming to this reality. States are today coming to the reality that these freeways that were built and designed in the 50s & 60s for the cars of the day to safely handle 80 mph. Acknowledging that reality again they are finally passing laws allowing these safe speeds on them again today!

Utah passed blanket freeway 80 mph limit,Nevada looking @ raising allowed lim...

This is great news across the board. Germany has had their autobahns for years and the result has been car manufacturers engineering great performing cars for years. This will not only give us a better performing car from the big 3 but also, like we've been seeing recently like the Shelby GT 500, ultra performance cars with great mpg while running the a/c and blasting your stereo while not hearing your loud engine. I applaud any n all governors that do this.

For those of you thinking it's bad. We get better cars in the end and if a person is not comfortable to drive high speeds there's always the far right lanes they can stay on. All we need is law enforcement to enforce that law.


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Calm down rotarykid... it seems like you might be ready to blow a blood vessel or something (lots of question marks!).

Well, post 171 seemed to be trying to spread some unsupported FUD so I can see where RK is coming from.

Anecdotal evidence is everywhere and means nothing, ahem #166 #171. Distracted driving is the biggest culprit, and is well studied and documented. General speed is a relative non-issue. Appropriate speeds for the conditions and vehicle being driven, yes.

I'm hoping the "safe and prudent" rule returns someday. And Oregon? Really? Grow up already.