Texas raises speed limits to 85 MPH - the highest in the Nation
 

I just read a quick story in USA Today that Texas recently raised the Maximum Speed Limit to 85 MPH. Here's a link to the story - click here

Before you get too excited and head for the Texas version of the Autobahn, be advised that so far no roads have been approved for the higher limit and the highest speed limit in place currently is 80 MPH for a highway near Sherman, TX.

I'm a big fan of higher speed limits if the highway was designed to accomodate them. I still remember as a kid when the states were lowering all of the speed limit sighs to 55 MPH to comply with a Federal mandate and the goofy 85 MPH speedometers cars were forced to have back in the early 80s. Maybe that's why I still have a deep-rooted mistrust of Washington DC and the intelligence of the people "serving" there.

Props to Texas for allowing people to do what they want to do - hopefully it will be a trend other states will follow. :)

you rember 55 as a "kid"??? holy moly, i was married with children and was a happy buick sales mgr. making a great living , proud to represent a gm division that sold right at a million cars per year. ahh,, the good old days. 55mph and cb radios were total bs though.

:shift:How 'bout Montana with "safe and sane" ie. NO speed limit. Five dollar fine if stopped for "wasting natural resources." Damn I loved the drive to the Big Sky auto auction in billings.

We can "thank" Rick Perry for Texas, and "think" Rick Perry for the USA, 2012.

Don't feel bad, it's just a matter of time before someone like SHACOS or Ohio chimes in that they weren't even alive when the speed limit changed from 70 MPH to 55 MPH and then I'll be feeling old too.

Concerning the old days, it's sobering when you look at how much the car business has changed since the early 80s until today. Makes one wonder what the next 30 years will bring?

That's true, but Montana quietly killed off that program about eight years ago and reinstitued their speed limit. It was the death of the American Autobahn. :(

I'm all for any politician who lets people think for themselves and limits the size and scope of governmental control. :thumbsup:

Speed limit
 

That speed limit was only for a small section of road out in the middle of nowhere it still 70 just about everywhere I drive.

Don't remember the year, but a west coast Viper Club (VCA) group was driving to the annual VCA rally and received a pre-arranged Highway Patrol escort across Montana in a tight line @ 110mph if memory serves correctly.:cool:

Wow, nice thread bump - the last post is over two years old. :)

For as big a state as Texas is 70 MPH does seem a little slow. Rural Arizona has several sections of highway that are capped at 75 MPH and I was impressed to see that Utah has some highways that are capped at 80 MPH.

Regardless, 70 MPH is a lot better than the 55 MPH the country had to endure during back in 1974.

That would have been awesome.

Props to the State of Montana for having a sense of adventure and letting people do things they enjoy. :thumbsup:

Texas has been raising the limits on most of the highways for last couple of years. On recent trip to Colorado...driving a combination of state highways and Interstates...I had 75mph limit all the way to New Mexico. 75-80 has been the normal driving speeds on those roads even when it was 55mph...sure makes it a lot more relaxing to not have to constantly worry that your going to get a ticket for 20-25 over the limit.

I have driven that section of toll road 130 from south of Austin to Seguin that is 85 MPH it is a long stretch of nothing for 40 miles. the cost to drive it: about 6 bucks plus fuel