Highest Interstate Speed Limit In The U.S.

Speed limits on stretches of West Texas interstates have been increased to 80 mph.

1 minute read

June 1, 2006, 6:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"Texans brush aside such concerns as fuel efficiency or the cost of gasoline. Engineers calculate that drivers burn 7% more gas per mile for every 5-mph increase in speed above 60 mph. Texans calculate that their Hummers need bigger gas tanks...

...85% of drivers on the two segments of I-10 and I-20 were averaging 80 mph, 5 mph above the current 75-mph speed limit, so officials reasoned that raising the limit would simply be a bow to reality.

The assumption is that a majority of drivers, if left to their own speedometers, will collectively achieve a safe operating speed, and that speed should be the primary factor in setting the legal limit.

This is not, however, a particularly popular notion among traffic safety experts."

FULL STORY: Feeling the Need for Speed, Texas Raises Its Limit to 80

Sunday, May 28, 2006 in The Los Angeles Times

Transportation Texas

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