Highest Interstate Speed Limit In The U.S.

1 June 2006 - 6:00am

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

"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

Source: The Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2006

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Do you want to drive 65mph

Submitted by jmaffuccio on Wed, 06/21/2006 - 11:37.

Do you want to drive 65mph across 800 miles of desert? I sure don't want to...and I've been across that part of the state many times(in my car). Cars and trucks are as efficient at 80mph than at 65mph. Many of those estimates are out of date. And, suprisingly enough many Texans don't drive large SUVs or trucks unless they need to. The need to haul a horse trailer or 7 kids could warrant a larger vehicle.

Based on...?

Submitted by Michael Patrick on Wed, 06/21/2006 - 15:36.

Many Texans don't drive large SUVs or trucks unless they need to? Probably so, but most likely many other Texans (and people from elsewhere) do even if they don't need to.

But to the point---same efficiency at 80 mph as at 65 mph? Even with all that wind resistence, additional acceleration, etc.? That notion is certainly not mainstream and seems to contradict physics. From what source did you gather this?

In any case, the simple fact that physics will also tell us 80-mph vehicles will crash harder in a collision is reason enough to restrict speeds.