Texas highway now boasts nation’s fastest speed limiT

Headline News By CCJ Staff Published October 25, 2012 0
A 40-mile stretch of highway between San Antonio and Austin now allows motorists to drive up to 85 mph — the fastest speed limit in the country. That sector of the highway is privately managed, and as CCJ sister site Overdrive has reported, Texas has been looking into 85 mph speed limits for years, and a law passed in 2011 allowed speed limits of up to 85 mph.

In September, after the announcement of the new speed limit, the American Trucking Associations begged Texas to reconsider. “At the end of the day, excessive speed is the greatest threat to highway safety,” said Bill Graves, ATA president chief executive officer, said at the time.



kinda like HWY 400........

 

Yeah, speed kills.

Really. When some people drive at too slow a speed, they're usually also in the wrong damned lane, and/or are texting/daydreaming or otherwise distracted - that's dangerous. After all, how much focus can anyone keep in a comfy, quiet modern car at 65mph for hours on end?

The danger of drivers alertness drifting off is particularly common on long, flat straight highways like they have in Texas and we have in Ontario too (thinking of 401 London to Windsor.... snoooze!)

At least at higher speeds drivers are a little more alert (looking for smokey, mostly!)

And Dan, what's with the scary clown avatar????

 

someone took my pic when I wasn't looking.....

 

Had a moment this aft to check out the video:
http://jalopnik.com/5954826/watch-te...2205-mph-blast
What's interesting is this Texas Corridor is a toll highway owned by the same company that owns the 407. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cintra)

Predatory billing practices and the bad taste forever in my mouth over our PC government building the 407 with tax dollars then selling it out of country keep me completely off the 407.

However, if they raised the speed limit to 140, I might reconsider.

Seriously. A 140 kph limit would account for the fact that (biding clear traffic & weather) the median speed is already 125 on most 400 highways, so it's just a bump in the median on a highway engineered for that speed too. At 140, +50kph racing laws would still catch those push for the 200kph (or higher) envelope most performance cars can easily maintain (though not always their drivers.) I have no issue with enforcement going after anyone running +155, so the generally accepted 15kph leeway could be observed, too.

Considering the insane tolls charged already by the 407, I don't think you'll see too many POS cars rolling with that crowd so at least rolling "obstructions" wouldn't be much of an issue.

Never thought I'd think the 407 tolls a fair option, but if we could legally cover ground at ~150kp/h the toll is still cheaper than the price of ticket, court time and insurance increases.

It might also prove the case to those that don't get it that distracted/bad drivers are unsafe - not speed.

 

Paul I also heard long ago that the New York State Thruway was not owned by New York but by a big investment company in Texas....maybe tied to the same one?

 

Great, someone needs to teach how to drive fast well normal speed limit actually in Toronto....boy those slow drivers killing me....just plain killing me.....if youn scared to drive even speed limits than please surrender DL or dont drive at all.

Iam an east indian living here since 97 and man o man i hating these new indian and Asian drivers they are the most scared slow azz drivers, specially where i live now, why i have moved to scarborough.....

 

Hey Sami - all the other East Indian and Asian drivers say the same thing about you!

 

They cant because i always running, they cant chase me, not because their slow cars, just cause they STUPID scared......203 km on my nissan baby......they aint chasing me. This one indiano they dont want to mess with it.....lol