I just heard on CNN that Texas is raising the speed limit on two interstates to 80mph for a total of 500 miles. This is fantastic news! Its about time they had some common sense. Which states do you think will follow?

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/04/473.asp

5/26/2006 7:03:14 AM

I'm really suprised at this in today's world of "lets save gas" and "lets not kill ourselves." Not that either of those two things are important to me. I'd love to drive 89mph (80+9) on my way to work down boring ass US-1 every day

5/26/2006 7:07:56 AM

I hear ya. I used to work in Sanford when living in Raleigh. Everyday I'd set the cruise control for 80 going down US-1. So boring

5/26/2006 7:11:59 AM

Got to drive the autobahn yesterday in a 2 liter 3 series wagon. It's kinda cool to be able to just cruise the highway at a sustained 100-110 likes its 70. I was only able to find a stretch clear enough to get it up to 130. Seems like it had a little more in it, maybe 140.

5/26/2006 8:39:01 AM

hell yea. I bet 80 mph highway part is the part where you driving across the desert. That part is really boring to drive pass.

5/26/2006 8:53:05 AM

i bet it is also the least travelled part

5/26/2006 9:08:40 AM

this is a horrible idea to do this on any kind of road that has any traffic whatsoever.

People here can't fucking drive at 60mph.

5/26/2006 9:15:14 AM

I agree. If anything, the speed limit on some local stretches of interstate should be enforced a little more thoroughly. Hell, that goes for intown as well.

One hell of a lot of no-driving bitches around here.

5/26/2006 10:05:17 AM

If you've ever driven I-10 between San Antonio and El Paso, you'll know why...

5/26/2006 11:12:41 AM

^^^if most people are already driving that fast on those roads (given that its desolate desert) then increasing the limit makes it safer, b/c speed will be more uniform.

Quote :

"It's kinda cool to be able to just cruise the highway at a sustained 100-110 likes its 70. "

I've done that, during the day, on I-185 in Georgia when going to PCB for spring break. Set the cruise at 115. I wouldn't recommend it though

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 1:05 PM. Reason : f]

5/26/2006 1:04:41 PM

Quote :

"If you've ever driven I-10 between San Antonio and El Paso, you'll know why..."

yep, but i was burning it up in a vette

5/26/2006 1:42:20 PM

Quote :

"if most people are already driving that fast on those roads (given that its desolate desert) then increasing the limit makes it safer, b/c speed will be more uniform. "

They need to enforce the speed limit rather than placating the law breakers by increasing the speed limit.

5/26/2006 1:47:28 PM

civil disobedience, yo

5/26/2006 1:51:48 PM

something like 4 years ago they lowered the speedlimit on state highways and people didn't listen
and started driving faster and the police refused to give tickets.

Its pretty awesome... texas is a pretty cool state

5/26/2006 1:54:30 PM

Quote :

"They need to enforce the speed limit rather than placating the law breakers by increasing the speed limit."

You haven't done a lot of research on the whole "speed limit" debate have you?

The only reason speed limits were lowered in the first place was to help with the 70s energy crisis. Guess what, it had NOTHING to do with safety

5/26/2006 1:57:00 PM

texas is a pretty cool state

5/26/2006 2:10:23 PM

^^But they found out, incidentally, that accidents and deaths dropped pretty notably as a result.

So, while it wasn't the primary focus of their action at the time, safety was and still is still a very viable argument for lowering the speed limit.

Speaking of energy crises and petroleum shortages and lowering the speed limits...I wonder why we don't hear much about this lately. You may argue that your Honda Civic or Acura Integra gets better fuel mileage the faster you go, but that doesn't hold true for the majority of trucks, SUV's, minivans, and other vehicles on the road. Hell, it didn't hold true all the time with my Teg.

We're way too fucking spoiled this day and age. I'm of the opinion that shit has to change.

Are you too scared to give a little for the greater good?

5/26/2006 2:34:22 PM

i pay gas taxes

more gas = more taxes

greater good

5/26/2006 2:41:51 PM

Gotta love that logic.

5/26/2006 3:32:27 PM

if you are against this then you have never driven through texas from el paso through san antonio, past houston, and finally out to Louisiana.

5/26/2006 4:10:45 PM

well the truth is... no one obeys the speed limit through there anyway
so it isn't really changing much anyway

5/26/2006 4:15:16 PM

Quote :

"if you are against this then you have never driven through texas from el paso through san antonio, past houston, and finally out to Louisiana."

I've definitely never driven that stretch.

But I have driven long stretches of road in trucks that won't go over 65mph. Rollback, wrecker, rolloff waste hauler trucks, lots of moving trucks...and my current truck won't move a bit over 75, and actually feels most comfortable around 60.

You get used to it. It ain't unbearable when you don't have any other choice. It's your priviledge, not your right, to go faster.

5/26/2006 4:27:59 PM

I'm guessin those highways are straight, level, and like 4 lanes wide.

5/26/2006 4:33:24 PM

What a waste of gas. In other countries I see the possiblitly. But here it's just gonna be F350s and Excursions and Tahoes going 90mph. You know how much gas that is? Holy Sh!t

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 4:40 PM. Reason : s]

5/26/2006 4:39:25 PM

Quote :

"^^But they found out, incidentally, that accidents and deaths dropped pretty notably as a result."

actually they found quite the oppsite to a certain point which was 100? i dont remember.

5/26/2006 4:52:45 PM

im guessing the speed limit before was at like 75 anyway, so whats 5 mph more?

i know for a fact that in New Mexico on 40 the speed limit is 75 and it could easily be raised to 80 and nothing would happen, so i dont know why other states dont follow Texas' lead

5/26/2006 4:56:37 PM

^^ diminishing returns.
^ either that or 70.

5/26/2006 5:24:45 PM

like others have said....if you have ever driven that strech you would know it will be perfectly fine to up the speed limit... i think that they should increase it going through alabama too, there is nothing along that stretch

5/26/2006 5:47:23 PM

some of those places you might as well go as fast as you can because it doesn't matter.

5/26/2006 7:49:11 PM

what is in alabama?

5/26/2006 8:00:56 PM

nothing

5/26/2006 10:46:46 PM

chicken fuckers

5/26/2006 10:59:17 PM

^thought they were more in new england like vermont... and drive mini-vans

5/26/2006 11:07:29 PM

^ and like to read books and teach policemen to be literate.

5/26/2006 11:11:13 PM

I hope these are long, flat, two-lane highways that no one ever uses.

5/26/2006 11:30:05 PM

Lowering the speed limit sux!

sure you'll save a few lives, but millions will be late!

5/26/2006 11:57:31 PM

Shit. Raise the speed limit and everybody will just leave 5 minutes later.

5/27/2006 12:00:42 AM

Quote :

"Got to drive the autobahn yesterday in a 2 liter 3 series wagon. It's kinda cool to be able to just cruise the highway at a sustained 100-110 likes its 70. I was only able to find a stretch clear enough to get it up to 130. "

exact same thing i was doing last week. i also like no stop signs and red lights.

5/27/2006 12:12:42 AM

there's just a bunch of fucktards driving in the raleigh area in general
people around charlotte do 80 to work on a regular basis
i am thoroughly convinced that back when road rage was an issue there just weren't enough people shot in raleigh for not getting the fuck out of the way

Quote :

"So, while it wasn't the primary focus of their action at the time, safety was and still is still a very viable argument for lowering the speed limit."

what that information should have been a viable argument for was making more strict requirements for getting a license to begin with

5/27/2006 7:11:34 AM

yea they found out that as speed factor increases in a an accident.... so does the risk of fatality.

5/27/2006 10:54:52 AM

Fatality increases with speed in an accident, but people who drive 10-20mph over the speedlimit are less likely to be in an accidnt then those who go the speed limit.

U.S. has pretty much the worse traffic laws ever. They need to be more stringent on driving technique, rather than driving speed. Variable speed limits, like they do on the autobahn, are nice so the speed limit varies with the amount of traffic.

[Edited on May 27, 2006 at 11:40 AM. Reason : .]

5/27/2006 11:37:31 AM

I set the cruise at 125 in the mustang on I-95 once, I only cruised at that speed for about 1 minute and a half though, I didnt feel like going to jail.

5/27/2006 12:39:43 PM

Quote :

"Speaking of energy crises and petroleum shortages and lowering the speed limits...I wonder why we don't hear much about this lately. You may argue that your Honda Civic or Acura Integra gets better fuel mileage the faster you go, but that doesn't hold true for the majority of trucks, SUV's, minivans, and other vehicles on the road. Hell, it didn't hold true all the time with my Teg."

Hell I know that. My gas mileage drops off noticeably over 75mph. Does that stop me from crusing at 80-85? Not if I'm driving a far distance and money isn't a big factor

Personally I think my car's sweet spot for crusing is around 90mph. But thats around 5k on the tach

And I totally agree Scottyc, driving technique needs to be improved, not more stupid laws to try to control everyone to a greater degree.

5/30/2006 10:42:24 AM

Quote :

"And I totally agree Scottyc, driving technique needs to be improved, not more stupid laws to try to control everyone to a greater degree."

You fuckers forget that this all hinges on two things: 1. The general public might have some sort of aptitude for improving their driving technique. 2. The general public even gives a damn about improving technique...as in they might find it more important than yakking on the phone and applying makeup and eating their goddam egg mcmuffins.

Do you seriously think that the majority of US citizens would give up what they consider their God-given right to do all of the above for the sake of actually paying attention to operating their 6000 lb guided missile? Yeah, you can improve technique, so can I, but it's my opinion that an overwhelming number of drivers just don't give a good goddamn.

5/30/2006 10:51:41 AM

When the fines go up a ton for getting caught driving this way

or when you have to pay extra out of pocket above your insurance when you have a wreck caused by the above, people will start changing.

5/30/2006 11:02:25 AM

^^ Agreed...which is why I HATE riding in a car with anyone who hasn't been to a track school, done some Autocross, gotten their CDL, or SOMETHING above the pathetic excuse of a test for a normal license. I rode to lunch with a 19 year old co-op here at work the other day and was absolutely terrified. Kid can't drive worth a crap.

IMHO, everyone should be forced to lose control of a car in a controlled environment at least once, just so they know the limits, what it feels like when the car is out of control, and how to regain it.

5/30/2006 11:10:25 AM

Say what you will, but I learned a lot about traction by doing donuts in snow-covered parking lots.

5/30/2006 11:18:19 AM

Quote :

"i am thoroughly convinced that back when road rage was an issue there just weren't enough people shot in raleigh for not getting the fuck out of the way"

Wait,
There was a road rage era?
When was this?
Because I get road rage everyday.
And I doubt I'm alone.

5/30/2006 11:20:14 AM

^^

Quote :

"or SOMETHING above the pathetic excuse of a test"

Snow covered parking lot donuts count, if you do enough of 'em

My dad took me out the first time it snowed when I had my permit and made me do those for an hour in our Jeep in a local parking lot. He considered it part of the normal learning to drive process, lol.

[Edited on May 30, 2006 at 11:21 AM. Reason : .]

5/30/2006 11:20:30 AM

The authorities didn't like it, but it saved my ass on more than one occasion.

5/30/2006 11:23:04 AM