Highest speed limit in nation takes effect
If you feel the need for speed, better head south to Texas. The nation's highest speed limit, 85 miles per hour, has just taken effect.
"Increased speeds will lead to more accidents whenever you have heavy traffic volume. That's why the engineers are going to go out and they're going to survey the particular areas to see if it's safe to do so," KXII quotes Trooper Mark Tackett of the Texas Highway Patrol as saying.
Texas hasn't been alone in raising speed limits. States like Nevada and Montana have also raised limits in on rural roads. The photo is right, for instance, was taken when Nevada was raising its limit.
The new law applies only to rural roads -- and there are few places more rural in the country than the vast expanses of highways in west Texas. The change was popular in the Texas legislature, with only two no votes in the house and none in the senate.
"We've raised the speed limit out in west Texas on some of the interstates and there have been no adverse conditions. Our vehicles can handle faster speeds so generally there are only going to be roads that can accept faster speed that they go into effect," says State Represen tative Larry Phillips.
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