How Fast is too fast?

[TopGear]

Texas has decided to change their speed limits on some of there highways to 85 MPH! That to me seems to be a little extreme. I Know that there are some parts of the highways that I myself drive 85 mph, but for that to be the posted speed limit seems unsafe. What's you guys/ girls thoughts about this, Also anyone from Texas that know where some of these speed changes will occur?

~TopGear

[Iceman]

Probably west of San Antonio. There's nothing out there but desert, and it is already one of the fastest speed limits in the U.S., why no bump it up a notch ;)

[Sith Lord 13]

I think it's fine. The Germans had a good idea. No maximum speed limit, just a minimum speed limit. :P

[Dimitri]

Dude that is what i normally drive when I am in an Ambulance, sometimes up to 90 on a straight-away. I think that is why to dangerous for the general public to be driving. Especially the new drivers.

[Severus Snape]

I feel safe driving up to 80 MPH, after that my car begins to make bizarre noises. I don't see the increase as a bad thing though. It likely won't affect people who don't feel comfortable driving that fast, because I suspect they simply won't drive at a speed they don't feel safe travelling at, but it will give the others the opportunity to get where they are going a bit faster.

[Dimitri]

Unless my mother is teahing them how to drive, she screamed at me to increase me speed all the time and then she taught me how to drift and race. My mom is awesome.

[Severus Snape]

Unless my mother is teahing them how to drive, she screamed at me to increase me speed all the time and then she taught me how to drift and race. My mom is awesome.

I. Want. Your. Mom.
to teach me how to drive...nothing weird :P

[Dimitri]

Yeah, I didn't find out that she raced until she started to teach me. I should have realized it when she did the movie style "whip the car into the parallel parking space" thing. I drive most country roads going about however fast i want. Her on the other hand drives the SLX at about whatever it handels. She keeps pushing it.

[Severus Snape]

You have to be careful around where I live, tons of speed traps.

[Dimitri]

My dad is the sheriff, enough said......

[TopGear]

Levi, Damn you :P Im sure you don't have to worry about many tickets lol

[Dimitri]

Bahahahaha I have gotten one, that was because the dude who pulled me over had already wrote and signed the ticket before asking me who my parents were. I love driving fast.

[Iceman]

Bahahahaha I have gotten one, that was because the dude who pulled me over had already wrote and signed the ticket before asking me who my parents were. I love driving fast.

Corruption in the process.

[Severus Snape]

Luckily I have never gotten a ticket >_>

[Dimitri]

well I did earn it, 100 in a 65, I borrowed the SLX

[TopGear]

Okay this is way off topic, Back to the texas ruling.

[Dimitri]

sorry bout that

[Andymoto377]

85 thats bad ass will they still have the 65 nighttime speed?

[anonymous.john]

I don't even pay attention to speed limits until a cop shows up, then I slow down. I feel secure driving 80-85 on the interstate or a straightaway. If you feel capable of going a speed, then go that speed, but don't just think you can because you want to be Ricky Bobby.

[Kahn]

Too fast is too fast.

[Korashk]

Texas has decided to change their speed limits on some of there highways to 85 MPH! That to me seems to be a little extreme. I Know that there are some parts of the highways that I myself drive 85 mph, but for that to be the posted speed limit seems unsafe. What's you guys/ girls thoughts about this, Also anyone from Texas that know where some of these speed changes will occur?

~Doc.Dreww
Speed limits do not make roads safer.

[Sogeking]

80 MPH is already the speed limit in some states in the country. But they can't make it that high in cities though.

[Continuum]

Here it's 60. Don't get me wrong, we're not in a hurry in most times. And, the traffic density and road quality here is horrible. We keep it safe most of the time to prevent any unwanted disasters.

[Origami]

Speed limits do not make roads safer.

No, but it keeps some idiots at bay.

[whodatbe]

i think that it's a ridiculous speed limit personally, because if you're going the fast, it will be hard for you to stop and slow down when you're close to hitting obstacles. And i'm not too good at physics, so this might be false but if you're going that fast, i think it might make turning on highways difficult but i dunno

[Donkey]

My dad pushes 95-100mph on some motorways, 80 or 85 on dual carriageways and 80 odd on country roads. The max speed limit in the UK for all motorways is 70... never had an accident, or even a near miss, in the going 15 years he's been scooting me around.

It depends on the driver - 80 or 85 seems like a reasonable limit.

[TopGear]

Speed limits do not make roads safer.

I would have to disagree to that.

watch this video.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/texas-speed-limit-raised-is-it-safe-24835691

[Korashk]

I would have to disagree to that.

watch this video.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/texas-speed-limit-raised-is-it-safe-24835691
The only point made in that vodeo is when it claims that 31% of deaths in crashes were because of speed related accidents. This is a statistic I seriously doubt, mainly because I've reviewed data that puts the number at significantly less than 10%.

You also have to realize that even if the 31% statistic is true, those people weren't following the speed limit anyways. How would having the speed limit in place make the road safer?

There's also conflicting data (http://www.motorists.org/speed-limits/safety-setting-limits#CONCLUSION). Montana ELIMINATED speed limits on all rural roads and traffic fatality rates didn't rise at all.

[Limelight788]

Being someone who's trying to learn how to drive, I would not want to go that fast on a highway. The max I'll ever go on a highway is 75 MPH, above that and I would start to worry.

[jason_smitty]

Texas is going for the best commute times lol

[anonymous53]

I feel safe at 90+, I think 85 seems fine.

[Iceman]

To everyone saying they feel safe going that speed. You're not.
Simple science, and some math, it's unsafe. I doubt any of you have been in a wreck at 65+, much less 85.

[TopGear]

To everyone saying they feel safe going that speed. You're not.
Simple science, and some math, it's unsafe. I doubt any of you have been in a wreck at 65+, much less 85.

exactly. Thats what makes it unsafe. Thank you socko for pointing that out.

[Marky]

Well im from texas and ha ppl here in the city (El Paso) already hit 75 80 sometimes 90. its just those older people that can berly see the road you got to worry about. lol.

[Happz]

I'm acctually intrested to see what the first 85 MPH crash looks like. =o

[Limelight788]

To everyone saying they feel safe going that speed. You're not.
Simple science, and some math, it's unsafe. I doubt any of you have been in a wreck at 65+, much less 85.Add to my argument for why raising speed limit is not a good thing is this recent report (http://joestephenslaw.com/texas-leads-nation-in-fatal-car-accidents-drunk-driving-accidents-trucking-accidents/). Texas ranks among deadliest states on the road.
Well im from texas and ha ppl here in the city (El Paso) already hit 75 80 sometimes 90. its just those older people that can berly see the road you got to worry about. lol.I hope you were kidding there. Old people are far from the biggest concern on the road. You also have to worry about people who don't follow the rules of the road, people who drink/use other drugs, speed, are distracted via cell phones or by other methods, etc. Also, as stated above, Texas has some of the highest fatality reports in recent years. Increasing the speed limit is going to make the problem worse, not better.

[Iceman]

Add to my argument for why raising speed limit is not a good thing is this recent report (http://joestephenslaw.com/texas-leads-nation-in-fatal-car-accidents-drunk-driving-accidents-trucking-accidents/). Texas ranks among deadliest states on the road.
I hope you were kidding there. Old people are far from the biggest concern on the road. You also have to worry about people who don't follow the rules of the road, people who drink/use other drugs, speed, are distracted via cell phones or by other methods, etc. Also, as stated above, Texas has some of the highest fatality reports in recent years. Increasing the speed limit is going to make the problem worse, not better.

Not like we're not the second biggest state population wise. Of course we will have more wrecks.

[Zephyr]

I've gone upwards of 120 and felt okay. I do think that speed limits are appropriate though since not everybody feels comfortable going certain speeds. The highest in my state is 65 on I-5, though I think 85 on straight stretches would be okay. I do think that speed limits keep you safer because the faster you go, the harder you crash if you do crash, and the longer it takes to slow down or safely maneuver should there be some unforeseen circumstance ahead of you. The key here with speed is just how comfortable you feel with others going, because I don't know about anyone else here, but it's not me that I'm scared of on the road, it's the other drivers.

[Limelight788]

Not like we're not the second biggest state population wise. Of course we will have more wrecks.It's not just the huge population Texas has in comparison to other nations. California, the largest state by far, has less fatalities on the road then us. If they have less fatalities then us, that shows that we have a larger problem with accidents then even that state.

Let's look at the reports for why Texas's accidents are especially bad. Nation-wide, alcohol contributes to 1/3 of fatal car accidents. In Texas, a whopping 47% of fatalities are due to alcohol being involved in it. We also lead the nation in highest deaths from trucking accidents and car accidents in general.

That said, I will give you the population to an extend as some car fatalities are unpreventable, but as you obviously know, population alone do not contribute to # of deaths and as such, we have more to work on then other states in terms of making our roads safer (Progress have been made, but we're obviously not out of the wood).

[Jody Jackson]

It seems reasonable if you are driving straight and not going through the mountains. Most states do not go above 65 or 70 in speed limits.

[Iceman]

It's not just the huge population Texas has in comparison to other nations. California, the largest state by far, has less fatalities on the road then us. If they have less fatalities then us, that shows that we have a larger problem with accidents then even that state.

Let's look at the reports for why Texas's accidents are especially bad. Nation-wide, alcohol contributes to 1/3 of fatal car accidents. In Texas, a whopping 47% of fatalities are due to alcohol being involved in it. We also lead the nation in highest deaths from trucking accidents and car accidents in general.

That said, I will give you the population to an extend as some car fatalities are unpreventable, but as you obviously know, population alone do not contribute to # of deaths and as such, we have more to work on then other states in terms of making our roads safer (Progress have been made, but we're obviously not out of the wood).

If it's because of alcohol, it will happen even if we lower the speed limit.

[TopGear]

I've gone upwards of 120 and felt okay. I do think that speed limits are appropriate though since not everybody feels comfortable going certain speeds. The highest in my state is 65 on I-5, though I think 85 on straight stretches would be okay. I do think that speed limits keep you safer because the faster you go, the harder you crash if you do crash, and the longer it takes to slow down or safely maneuver should there be some unforeseen circumstance ahead of you. The key here with speed is just how comfortable you feel with others going, because I don't know about anyone else here, but it's not me that I'm scared of on the road, it's the other drivers.

Hit something going 120 mph, Im sure you won't being feeling okay after that. hell most people aren't feeling okay after hitting something going 65. everyone is okay going 85-90-95 mph, Its the STOPPING time and impact.

Check it out, This is a video of the 2004 - 2009 Volvo S40 crash test, at 40 mph. Now Double the damage and impact and thats what it is like at 80. Now think about that if someone is going 90 or 120? Everyone is fine going fast it's is everyone's car going to hold up to an accident of that magnitude. I think not.
ovvAji6Igaw

[Zephyr]

Oh, I understand the impact alright, as I've said

"I do think that speed limits keep you safer because the faster you go, the harder you crash if you do crash, and the longer it takes to slow down or safely maneuver should there be some unforeseen circumstance ahead of you."

[Korashk]

So TopGear, you're just going to ignore my evidence that speed limits DON'T make roads safer?

[TopGear]

So TopGear, you're just going to ignore my evidence that speed limits DON'T make roads safer?

Not exactly, I don't have time to read the linked page so I will read it and get back to that, but about the:

Montana ELIMINATED speed limits on all rural roads and traffic fatality rates didn't rise at all.

You can't argue that with Montana, Montana has 974,989 people total in the entire state. With that, there is only on average 6.2 people per square mile. If your on a rural road in Montana your more likely to kill yourself by hitting a damn moose. Now If lets say New York did that, and the numbers didn't rise, I would be more interested open to eliminating speed limits in rural areas.

Source of population facts: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/30000.html

[slappy]

California's is 65
So anything above that I think is too fast

[Iceman]

California's is 65
So anything above that I think is too fast

Wow. Just wow. Can you not think of a better reason.

[slappy]

Wow. Just wow. Can you not think of a better reason.

For what?

[Iceman]

Why the speed limits should be raised/lowered.

[slappy]

Why the speed limits should be raised/lowered.

I was just giving an opinion
It's not spam if that is what you're trying to get at

[Iceman]

I was just giving an opinion
It's not spam if that is what you're trying to get at

No what I was getting at is give a reason why. Not just because that is how it is in California. This isn't about California. It is about the speed change in Texas, and how fast do you think is acceptable and why.

[wavy7]

i think 85 is a bit too much for a posted speed. that means people will be getting up to 90 and that will be "normal/ok" o.O craziness

[somethingrandom]

Well, it depends on what the road is like. In germany, i've gone 150 MPH (with my dad driving), and it's completely safe..... as long as you stay back far enough. The speed limits there are unlimited except on tunnels, curves and bridges - they grow forests right next to the highway so that wind wont cause you to lose any control. HOWEVER, the rules are set so that you're required to drive in a lane where you can keep pace with the other cars, and never use the left lane except for passing. And frankly, it works well. Not only does it reduce traffic, but it really helps the German economy. Driving from Brussels to Milan, we would've travelled on the French side if it weren't for the free speed limits, which made the german route much faster.

So, if its safe to do so, there's no reason why the limit shouldn't be 85.