After doing engineering and traffic studies, the Texas Department of Transportation will finally authorize to raise the speed limit on designated lanes or entire stretches of roadway.
Needless to say, this is terrific news for all of us, and finally we’ll be able to reach at a decent pace our desired destinations.
"They have high-speed roadways in Europe, and there could be some merit in having some of those highways in Texas," said Rep. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham, who introduced the bill. "Given the right engineering, we should consider it.".
But not everybody considers raising the speed limit to be a benefit as some auto insurers oppose the measure, citing safety concerns: “Obviously, the two things that kill most people on our highways are speed and alcohol. Increasing it to 85, or even 75, will have a dramatic impact on the death and injury rate on those highways where it's implemented," said Jerry Johns, a spokesman for the Southwestern Insurance Information Service.
He also states that drivers already exceed 70 mph highway speed limits: "85 mph is simply too fast to drive even on a flat road. Any little hitch can cause an accident at that speed. There is still traffic on those roads, and to drive 85 mph is simply ludicrous.".
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