A Bill just passed the House in the Texas Legislature without opposition that would get rid of the 65 miles per hour night speed requirements and would increase the limit to 75 on some non-urban state highways. Other proposed legislation would allow speed limits of up to 85 miles per hour on future highways. Those legislators in support of removing the night speeds have suggested that it is outdated and was used when headlights were not equipped to handle higher speeds.
Obviously this legislation has not officially passed, but what is surprising is that it passed the house without opposition. One would assume that there are many safety advocacy groups (including insurance companys and others) that may disagree with the premise that raising the speed limits will not equate to more traffic crashes. Even if the safety studies determine that more accidents are not more likely by increasing the speed, the concern should be that drivers will continue to go the customary 5-10 miles per hour over the posted speeds which we know will cause more severe results when there are vehicle crashes, even if they are not more frequent.
What is your opinion? Are you in favor of increased speed limits?
