New speed limits in west Texas

[masraum]

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Because it's too difficult to legislate/enforce a "common sense" standard (like parts of Montana have) like "don't drive faster than what is reasonable given driver, vehicle, conditions, and road", they come up with these dumbed-down "catch-alls" just to make revenue off it.

I think most people know it's "unreasonable" to go 50 through a school zone or 120 on a highway unless it's very un-trafficked, straight, flat and you have a car built for it.

You must not deal with the general public much. I think that's the problem. If you tried to make it reasonable and prudent you'd have some folks going 120 in SUV's, Old Camaros with worn out cheap ***** tires, whatever, then you'd have other folks on the same road going 40, and the location of the road wouldn't matter, school zone or not.

THe problem is that "people" don't have common sense, and "people" aren't reasonable and prudent and "people" vastly overestimate their capabilities and the capabilities of their vehicles and other people around them. I hate the speed limits too, but I don't think there's any way around having to have them. Even with them if you spend 30 minutes driving at almost any time day or night, good weather or bad you see people that aren't following them, that aren't being reasonable or prudent or using common sense. Just imagine if we suddenly made it a free for all.

For us to even begin to consider making the traffic laws more lax we need a couple of things to happen. 1 Our vehicle saftey and inspections need to be much more strict. I know everyone on this board sees cars driving around on a daily basis that have no business on the road. 2 Our training, testing and responsibility need to have much, much higher levels. Too many eople don't have any clue how to drive and a bunch are only partially clued in. The testing is much, much too easy. It should be really difficult and expensive to get a license, more like it is in some foreign countries. Responsibility for being an idiot should be enforced more.

[artplumber]

Originally posted by masraum
...THe problem is that "people" don't have common sense, and "people" aren't reasonable and prudent and "people" vastly overestimate their capabilities and the capabilities of their vehicles and other people around them. I hate the speed limits too, but I don't think there's any way around having to have them. ....

Spot on. People is waay stupid.( ) Haven't you seen people weaving lanes on the freeway at 80 mph on their mini spare tire. Or driving jacked up 4x4's tailgating motorcyles. Or driving 80 mixed with 50 when they forget to press the gas.

[snowman]

Total BS. Before the 55 limit, many states had reasonable speed limits. Many unlimited. I think its total bs that any rual speed limit is set below 85mph on most roads. Reasonable was once 65 on two lane state highways, and still should be.

The highest risk time to be caught speeding is when you are the ONLY one on the road, a clear and open road. Thats when they get you for doing 60 in a 55 which should be 70 zone. At times of high traffic, everyones going 80 plus and they cannot seperate the wheat from the chalf.

Ever notice that in the big cities, the 55 limit never took hold. Everyone ignored it and it was totally unenforceable. But in the boonies, where it was one on one, you lost.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by artplumber
Who are we kidding, everyone's going 90 on that stretch anyway. The only way I can stay awake is to drive that stretch at night, then at least, you have the sense that you're moving.

Right you are. I always try to do any drives from the Rockies or El Paso East at night. Its 5-7 hours of nothing and boring as hell. At night at least you do not see as much of it...

[Hugh R]

Isn't the speed limit in Montana 65 for trucks at night, and that's it? I don't like government regulation, but in CA we have semi-annual (every 2 years) smog inspections. I think they should check the tires and lights, but they don't. I see waay to many cars with one brake light, NO lights on the rear at all. The legislature doesn't want to do it because its too much of a burden on the less fortunate! What the f! How much do brake light bulbs cost!

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
ISo we're stuck with the bull**** system we have. . . Unlikely to change anytime soon. Unless you go to Montana.

Originally posted by Hugh R
Isn't the speed limit in Montana 65 for trucks at night, and that's it?

Pretty sure Montana went back to their regular speed limit quite awhile ago, instead of "reasonable and prudent"

Unless MOntana's going to be changing thier limits soon again...in which case, we're moving...

[masraum]

Yep, I second that, I think it's been several years since Montana's "reasonable and prudent" I think they went back to 70 or 75.

[masraum]

http://www.motorists.com/pressreleases/montana.html

In 1996, the State of Montana reverted to the state speed limit policies that existed prior to 1974 and the National Maximum Speed Limit. The National Maximum Speed Limit was repealed in December of 1995. Montana returned to the use of Reasonable and Prudent speed limits on its federal and state highways.

The Montana State Patrol chose to enforce a de-facto threshold of an 80-90 mph limit for Reasonable and Prudent enforcement.

During a challenge of such a ticket, in 1998, the Montana Supreme Court declared the Reasonable and Prudent Speed Limit unconstitutional, on the basis of vagueness. For the following five months Montana had no form of daytime speed limit on its rural highways.

For the last 5 months of no daytime limits in Montana, the period after its Supreme Court had ruled that the Reasonable and Prudent law was unconstitutional, reported fatal accident rate declined to a record low. Fixed speed limits were reinstated on Memorial Day weekend 1999. Since then, fatal accidents have begun to rise again.

I can tell you that when I'm driving faster I'm more alert, but I think the problem is that the "where" based on the volume of traffic is the problem. There may be many areas of the US where the speed limits could be set high or removed completely, but I don't think most of those areas would be where we would drive on a daily basis. Certainly no where near where I drive in Houston.

[masraum]

A list of the speed limits per state
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_United_States

Texas has the highest speed limits of all of the US, and we may have another jump if they start building the superhighway

85 mph limits

The legislation creating the Trans-Texas Corridor allows speed limits of up to 85 mph (140 km/h)[16] on roads built under the program. However, no such roads have been built as of July 2006. The language of the statute does not prohibit the Texas Transportation Commission from raising the truck speed limit or the night speed limit on these roads.

[azasadny]

When does "night" start.? Does it really mean "65 after dark"?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

What about during an eclipse?

[masraum]

Originally posted by azasadny
When does "night" start.? Does it really mean "65 after dark"?

Yep

[azasadny]

Haven't they heard of headlights? What about if you're issued a ticket at "dusk" or "dawn"? How would they enforce that?

[masraum]

I've never noticed that people pay too much attention to the whole night speed limit thing, but I'm sure someplace it makes a difference.

I think the point is that most headlights are being out driven at 70+mph

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by masraum

I think the point is that most headlights are being out driven at 70+mph

with stock bulbs and lens for sure. Try 130/100w Narva and non-DOT lens.

[masraum]

Unfortunately they don't base speed limits on the capabilities of the car and equipment.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

No, they base it on a dumbed-down policy centered around the most incompetent, unskilled driver in the biggest POS in the worst weather conditions. And they wonder why there's BILLIONS of dollars wasted annually in fuel and time costs by people spent sitting in traffic.

My disdain for cold weather aside, I seriously think if Montana re-instates "reasonable and prudent" and I can actually find work up there, I'm going to Montana.

[onlycafe]

the critters run to a really good size in montana , you wouldn't want to have a showdown with a moose or buffalo.