The Texas Autobahn : Now drive @ 80MPH

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And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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May 26, 2006, 10:13AM
For life in the fast lane, head to far West Texas
As of Saturday, 80 mph limit will be the nation's top posted speed

By LISA FALKENBERG
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
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-->AUSTIN - Call it the cowboy Autobahn.
In a state obsessed with superlatives, Texas just added another to the list: The highest posted speed limit in the nation — 80 mph on two stretches of far West Texas highway.
Transportation commissioners on Thursday approved the speed limit.
Life in the fast lane starts Saturday, when officials unveil the first 80 mph speed limit sign on a bare shoulder of highway outside of Fort Stockton, said Rep. Pete Gallego, who championed the legislation that led to the change.
Gallego said the new speed limit applies to less than 1 percent of the state's 79,000 miles of highway.
"I think the average driver is already speeding in that stretch of West Texas under the current law," said Gallego, D-Alpine. "It essentially legalizes the behavior that's already out there and I don't expect any change in safety. I really don't think there's going to be too much difference. We might see fewer traffic tickets, I suppose."
Gallego said critics of the measure just don't get West Texas, a place where the road goes on forever and the driving never seems to end.
"Where I live, there are such lonely stretches of highway that DPS might stop you if you're doing 66 in a 65 just to have somebody to talk to," Gallego said.
The new speed zones stretch from El Paso to Kerrville and Monahans to the I-10 interchange at the cusp of the Jeff Davis Mountains. 80 mph on more than 521 miles of Interstate 10 and Interstate 20 in rural west Texas, through the Davis Mountains and toward the southern tip of the Rockies.
While state officials say the roads can take it, safety and energy conservation advocates warn the new speed limit will cost lives and hit drivers in the wallet at a time of spiking fuel prices.
"This will result in more deaths. The research is pretty clear about that," Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, told the Associated Press. "You get someplace faster, but at what cost?"
"You can repeal the speed limit law, but you can't repeal the law of physics. People don't survive crashes at these excessive speeds," said Tom "Smitty" Smith, Texas director of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.

Drivers determine limit

The safety of the new law was tested before it was approved, transportation officials said.
Speed studies conducted by the department showed that 85 percent of drivers along the two stretches were already going 76-79 mph in 75 mph zones, said Carlos Lopez, the transportation department's director of the traffic operations division.
"People on the road help us determine what speeds ought to be," Lopez said.
The transportation department also found that in the three years after the speed limit was changed to 75 mph in parts of West Texas, the number of fatalities in those areas actually dropped, Lopez said.
He noted that the highways affected are mostly four-lane, razor-straight, well-maintained roadways with wide shoulders and low traffic volumes. In some parts, exits are 14 miles apart, he said.

State to monitor road

While there may be some drivers who will test the new limit, or fly way past it, Lopez said he expects most drivers to abide by the new speed limit for the sake of safety.
"When you start going over 80 are people really going to feel comfortable?" said Lopez.
He believes the answer is no, but said the state will keep monitoring the area for safety.
"We're going to keep tabs on it," Lopez said. "If we need to go back down, we will."
The new speed limit doesn't apply to large trucks, which are limited to 70 mph during the day. The maximum nighttime speed limit for all drivers remains 65 mph.
New legislation would be required to extend the limits to other portions of the highway system.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

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Before we went to the 55 mph speed limit, Kansas had a 80 mph limit, and Nevada had an unlimited speed limit!
 

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I thought there was a place somewhere in Wyoming or one of the Dakotas where there's no speed limit on a stretch of highway or the speed limit is 85, something like that??? Anybody know if it actually exist?
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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I have drove that hi-way before and its you can drive sometimes and never see another car for miles. And dont run out of gas on the road because some exits are 14 miles apart
 

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In California, it's called Interstate 5. Posted speed only 70 MPH, but average speed in the fast lane of this two lane highway in each direction is easily 85 MPH or higher. Personally, I've clocked 150 MPH in my Lexus LS 400, going from the Bay Area to Los Angeles which is over 350 miles in a little more then 4+ hours. Just have to keep an eye open for the aircraft overhead.
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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The LS400...now thats a crusing car. I hear they have some power to them
 

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maxdemo said:
The LS400...now thats a crusing car. I hear they have some power to them

Yep! Whether you're doing 80, 100, 120 or 150, the car cruises smoothly no matter the speed, it still feels the same. Now 12 years old and still runs like new.
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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I have a 99 rx300 and it still the best car i have ever had...one of the best investments i have ever made.
 

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maxdemo said:
I have a 99 rx300 and it still the best car i have ever had...one of the best investments i have ever made.

Talked my neighbor into buying a 2000 RX 300 followed by a 2005 ES 330. Whenever anyone asks me for a manufacturer recommendation, without hesitation, I highly recommend the Lexus line of products. I own a 12 year old ES 300 as well. Wouldn't trade them in for anything. I'd rather drive then fly.
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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I agree completly...why over pay for a Mercedes or a BMW when you can own a car that will drive well past its warranty
 

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Been in Italy and have done some driving over there (it is an experience, surprise they don't have more road range incidents). Remember doing around 80 on the autostrada and just get blown past by one of those REALLY expensive sports car they have. Now they do have speed limits but these are the Italians and road laws pretty much mean NOTHING. Amazing never saw an accident.

OMT, been nailed by aircraft in Arizona, never saw the plane. They had numerous cars pulled over, the state made a fortune. Hard to go back and drive a couple hundred miles to fight a ticket.
 

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oldmanTED said:
In California, it's called Interstate 5. Posted speed only 70 MPH, but average speed in the fast lane of this two lane highway in each direction is easily 85 MPH or higher. Personally, I've clocked 150 MPH in my Lexus LS 400, going from the Bay Area to Los Angeles which is over 350 miles in a little more then 4+ hours. Just have to keep an eye open for the aircraft overhead.

150 MPH in a sedan on a two laner??? You got a death wish Ted????
 

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go2guy said:
150 MPH in a sedan on a two laner??? You got a death wish Ted????

Two lanes each direction separated by a very, very wide median. Do I have a death wish? Maybe, but really wanted just to test the car up to the manufacturer's specifications. Passed with flying colors.:103631605
 

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Hey Ted, I got nailed doing 85 by one of those planes on I-5 up north.

By the way have you seen or heard about that Lexus 450 hybred that does 0-60 in 5.7 sec? Read about it in Road and Track and saw an ad yesterday for it on TV.
 

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Recently drove from the Coachella valley to Las Vegas through the backroads. There is a good stretch of the old two lane route 66 but its so quiet and deserted you can easily do 80 there, even though its posted 55 as a California state route.
 

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oldmanTED said:
In California, it's called Interstate 5. Posted speed only 70 MPH, but average speed in the fast lane of this two lane highway in each direction is easily 85 MPH or higher. Personally, I've clocked 150 MPH in my Lexus LS 400, going from the Bay Area to Los Angeles which is over 350 miles in a little more then 4+ hours. Just have to keep an eye open for the aircraft overhead.
You're my hero.
 

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(Props to you OMT.)

Let's face it. The speed limits today are artifically low. I am not talking about in town. When one gets about ten miles out of town there is absolutely no practical reason for a 65 or 70mph speed limit. With numerous advances in automobile engineering, safety, and tires, a modern car can safely cruise the highway/turnpike at speeds well over 80mph.

And for those who like to argue going fast wastes gas. That is just not the case. The faster cars go, the less time they are on the road, the less congestion we have. Less congestion and less time commuting more than makes up for the extra gas used to travel at higher speeds.
Every time we hear about the raising of speed limits, we have to hear the obligatory speed is dangerous non-sense. Let's get one thing straight, many things can cause an accident, but not speed in itself. The most trouble you find on any highway is speed differentiation. It's the passing and lane changes that cause problems.

On a sidenote, remember to question local politicians on their views about traffic laws, and let them know how you feel (even though it's most likey your legislature, like mine, has been bought and paid for by the insurance industry).

I could go on and on but I think I said enuf.
 

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