How does 85 mph sound as a speed limit?

[Kevlar]

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/sto...imit/19707905/

Four state lawmakers are drafting bills for next year’s legislative session that would raise the daytime speed limit on Montana interstate highways from 75 to 80 and possibly as high as 85 mph.


State Rep. Mike Miller, R-Helmville, and state Rep.-elect Art Wittich, R-Bozeman, both said Utah, Wyoming and Idaho all have raised their speed limits above 75 and they haven’t seen any problems as a result.


“I just think our roads are engineered well and technology is such we can drive those roads safely,” Wittich said.

[Rudolph320i]

sounds kinda like the speed ive been driving.....

[pizzaman09]

Depending on the road, I don't see why 85mph is out of the question. Most every car built in the last 20 years is more then capable of attaining and cruising at that speed.

“I just think our roads are engineered well”

If I told my boss that, he would ask for the hard numbers proof.

[BimmerBreaker]

Texas

[sullypants1]

I've been saying this for years; all 21 of them. Speed limits haven't moved much for 30 years but car technology certainly has. IF we could only make some progress in our drivers' education.

[auaq]

I foresee a possible American Autobahn ...... in the next 200 years. Just saying ....

They should start this here in NC first.

[Kevlar]

Little known fact ... Montana was the home of the US Autobahn back in the late 90s. In fact, their highways had no speed limit until I think it was May 1999 when they finally imposed a 75mph one.

[BimmerBreaker]

I've been saying this for years; all 21 of them. Speed limits haven't moved much for 30 years but car technology certainly has. IF we could only make some progress in our drivers' education.

The reason for speed limits is not to do with drivers, cars or road safety. It has to do with the strength of the roads themselves and the costs of building highways. There is a lot more force put on a road when vehicles are travelling a higher speed, so if you raise the speed limit more people will travel at this rates of speed and the road will wear out more quickly, facilitating more repairs. This is why its often cheaper on long expanses of roads for a city to put a few cops alongside it instead of just raising the speed limit. I mentioned subtly earlier that Texas has a highway with similar speed limits (maybe even 90?) but its a toll road. The toll is there to pay for the repairs when they are needed.

[montaillou]

Well...speed has a direct correlation to deaths, so I think road safety does play a role.

One thing I noticed when I visited Montana, Wyoming and Idaho recently is that I saw a lot of truck tire debris around the highways. I wondered if maybe this was because the tires failed more under the higher speeds. Trucks usually have a lower speed limit, but I rarely see a truck observe this and I doubt cops pull them over.

State I live in has a max speed limit of 70, and that only in a few places on the freeway. In Idaho you can do 75 on some single lane country roads, and 80 on the highways. Drive 10 miles over the limit and you really cover some ground doing 90.

Then there's the fuel thing. Millions of cars going 80 will burn a LOT more fuel.

[sullypants1]

The reason for speed limits is not to do with drivers, cars or road safety. It has to do with the strength of the roads themselves and the costs of building highways. There is a lot more force put on a road when vehicles are travelling a higher speed, so if you raise the speed limit more people will travel at this rates of speed and the road will wear out more quickly, facilitating more repairs. This is why its often cheaper on long expanses of roads for a city to put a few cops alongside it instead of just raising the speed limit. I mentioned subtly earlier that Texas has a highway with similar speed limits (maybe even 90?) but its a toll road. The toll is there to pay for the repairs when they are needed.

Interesting I didn't know that but makes sense, always follow the money. Guess that's why I never see many police on toll roads when I travel up north. Last time I ran across the Pennsylvania turnpike I did 90-100 and I got passed by a diesel truck hauling a car trailer. Most fun I've ever had in a car; me, a buddie, his 2006 328xi, some skis, lotta beer, blasting Jethro Tull flying down the turnpike.

[BimmerBreaker]

Well...speed has a direct correlation to deaths, so I think road safety does play a role.

Road safety is a small factor (smaller than the mpg consideration), if road safety was really the biggest factor, we would implement an autobahn-type system where certain lanes are dedicated to travelling faster than others. Autobahns are pretty safe because of this, and places in the US that implement laws encouraging slow highway drivers to move over for faster vehicles also show lower accident rates.

Interestingly, the danger from fast drivers is slow drivers. Nobody thinks they can get rid of fast drivers by implementing or cracking down on speed limits, so again, if road safety was really a main consideration, they'd find a way to let drivers drive their preferred speed (within reason) and that will make the roads safer. About 65-80mph is where most cars hit a "brick wall" of efficiency regarding aerodynamics and mpg though, there is really no way around that directly but as cars got more and more efficient, IF speed limits got raised, they would find ways to make cars more efficient at these speeds. But why make a car that can get 60mpg at 100mph if you cant go that fast in most places?

[Haifisch M3]

speed differential is what is dangerous, so as long as they enforce a 80mph minimum limit along with max 85mph there should be no safely concerns

[Rudolph320i]

Interesting I didn't know that but makes sense, always follow the money. Guess that's why I never see many police on toll roads when I travel up north. Last time I ran across the Pennsylvania turnpike I did 90-100 and I got passed by a diesel truck hauling a car trailer. Most fun I've ever had in a car; me, a buddie, his 2006 328xi, some skis, lotta beer, blasting Jethro Tull flying down the turnpike.

Thats kinda what the PA turnpike was designed for....

[Chinman]

Little known fact ... Montana was the home of the US Autobahn back in the late 90s. In fact, their highways had no speed limit until I think it was May 1999 when they finally imposed a 75mph one.

My dad traveled through Montana back in the 60's and he said it was that way then.

Old Montana speed limit sign:

Thats kinda what the PA turnpike was designed for....

No, it wasn't.

During the 1930s the Pennsylvania Turnpike was designed to improve automobile transportation across the mountains of Pennsylvania, using seven tunnels built for the abandoned South Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1880s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Turnpike

[Rudolph320i]

My dad traveled through Montana back in the 60's and he said it was that way then.

Old Montana speed limit sign:






No, it wasn't.

During the 1930s the Pennsylvania Turnpike was designed to improve automobile transportation across the mountains of Pennsylvania, using seven tunnels built for the abandoned South Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1880s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Turnpike

That was a joke, man. Good info though.

[auaq]

How about for a change, shall we? 65mph in city limits and 35mph on highways. What say ye?

[Critter7r]

Road safety is a small factor (smaller than the mpg consideration), if road safety was really the biggest factor, we would implement an autobahn-type system where certain lanes are dedicated to travelling faster than others. Autobahns are pretty safe because of this, and places in the US that implement laws encouraging slow highway drivers to move over for faster vehicles also show lower accident rates.

Interestingly, the danger from fast drivers is slow drivers. Nobody thinks they can get rid of fast drivers by implementing or cracking down on speed limits, so again, if road safety was really a main consideration, they'd find a way to let drivers drive their preferred speed (within reason) and that will make the roads safer. About 65-80mph is where most cars hit a "brick wall" of efficiency regarding aerodynamics and mpg though, there is really no way around that directly but as cars got more and more efficient, IF speed limits got raised, they would find ways to make cars more efficient at these speeds. But why make a car that can get 60mpg at 100mph if you cant go that fast in most places?

My anecdotal evidence says this is factually correct, but insignificant. I've done enough 300 mile freeway trips to know that my car gets within 3-4% of 30mpg (plus or minus) whether I'm averaging 60mph or 90mph.

[e30jrosso]

These states have the right idea, meanwhile it is reckless to drive 81mph in my state where the speed limit is 70mph.

[BimmerBreaker]

My anecdotal evidence says this is factually correct, but insignificant. I've done enough 300 mile freeway trips to know that my car gets within 3-4% of 30mpg (plus or minus) whether I'm averaging 60mph or 90mph.

3-4% may be insignificant to ONE person, but when it applies to EVERYONE - it becomes a HUGE statistic. Plus for most cars like older cars that aren't designed with efficiency in mind as much as a car getting 30mpg, the difference will be much greater. I get about 14-16mpg in my Tahoe at about 65-75mph. Going 85-90 that drops to 10mpg or less. Now apply that to everyone on their work commute, everyone driving between states on road trips... it really adds up rather quickly.

[sullypants1]

Using a OBDII scanner my 18 year old e36 gets about 27-28 mpg at 65. It drops to ~23 at 75 but holds just about 23 up to 90 mph (4000rpm!). I cruise @ 80. I have to spend the majority of my gas accelerating back to 80 after Leftlane Laggards finally hop over to the right lane. Its that 1:1 direct 5th and having actual power at cruising speed.

[ross1]

I've been saying this for years; all 21 of them. Speed limits haven't moved much for 30 years but car technology certainly has. IF we could only make some progress in our drivers' education.

THIS^!
Rules are taught but car control is not. Add the ever increasing distractions and you have seriously dangerous folks sharing the road.
85 mph isn't uncommon anyway, even here in a metro area. Speed laws are generally ignored around here, a person actually going at the posted limit impedes traffic flow on some roads.
Given the vast open spaces of Montana it makes sense. Hopefully not while texting or doing one's web surfing.