BMW News
If you’ve ever driven across Nevada, you know that outside of cities like Las Vegas, Reno, Sparks, and Carson City, the state isn’t exactly overcrowded; there are still vast stretches of open road where it’s still possible to drive for long periods of time without even seeing another car. In fact, when Roundel editor Satch Carlson was growing up there, Nevada did not have any maximum speed limit at all.
Nowadays, despite all logic, the speed limit on Nevada Interstate highways is 75 mph, while rural highways are posted at a maximum speed of 70 mph. But as The Los Angeles Times reports, Nevada State Senator Don Gustavson is looking to change that.
Gustavson has introduced a bill that would bump the highest speed limits in his state to 85 mph, matching a stretch of toll road in Texas that currently has the distinction of being the nation's fastest highway.
Upping the speed limits in Nevada would be at the discretion of state transportation officials, who would determine which stretches of road are safe enough to be eligible. We suspect the answer would be interstate highways only, as rural highways may be deemed unsuitable for such high speeds.
Gustavson is ready to counter those with the opinion that “speed kills,” too. Utah, which allows an 80 mph speed limit on certain isolated stretches of road, has actually seen a decrease in fatalities since the limit was raised. More significantly, the average speed before the higher limit was 82 mph, while today its risen to just 85 mph.
Like Montana, Nevada once posted the speed limit as “safe and sane” for conditions. While those days are as distant as thirty-five-cent-per-gallon gasoline, the 85 mph speed limit may be spreading. If it’s good enough for Texas (and, hopefully, Nevada), can other sparsely-populated states be far behind?––Paul Duchene
Upping the speed limits in Nevada would be at the discretion of state transportation officials, who would determine which stretches of road are safe enough to be eligible. We suspect the answer would be interstate highways only, as rural highways may be deemed unsuitable for such high speeds.
Gustavson is ready to counter those with the opinion that “speed kills,” too. Utah, which allows an 80 mph speed limit on certain isolated stretches of road, has actually seen a decrease in fatalities since the limit was raised. More significantly, the average speed before the higher limit was 82 mph, while today its risen to just 85 mph.
Like Montana, Nevada once posted the speed limit as “safe and sane” for conditions. While those days are as distant as thirty-five-cent-per-gallon gasoline, the 85 mph speed limit may be spreading. If it’s good enough for Texas (and, hopefully, Nevada), can other sparsely-populated states be far behind?––Paul Duchene
