Highest Speed Limits (Laws)
Highest Speed Limits – Find out what some of the highest speed limits are across the country. Highways that are built by the federal government are still reduced to 55 mph. However, state roads are very different.
We will review the highest speed limits around the country. Some of the rural states have anywhere from 65 mph to 80 mph. Here’s a list on how fast you can go in some of the states.
Texas – While it’s not throughout the entire state, there are a few stretches of highway in Texas where the speed limit is an impressive 80 mph.
Utah – Similar to Texas, Utah also has a few stretches of highway where drivers can accelerate to 80 mph.
The rest of the states with the highest speed limits come in at allowing drivers to go up to 75 mph on selected freeways. These states are: Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.
The National Maximum Speed Law (NMSL) in the United States was a provision of the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act that prohibited speed limits higher than 55 mph (90 km/h).
It was drafted in response to oil price spikes and supply disruptions during the 1973 oil crisis. While gasoline consumption was expected to fall by 2.2%, the United States Department of Transportation calculated actual savings at 1%. Independent studies suggest savings as low as a half percent.
The law was widely disregarded by motorists and most states subversively opposed the law. Actions ranged from proposing deals for exemption to minimizing speed limit enforcement.
The NMSL was modified in 1987 and 1988 to allow up to 65 mph (105 km/h) limits on certain roads. Congress repealed the NMSL in 1995, fully restoring authority to determine the the maximum speed limits for each state to the U.S. States.
