Speed Limit 85MPH bill before Nevada Legislature

[SageRider]

SB191 has been filed in this session of the Nevada Legislature that proposes increasing maximum speeds on some of Nevada highways to 85MPH. Current top speed in the state is 75MPH for Interstates and 70MPH for US and state highways.

Speed limit increases do not appear to be limited to Interstates.

 

LA Times Article

 

If you are a Nevada resident, you can submit your opinion regarding SB191 at:

https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Opinions/77th2013/A/

 

I've already submitted mine !

[Downs]

Cool deal. Most Texas highways/interstates are now up to 75MPH outside of the major cities and 80 further west out in the boonies.

[Dave McReynolds]

I remember growing up in Las Vegas, when there was no speed limit on Nevada highways. People back then seemed to like it that way, along with the legal gambling and whorehouses. Even people who didn't speed, gamble much, or visit the whorehouses, like my folks, still appreciated the frontier spirit. I think that people who are responsible will remain responsible amidst temptations, whereas people who are irresponsible will remain irresponsible amidst all the laws you want to throw at them.

[Mike]

It really seems reasonable. Like Dave, I remember Nevada back in the days when it had no rural speed limits.

 

There are plenty of places in the U.S. where higher speed limits make a lot of sense. Nevada is one of them.

[Bob Palin]

Utah has just raised the limit to 80 on several more stretches of rural freeway. Quite a lot of I15 is now 80mph. And where it's not 80 it's often 75, the limit right through Cedar City on I15 is 75mph.

[eddd]

There are plenty of highway stretches in Nevada where 100 mph would be fine. 85 mph is not at all unreasonable.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

There are plenty of highway stretches in Nevada where 100 mph would be fine. 85 mph is not at all unreasonable.

 

Road hazards are one thing, and I'd agree there are places where they are minimal. But at some point I would start to worry about the mechanical integrity of the vehicle. Compared to 80 MPH, 100MPH requires about twice as much power from the engine and puts twice as much heat into the tires; anyone running their tires a bit low or pushing an underpowered vehicle near its limits is considerably more likely to experience a catastrophic failure, and at 100 MPH, the outcome is likely to be far worse than at 80.

 

Part of me wants to say "good luck, everyone" and raise the limits, but part of me thinks that if we're going to do so, it would be prudent to get more rigorous about annual safety inspections to ensure that vehicles are capable of dealing with the added stress of traveling at such high speeds for potentially long periods.

[Mike]

Does anyone know the design speeds of these Nevada highways? The federal standard calls for a minimum of 75 mph design speed for flat terrain, but I'd imagine it's higher in the wide open west.

[TyTass]

I know one at least two people on this board who would like to see the speed limit on I-81 between Staunton VA and Bristol TN raised well past 65!

 

Matt ... ? Keith ... ? Buehler ... ?

[Ohio48]

There are plenty of highway stretches in Nevada where 100 mph would be fine. 85 mph is not at all unreasonable.

 

Rt.50???

Did that one years ago. Hit 120 MPH for what seemed like a period of 10 minutes. America's lonliest highway.

[Paul Mihalka]

The extra-terrestrial highway. You can go at UFO speeds.

 

[kmac]

I am all for higher speeds on hiways, but I do think that HIGH speeds like over 75 should be on hiways with a center divider like a K-rail or concrete barriers to minimize the head on impact opportunities. Nothing can STOP head ons, not even NASCAR soft barriers and catch fencing, but some kind of barrier dividing N/S or E/W travel lessens that.

 

With cars getting safer higher speeds are a viable option. The little Chevy Sonic we are thinking about for our daughter has 10 airbags, abs, traction control, active braking something or another, crumple zones, side impact bars....and a whole lot of other acronyms for safety stuff, couple that with many cars now having tire air pressure monitors {bikes too} and even the Google car stuff coming I see higher speeds still staying reasonably safe. It is probably safer to drive today, in a modern car like my Traverse at 85mph that it was to drive in 1973 at 55mph on many roads and in many cars then. Bias ply tires, heavy, seatbeltless {I know they were required since '68 I believe but many cars still in use did not have them}, non PVC motors spitting oil out of road draft tubes...

 

In Cali, for now, 70mph is maximum and that has limited applications with requirments based on population densities and road conditions like barriers. But we do NOT have safety inspections here at all. No annual, semiannual, never...unless you are retitling a totaled or impoted vehicle, then it is a one time deal.

If the Nevada roads meet the safety spec then go for it.

[SageRider]

I guess it depends on what one calls safety.

ET highway in Nevada for example: Flat smooth 2 lane highway with minimal traffic and excellent visibility (multiple miles). One can easily run the entire length in the triple digits.

 

What is unsafe? The minimal odds of meeting someone head-on? (I have met those odds in California, but on a road with much more traffic!) In reality, with both vehicles going 70 MPH vs 85 MPH it would make little to no difference in survivability. Even if one survived the crash, by the time medical help got to the site (often a lengthy trip even by helicopter), no one remains alive.

As far as vehicle condition, most of the "beater" type vehicles never venture away from the towns. It's a broad generalization, but I would think most owners of "beater" vehicles simply cannot afford the gasoline to drive across Nevada.

 

I could site numerous other examples in the state with similar conditions: I-80 (It could tolerate unlimited speed as in the old days.), US6, US50, US93, US95, SR318, SR375 (ET), SR361, SR376... and on and on.

SR318 is closed off anually for a run what you brung at whatever speed one can negotiate the route which is not all straight road. The current average top speed record is in excess of 200MPH in a Chrysler LeBaron (well sorta: An ARCA racing series version!).

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

[barryNmarin]

There are plenty of highway stretches in Nevada where 100 mph would be fine. 85 mph is not at all unreasonable.

 

Yeah, I know a couple of board members who made the 200 mile run from Caliente, NV to Tohapah, NV at triple digits the entire way and the only concerns were LEOs, antelope, and running out of gas at those speeds since there are no gas stops along the way. One has to know and accept their own risk tolerance.

[elkroeger]

You guys are having entirely too much fun dreaming about riding 75, 80, 90mph on desolate highways out west.

 

I am hereby advocating the return of the national 55mph speed limit. You'll be blessed with GREAT gas mileage and fewer crashes. You're welcome.

[DiggerJim]

I am hereby advocating the return of the national 55mph speed limit. You'll be blessed with GREAT gas mileage and fewer crashes.

Probably not unless this time something's different than the last time that was tried. People suffer from speed induced fatigue syndrome at speeds significantly below what they will naturally otherwise gravitate to (which tends to be something between 68 and 84 depending on vehicle and road conditions IIRC). Try it the next time you're on the highway with relatively light traffic - cover the speedo & tach and just drive. After 10 or 15 minutes check your speed - bet it's significantly higher than you expect (and the speed limit too). Then reduce your speed and try to hold it to 55 for a half-hour. That one will leave you tired and cranky. It takes a significant amount of attention and effort to keep your speed at one that is below the one you settle into in the absence of external speed monitoring/reporting stimulus.

 

That's one reason crashes have gone down both in raw numbers and per vehicle miles driven since the 55 mph national speed limit was repealed.

 

Now, the gas mileage thing is a different story. But it was never really about gas mileage or it would have been 45...or 35 even. Saves lots of gas when you get into that range.

 

 

[Paul Mihalka]

You guys are having entirely too much fun dreaming about riding 75, 80, 90mph on desolate highways out west.

 

I am hereby advocating the return of the national 55mph speed limit. You'll be blessed with GREAT gas mileage and fewer crashes. You're welcome.

 

Do you ride a Harley?

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

I don't think I've ever gone that slow in Nevada.

 

Except maybe near Tonopah.

[elkroeger]

(55mph was meant as sarcasm, guys)

 

;-)

[upflying]

Back in the day, speedometers only went to 85.

How do you know how fast you are going if you exceed 85 in a car made circa 1980-1990?

[Paul Mihalka]

Oh, the 85 mph speedometers! In the middle of the ridiculous 55 mph national speed limit, Joan Claybrook, head of NHTSA, a "safety" fanatic, invented that if the speedometer only reads to 85, people will not drive faster than that because they don't get the excitement of a higher number. So they made it into a law. That was around 1977/8. Her technical expert was Ralph Nader.

Additional Joan Claybrook actions: She spent millions of dollars to have designed a rear wheel steering motorcycle, it was "safer". Another: For many years BMW motorcycles had a adjustable friction screw in the handlebar throttle housing to add friction. That was the 197x cruise control. It worked wonderful. Much better than any Throttlemeister or similar. She ordered them removed. Yes, for safety.

[kmac]

Rear steering is WAYYYY safer....anyone ever drive a forklift really fast?? Super stable right?

 

Doesn't Hardley still have the throttle tension screw? My '02 DynaGlide still had a thumb screw.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Oh, the 85 mph speedometers! In the middle of the ridiculous 55 mph national speed limit, Joan Claybrook, head of NHTSA, a "safety" fanatic, invented that if the speedometer only reads to 85, people will not drive faster than that because they don't get the excitement of a higher number.

 

Odd coincidence: I just read an article about speedometers last week.

 

Here it is.

 

The speedometer on the Toyota Yaris says the tiny car can go 140 miles per hour.

 

In reality, the bulbous subcompact's 106-horsepower engine and automatic transmission can't push it any faster than 109.

 

So why do the Yaris — and most other cars sold in the U.S. — have speedometers that show top speeds they can't possibly reach?

 

The answer has deep roots in an American culture that loves the rush of driving fast. The automakers' marketing departments are happy to give people the illusion that their family car can travel at speeds rivaling a NASCAR racer. And companies often use one speedometer type in various models across the world, saving them money.

 

But critics say the ever-higher numbers are misleading. Some warn they create a safety concern, daring drivers to push past freeway speed limits that are 65 to 75 mph in most states.

[Paul Mihalka]

"Claybrook concedes there's no data to show the 85 mph limit saved lives, but she believes it did. She calls the ever-higher speedometer numbers immoral"

 

That is a professional way to govern.

Anecdote: In 1972 I went to one of those wonderful European tours where you payed ahead for a new BMW, rode it and took it home. Group was 5 Americans and I from metric Venezuela. The American bikes in miles, mine in km. There were always a bunch of kids looking at the bikes. They all loved mine because it was so much faster.

[Redbrick]

This new limit has been tested and proven safe ....Three of us rode from Beatty to Tonopah in one hour a while back easily (about 90 miles)....Just be careful in Goldfield on the way...Down to 25 MPH limit and they are waiting for you!!...Detectors are very helpful in Nevada.....

It makes sense in Nevada on roads like 95 to have 85 as the limit...Nice, wide open, see forever county........

[SageRider]

Text of the bill:

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/77th2013/Bills/SB/SB191.pdf

 

 

[Gregori]

"Claybrook concedes there's no data to show the 85 mph limit saved lives, but she believes it did. She calls the ever-higher speedometer numbers immoral"

And thus have we illustrated the clear divide between knowledge and belief.

 

[Mike]

"Claybrook concedes there's no data to show the 85 mph limit saved lives, but she believes it did. She calls the ever-higher speedometer numbers immoral"

And thus have we illustrated the clear divide between knowledge and belief.

 

And it is precisely the realm of "belief" that drives much of the law-making in this country.

[kmac]

"Claybrook concedes there's no data to show the 85 mph limit saved lives, but she believes it did. She calls the ever-higher speedometer numbers immoral"

And thus have we illustrated the clear divide between knowledge and belief.

 

I KNOW my way is right, and you better BELIEVE it....

 

{once again my attempt at sarcastic humor, just thought since I rarely pull it off online I would tell everyone}

[Albert]

The American bikes in miles, mine in km. There were always a bunch of kids looking at the bikes. They all loved mine because it was so much faster.

 

It's for this same reason (the metric system) that Canada is such a popular place. When traveling in Canada, and my wife needs a bathroom break, she knows that a sign saying "15k to next rest stop" means it's less than 10 miles and, since I'm doing around 120kph, she can hold it. She's happy, I'm happy, God save the Queen!

[SageRider]

SB 191 has made it out of committee with a recommendation of "Do pass"... Now onward to votes in both houses.

[Lone_RT_rider]

Hmmmmm..... Rent a bike in Nevada?

[SageRider]

Passed the Senate, but failed in the Assembly due to no action in the allotted time period.

[Lone_RT_rider]

Passed the Senate, but failed in the Assembly due to no action in the allotted time period.

 

Is this the equivalent of "Died in committee" ?

[SageRider]

Passed the Senate, but failed in the Assembly due to no action in the allotted time period.

 

Is this the equivalent of "Died in committee" ?

 

Sort of.

 

In Nevada, the legislature meets for a four month regular session every other year.

During that session, there are several deadlines by which the legislature must act. Some are related to submission of bills. Others are related to dates or time periods in which a bill will die if not acted upon.

 

In this case, after passing the Senate, the bill actually came out of the Assembly committee with a "do pass" recommendation.

The bill than sat waiting for the Assembly to act. The Assembly did not act/bring the bill up for a vote in the time allocated so the bill died.

 

This is common in Nevada as the legislature never seems to manage their available time to process all bills submitted.

[DiggerJim]

This is common in Nevada as the legislature never seems to manage their available time to process all bills submitted.

In CT our legislature meets for a short session too but they spend most of the early time on the legislative equivalent of video games (you know, what should the state bird be, or the state whale or let's name a street after some long dead guy or apologize to other long dead people or what can we hide from FOIA laws, etc.) then at the end of the session in the last couple of days they pull all-nighters like they're cramming for finals and pass a $50 billion dollar budget. Lots of quality work goes on at 3am before the 5am final vote

[SageRider]

Sounds very familiar....

 

[smiller]

Texas is very similar. A lane-splitting bill comes up almost every session, passage looks promising, and then it dies because the legislature adjourns before it can be considered.

[Dave McReynolds]

Politicians being what they are, I'm sure a lot of this is just a part of a ritual dance to try and keep as many people happy as they can. If they really wanted 85 mph in Nevada, or lane-splitting in Texas, those bills would be part of the ones that made it through between 3 and 5 AM on the last day of the session. "We tried so hard, but there just wasn't enough time," sounds a lot like "Sure I love you, honey, but I've got a plane to catch."

[philbytx]

Yeah! But th TX legislature DID pass, and is in place already, 85mph speed limits !

 

TX Hill Country, lane splitting...eh! LOL