Well you were used by the old laws to drive at 55 mph. Well no more, starting May 2005 1 states had raised speed limits to 70 mph or higher on some portion of their roadway systems. There are often lower speed limits at night and for trucks.
Outside towns speed limits are now almost universally ignored, but most motorists only travel at ten or twenty miles per hour above the limit. In towns, speed limits can be as low as 25mph, and are generally obeyed absolutely. It is very rare to see anyone exceeding a speed limit in a town - those drivers that do are almost always stopped by the police.
In many cases there are progressively slower speed limits as you approach a town (55, 45, 35, 25mph), followed by progressively higher limits as you leave it (25, 35, 45, 55mph).
| State |
Rural
interstates (mph)
|
Urban interstates
(mph) |
Other limited access roads
(mph) |
Other roads
(mph) |
| Alabama |
70 |
65 |
65 |
65 |
| Alaska |
65 |
55 |
65 |
55 |
| Arizona |
75 |
55 |
55 |
55 |
| Arkansas |
70
(trucks 65)
|
55 |
60 |
55 |
| California |
70
(trucks 55) |
65 |
70 |
65 |
| Colorado |
75 |
65 |
65 |
65 |
| Connecticut |
65 |
55 |
65 |
55 |
| Delaware |
65 |
55 |
65 |
55 |
| District of Columbia |
N/A |
55 |
N/A |
25 |
| Florida |
70 |
65 |
70 |
65 |
| Georgia |
70 |
65 |
65 |
65 |
| Hawaii |
60 |
50 |
45 |
45 |
| Idaho |
75
(trucks 65) |
75 |
65 |
65 |
| Illinois |
65
(trucks 55) |
55 |
65 |
55 |
| Indiana |
65
(trucks 55) |
55 |
65 |
55 |
| Iowa |
70 |
55 |
70 |
55 |
| Kansas |
70 |
70 |
70 |
65 |
| Kentucky |
65 |
65 |
65 |
55 |
| Louisiana |
70 |
70 |
70 |
65 |
| Maine |
65 |
65 |
65 |
60 |
| Maryland |
65 |
65 |
65 |
55 |
| Massachusetts |
65 |
65 |
65 |
55 |
| Michigan |
until 11/9/06:
70 (55 trucks)
after 11/9/06:
70 (60 trucks)
< 70 (55 trucks) |
65 |
70 |
55 |
| Minnesota |
70 |
65 |
65 |
55 |
| Mississippi |
70 |
70 |
70 |
65 |
| Missouri |
70 |
60 |
70 |
65 |
| Montana |
75
(trucks 65) |
65 |
day: 70 night: 65 |
day: 70 night: 65 |
| Nebraska |
75 |
65 |
65 |
60 |
| Nevada |
75 |
65 |
70 |
70 |
| New Hampshire |
65 |
65 |
55 |
55 |
| New Jersey |
65 |
55 |
65 |
55 |
| New Mexico |
75 |
75 |
65 |
55 |
| New York |
65 |
65 |
65 |
55 |
| North Carolina |
70 |
70 |
70 |
55 |
| North Dakota |
75 |
75 |
70 |
65 |
| Ohio |
65
(trucks 55; 65 on Ohio Turnpike) |
65 |
55 |
55 |
| Oklahoma |
75 |
70 |
70 |
70 |
| Oregon |
65
(trucks 55) |
55 |
55 |
55 |
| Pennsylvania |
65 |
55 |
65 |
55 |
| Rhode Island |
65 |
55 |
55 |
55 |
| South Carolina |
70 |
70 |
60 |
55 |
| South Dakota |
75 |
75 |
70 |
70 |
| Tennessee |
70 |
70 |
70 |
65 |
| Texas |
day: 75
night: 65
trucks: 65 |
day: 70
night: 65 |
day: 75 night: 65
trucks: 65 |
day: 60
night: 55 |
| Utah |
75 |
65 |
75 |
65 |
| Vermont |
65 |
55 |
50 |
50 |
| Virginia |
65* |
658 |
65 |
55 |
| Washington |
70
(trucks 60) |
60 |
60 |
60 |
| West Virginia |
70 | 55 |
65 |
55 |
| Wisconsin |
65 |
65 |
65 |
55 |
| Wyoming |
70 |
60 |
65 |
65 |
Effective July 1, 2006, the posted limit on I-85 may be as high as 70 mph.
Read them, learn the one in your state and the one in the state you want to go and you won’t get bustted!
5 comments
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I actually find the speed limits on US highways quite strange (i.e. quite low).
In Europe in most countries the limits are 30 mph in residential areas, 55 mph outside towns (not highways), and 80 mph on highways.
The actual normal speed of the flow of traffic on highways is closer to 90 mph (roughly the limit to which people don’t get fined).
On the German highways (autobahn) in the better segments there is no speed limit, and the cruising speed of better cars is usually 95-100 mph, with some people driving closer to 115.
US highways are extremely good (especially compared to some rural European ones) - 4+ lanes, well-maintained. Most of them could easily support a speed limit of 80+ mph.
Any clue why the limits are so low (especially as the distances are huge compared to Europe, so a 5-10 mph speed difference can make an enormous difference in time to destination)?