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Speed limits on the USA highway

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Posted on 06.2.2006 16:58 by Simona
Filed under: | government

It is important to know this sped limits. Supose you want to drive from a state to another, and you are used with driving at 75 mph, but in the new state the speed limit is 55. So, this is a good way to avoid speed tickets!

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!

6 comments

6 comments: Speed limits on the USA highway

ericsolberg (790)
Posted on
10.12.2010 @ 00:21

Many drivers will go higher than any posted limits, but also many drivers aren’t really concentrating on the road; some drivers will rapidly alternate lanes to compete with a guy in faster car.

mivadar (1)
Posted on
07.6.2008 @ 11:09

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)?

navalert (2) - Posted on 02.22.2007

We sell a red light speed camera detecor, fi your concerned about speed limits, red light or speed cameras check it out:

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navalert (2) - Posted on 02.22.2007

We sell a red light speed camera detecor, fi your concerned about speed limits, red light or speed cameras check it out:

KrAzY KARL (6682) - Posted on 11.3.2006

Im guessing the urban freeways are used by aircraft..?

(6682) - Posted on 09.28.2006

Why is there an urban speed of 658 mph in Virginia?

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