Are Split Speed Limits Safe?
The state of Texas is looking at a proposal to end the 55-miles-per-hour speed limit for cars while maintaining that limit for trucks, and it has got some people hopping mad. The Texas Motor Transportation Association, which represents many of the state’s truckers, has criticized the proposal by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to postpone the 55-mph speed limit for cars and lights trucks in Houston while maintaining the lower speed limit for commercial trucks. “It is shameful that the politics of clean air have taken precedence over highway safety,” said TMTA President Bill Webb. “Trucks traveling a minimum of 15 mph slower than cars on Houston-area roadways is a recipe for disaster, and our regulators should know better than to propose a measure to supposedly save lives by cleaning the air while actually potentially causing the loss of life.” How the proposal to increase car and light truck speed limits would “clean the air” is unclear, but what is clear is the asso
