About those speed limits....

The first of September, after a legislative session, usually kicks off with lots of new laws.

One of the most talked-about is the new speed limit laws and how they will affect you.  Starting today, a new law takes affect eliminating the 65 mph at night speed limit. Also, a new law takes affect giving TxDOT the ability to raise the limit on certain highways signed at 70 mph.

But don't start putting the pedal to the floor just yet.  Cool your jets.

First, the night-time speed limits.... With thousands of such signs on highways across the district and state, it will be some time before all of the signs are removed. It's just not possible to remove all of the signs one minute after midnight. So, TxDOT has hired a contractor to remove those signs beginning the middle of September. Are those signs still enforceable? Well, not really. However, I wouldn't take my chances with someone just itching to write you a ticket for the sake of giving you a hard time. Of course, most, if not all law enforcement agencies know about the new law and the fact a ticket probably wouldn't stick.  I'll leave that up to you, your lawyer and the judge.

Now, the 75 mph issue..   What's important to know is that it's just a possibility and not automatic. Over the course of the next year, the same contractor will begin doing speed limit studies on highways to determine IF the speed limit should change to 75.  They will take into account several things such as the design of the highway and the speed of motorists. From there, they will determine whether or not the speed should remain what it currently is, be raised to 75 mph, or lowered to a new speed.

So, some friendly advice: drive the posted limit and you won't have anything to worry about. Just keep your eyes out for any new speed limits...and for those drivers who don't know the difference.

Marc S