States' Attitudes Towards Speed Limits: Summary Chart

I am trying to keep this chart as up-to-date as possible so if you know of any New Speed Limits and/or when it will take effect for your state please let me know at kevinatk@home.com; 7962 Helmart Dr. Laurel MD 20723. Or by using this form. Be sure to include how you found out about the information. With out it I have no way to judge how valid it is.

" align=center alt="[Daytime Speed Limit Map (sl-attu2.gif)]"> (Change Map | Other Maps)
The limits for the Current and Proposed limits are as follows: (Rural Freeway / Divided / UnDivided / Urban Freeway) The Change date is the date of the most recent rural freeway limit change. "Pre" stands for what the rural freeway limit was before the 55 mandate. Please see the Notes at the end of this chart for an explanation of what the various abbreviations mean. For a detailed breakdown of any state click on its name.
State	Current Limit	Proposed Limit	applies to	Change	Pre
Alaska	65  55  55  55			88/01	70
Alabama	70  65  55  65			96/05	70
Arkansas	70  55  55  55   65  55  55  55		trucks	96/08	75
Arizona	75  55  55  55	--  65  65  65		95/12	75
California	70  65  65* 65   55  55  55  55		combinat.	96/01	70
Colorado	75  65  65  55	55  55  55  55	trucks	96/05	70
Conn.	55  55  50  55	65  --  --  --			60
Delaware	65  55  50  55			96/01	60
Florida	70  65  55  55			96/04	70
Georgia	70  65  55  65			96/07	70
Hawaii	55  55  45  55				70
Iowa	65  55  55  65*			87/05	75
Idaho	75  65  65  55	65  --  --  --  done	trucks	96/05	70
Illinois	65  65  55  65*  55  55  55  55	65  --  --  --	trucks	87/04	70
Indiana	65  55  55  55			87/06	70
Kansas	70  70  65  55			96/03	75
Kentucky	65  55  55  55			87/06	70
Louisiana	70  65  55  60			97/07	70
Mass.	65  65  55  65			92/01	65
Maryland	65  55  55  65*			95/07	70
Maine	65  55  55  55			87/06	70
Michigan	70  55  55  65   70  --  --  65		trucks	97/01	70
Minnesota	70  65  55  65			97/06	65
Missouri	70  70  60  60			96/03	70
Miss.	70  65  55  60			96/03	70
Montana	00  00  00  55   65  55  55  55   65  60  60  55		day night trucks	95/12	00*
N Carolina	70  55  55  65			96/08	70
N Dakota	70  65  65  55   70  55  55  55		day night	96/07	75
Nebraska	75  65  60  55			96/06	75
N. Hamp.	65  55  55  55			87/04	70
New Jersey	55  55  50  55	65  --  --  --  done		98/04	60*
New Mexico	75  70  65  55			96/02	70
Nevada	75  70  70  65			95/12	0
New York	65  55  55  65*			95/08	65
Ohio	65  65  55  65   55  55  55  55	65  65  --  --	trucks	87/07	70
Oklahoma	75* 70  65  60   75* 65  55  60   60  60  55  60   55  55  55  55   65  50  ??  ??	75  --  65  65  done	day night trucks nig truck school b.	95/12	70
Oregon	65  55  55  55			87/09	75
Penn.	65  55  55  55	--  --  --  65		95/07	65
R. Island	65  55  50  55			96/05	60
S Carolina	65  55  55  55	70  --  --  --		87/08	70
S Dakota	75  65  65  55   65  55  55  55		trucks	96/04	75
Tennessee	70  65  55  55			87/05	75
Texas	70  70  70  70*  65  65  65  55   60  60  60  55   55  55  55  55   50  50  50  50		day night trucks nig truck school b.	95/12	70
Utah	75  65  55  65			96/06	70
Virginia	65  55  55  55			88/07	70
Vermont	65  55  50  55			87/04	65
Washington	70  70* 65* 60   60  60  60  60		trucks	96/03	70
Wisconsin	65  55  55  55			87/06	70
W Virginia	70  65  55  60			97/08	70
Wyoming	75  65  65  60			95/12	75
* For Montana: Daytime only, 55 non-interstate/65 interstate night limit * For Any Other State: Kind of, see the Detailed List for more info
Notes: 00 = A reasonable & prudent speed or no speed limit ?? = A change possible, but I am not sure what to mayb = A possible change, but it is questionable done = A done deal, just waiting for the signs to be posted combinat. = combination vehicles nig truck = night, trucks school b. = school buses

Summary

       Daytime Interstate Speed Limit:
# Of States | 55   60   65   70   75   80   85  None
----------------------------------------------------
Pre-NMSL       0    4    5   29   10    0    0    2  
Post-NMSL      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0


        Prevailing Speed:
                 | 60      65      70      75      None 
--------------------------------------------------------
Pre-NMSL (2)     | 65-70   66-69   71-76   72-76   76-77

See a pattern here? Note how the pre-NMSL speed limits generally
equaled the speed of traffic.  Also notice how when there was NO speed
limit traffic didn't go above 80.  Something that will hopefully
comeback once the NMSL is repealed.  Notice also how only 10 states
had speed limits of 65 or less.

(1) Estimated speed.  They didn't use the the 85th percentile rule
    (prevailing speed) back them.  Source: "Pre NMSL data" {pre-NMSL}

A service of the "Reasonable Drivers Unanimous" home page available at http://metalab.unc.edu/rdu/.

Special thanks to the National Coalition for the Abolition of Speed Limits (NCASL) and the National Motorist Association (NMA) for providing a lot of this info. The NCASL is a newly formed group that advocates the abolition of all speed limits except in large cities, business districts, and residential areas. For more information see there web page at http://www.missouri.edu/~c669885/ncasl/. The NMA is the only real drivers rights organization in North America. They are the ones that got the NMSL repealed in the first place. For more information see there web page at http://www.motorists.com/ or contact them at 608/849-6000; nma@motorists.com or 6678 Pertzborn Road, Dane, Wisconsin 53529.

All of the information in this chart comes from official or semi-official sources.

Source for Pre-NMSL speed limits: Federal Highway Administration, 1972 except for NC and NJ.

Some of the sources for the current speed limit data:
NCASL
NMA
AAA
"A state-by-state look at speed limits" by the associated press, USA Today Online
"DOA States" by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (http://www.saferoads.org/press/95/strisk/table2.html)

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