This November Texas is planning on opening a stretch of toll road that will have an 85 m.p.h. speed limit. This limit will be the highest in the U.S. Currently Texas has speed limits reaching 80 m.p.h. The new stretch of road will span between San Antonio and Austin reaching about 41 miles. This stretch of road will be an attempt to alleviate traffic on Interstate 35. A toll price on the road has not been set.

With the increase in speed, has to make you wonder what impact that will make on accidents and deaths on the road. increasing the speed limit on a road will usually increase accidents on that road. A 2009 report by American Journal of Public Health cited that an increase in speed limits on all kinds of roads caused more fatal accidents between 1995-2005 the number of deaths was 12,500. The study also reported a 9.1 percent increase on rural highways that had there speed limits increased.

So you have to ask yourself, is Texas putting safety in the rear view mirror by helping alleviate traffic and getting people to there destinations faster? Would you use these higher speed roads if they were in your area? Please let us know your thoughts.