The idea of speed-limitless highways in America has always seemed like a pipe dream to me. Sure, there are plenty of roads in the U.S. that probably could operate without a speed limit, but without proper driver training or vehicle inspections, it would quickly become disastrous.
Despite that, one state representative in Arizona is pushing to enact such a policy for a selection of highways in the State. Earlier this month, Nick Kupper, a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives, introduced a bill called the Reasonable and Prudent Interstate Driving (RAPID) Act.
The bill would “authorize derestricted speed zones for non-commercial vehicles during daylight hours on qualifying rural interstates,” effectively removing speed limits for most drivers. At first glance, I was pretty happy about this, seeing as how most speed limits on wide-open sections of highway on the western side of the country always feel 15-20 mph too low. But the more I think about it, the worse an idea I think it is.
Here’s How The State Rep Justifies It
On the surface, this bill appears to make a lot of sense. On these rural interstates, the speed limit is normally 75 mph. But on a clear day with little traffic, 75 mph can feel like a slog, especially when you can see several miles in front of you.
Instead of raising the limit to 85 mph (currently the highest speed limit in the country, in Texas), Kupper is proposing a different approach. From the Arizona House of Representatives’ news release:
“Most drivers can tell the difference between a crowded city freeway and a wide-open stretch of rural interstate,” said Representative Kupper. “The RAPID Act accounts for that difference. It will let us raise speeds where it’s safe, keep tough penalties for reckless driving, and update our laws to reflect how people actually use these roads.”
This wouldn’t just be a speed limit delete for rural highways, obviously. The bill, HB2059, would limit nighttime speeds to 80 mph and would only apply to roadways where it makes sense. It would also punish road users for exploiting the lack of a real speed limit:
Arizona Department of Transportation ADOT would rely on engineering studies, safety records, and highway design standards when determining eligibility. At night on those stretches, the maximum speed limit would be 80 miles per hour. Existing “reasonable and prudent” standards remain in effect, and the bill increases civil penalties for misuse of the zones.
It’s not like there isn’t any precedent here. For decades, Montana operated its highways in a similar fashion, with daytime limits simply enforced as “reasonable and prudent,” without any real, set number. It wasn’t until 1999 that the State enacted a 75-mph speed limit during the day (that’s since been increased to 80 mph). Kupper says even as speeds increased during this no-limit period in Montana, crashes went down:
Representative Kupper pointed to Montana’s previous “reasonable and prudent” system as evidence that higher speeds can be implemented responsibly. A Montana Legislative Audit Division review found that even as average speeds rose after daytime limits were removed, crash and fatality rates per vehicle mile continued to fall and remained in line with neighboring states, with seatbelt use and driver behavior having a much greater impact than the posted limit.
“Montana showed that you can modernize speed laws without sacrificing safety,” he added. “When rules are clear and focused on driver behavior, states can let safe highways operate as they were designed to operate. Arizona should benefit from those lessons instead of sticking with limits that don’t reflect reality.”
Are We Really Sure About This?
Germany has its legendary stretches of unrestricted Autobahn highways, but it’s only sustainable because that country’s population is far better-trained for driving on roads without speed limits. I’m sure most of the people reading this know to stay in the right lane except to pass and to always watch their mirrors, but you probably come across people who do neither on your commute to work every day. This type of stuff isn’t really required to get a driver’s license in America, and the laws around lane discipline are rarely enforced.
There are also much more stringent vehicle inspections in Germany. These inspections cover things like tires and brakes, but also analyze stuff like suspension bushings to ensure the car will deliver stability during high-speed maneuvers.
Unlocking higher speeds for drivers without the proper training or vehicle checks feels like it could have catastrophic consequences. To his credit, Kupper has at least thought about some of this, mentioning an effort to educate the public on proper lane discipline.
The bill requires annual safety audits of derestricted segments, coordination with the Department of Public Safety on enforcement, and a public education effort to ensure drivers understand key expectations—such as lane discipline and passing rules—before entering a zone.
But I don’t think this goes far enough. This release doesn’t mention anything about this training being mandatory, which suggests that anyone can show up in their car and start cruising at 97 mph down the interstate. I can already see out-of-staters from across the country planning road trips to Arizona specifically to see just how fast their cars can go. Car clubs already do this type of thing for visits to Tail of the Dragon, but at least those roads have speed limits.
There’s also nothing said about improving Arizona’s vehicle inspection process, which, as of this writing, only covers emissions, not safety. So theoretically, you’d be able to show up and top out your rusted-out pickup truck on dry-rotted tires without any repercussions, risking your safety and the safety of those around you if one of those tires decides to disintegrate once you cross triple-digit speeds.
The RAPID Act is still currently just a bill, of course, and has yet to pass the Arizona House or Senate. If it does pass, the unrestricted zones will be tested in a one-year pilot program using Interstate 8, which stretches from southern California to Casa Grande, just south of Phoenix.
To be clear, I’m not against de-restricted highways in America. No other place on the planet is more suited to limitless zones than the wide-open, flat, high-visibility highways of the West. But it’s only feasible if the drivers and the cars are properly prepared to handle the extra speed. Without those precautions in place, there’s too much risk involved.
Top graphic image: DepositPhotos.com, Bugatti
This actually will help inflation come down, hear me out: since this stretch is linking to Mexicali, and speed limits are no longer enforceable on the US side (no worry of being pulled over for doing 5mph over limit), all drug mules getting into US will experience increased productivity due to smoother and faster deliveries. This will result in lower prices I believe, and any price savings in this economy will fight inflation. I am pretty sure I am right.
As a bonus, anyone looking to leave the US in a hurry and headed to Mexico, will also be able to do so much faster, so this also feels like a good thing. I think.
I can only think of how terrible this would be in the midwest where I live. No vehicle inspections, so there’s a non zero chance of a ball joint failure/blowout/rustyboi suspension mounting point failure taking out all cars in the area.
My experience is high temps and high speeds are incompatible. Cooked off a pair of z rated tires.
130mph sounds like fun till you have 100f out.
As long as they put some sort of very effective barrier in the middle to stop someone rocketing over to the other side at 130mph I say go for it. Here where I am in TX where it’s wide and flat the flow of traffic will regularly hit 90+ on the highways. Everyone from huge SUVs to 90s Camrys hammering it out.
Most passenger cars do not react well to high speeds. This idea would/will not go well.
Some thoughts:
I hope that the government in Arizona is open to introducing state inspections, otherwise Altima’s with bad ball-joints may ruin the fun for everyone.
Once the novelty of being able to drive fast wears off, most people will go back to driving at around 80-90mph, as gas isn’t free.
In the US, most cars are electronically limited to 130mph so that the manufacturers can fit their cars with H-rated all season tires. Therefor, while some people will see an opportunity to push their cars to the limits, they won’t actually be able to go all that fast.
Education campaigns should focus not just on lane discipline, but also not outrunning your line of sight- that’s how the German’s determine if you were going too fast on the Autobahn. This would also prevent a Montana-style reintroduction of speed limits- in that case, the law didn’t define how to determine how fast was too fast for the conditions, nobody- not even the cop that issued the citation- knew about this concept, so the supreme court forced them to be brought back.
Fast drivers should also be strongly encouraged to slow down on- and off-ramps.
” people will go back to driving at around 80-90mph, as gas isn’t free.”
This only motivates already-reasonable people. Do you have any idea how many lifted trucks on mud tires do 90 down the interstate?
People will remortgage their house to pay for the gas to commute in their truck.
I’m familiar with the people you’re talking about. In VA, most of those trucks already fail their state inspections as their wheels stick out too far from the body. Pulling people over for dangerous mods and issuing fix-it tickets should take care of that.
No discussion of Montana’s reimposing speed limits and it’s applicability to this?
The study mentioned did seem to draw the conclusion that safety wasn’t a factor. Though I don’t know how easy/worthwhile it would have been to get an opinion from a lawyer whether Arizona would run into the same judicial issues that Montana did with regards to defining what “reasonable and prudent” means legally when it comes to traffic citations.
Yes, nanny.
That’s a tough one having lived in AZ for several years. One the one hand a properly prepared driver could easily drive waaaaay faster than the current limit (and most everyone already does) on that stretch of interstate safely. But also some of the things I saw on the roads out there were concerning, especially along the lines of tire condition some people were driving on. At least there aren’t many rusted out death traps like we have here in the Midwest!
arizonas roads are pretty shit so i couldn’t imagine driving faster than 80ish
I’m sure everyone on this stretch of road will be drivers with many hours of high speed experience with capable, well maintained, cars. No drunks or squids in a POS with four bald tires, right?
I could see having to take some kind of supplemental driver’s ed to get some kind of sticker/ID badge that says you are qualified to speed under these conditions. Would prevent tourist terror (a little) and at least attempt to say “Hey this is still very dangerous”
I’ve often said this would be great. A special license to be allowed to drive fast. Include a sticker for the car, which could require an inspection.
Other countries do have tiered licenses (usually for beginners), and this would keep the low bar to the normal license, which is needed because driving is pretty essential here, but would also allow for German-level training for German-level driving.
A person could drive in their uninspected car, on their regular license, for no additional cost. But if I pass a rigorous test, and get my car inspected, I can drive faster.
I remember reading an editorial in Motor Trend suggesting this back in the ’80s. Of course it was written by the king of speed limit haters himself, Brock Yates.
Honestly the Australian experience with destricted roads found that in the long, flat, straight sections when the speed limits were removed the average speeds only went up marginally and fatalities actually decreased slightly. The caveat here is that whilst our driver education isn’t much better, we do have annual safety inspections so the fleet should be in safe enough condition to handle those speeds.
Link to a full article from 2015 when the speed limits were repealed:
https://tinyurl.com/5xf396u9
I’ve driven a decent bit on the Autobahn. It works because Germans as a culture have more respect for rules, the act of driving, and for other people. So they actually check their mirrors, pay attention while driving, and get out of the way of faster drivers so they don’t impede them. It typically works very well and makes most people pretty safe drivers. This good behavior is declining however, with the rising number of distractions in our phones and our cars.
As far as trying this across America, it’s a tough question. A huge part of our populace sucks, and has no respect for other people, rules, or the act of driving. You would see yahoos in hellcats trying to do top speed runs while taking a selfie video. You’d see soccer moms doing 100+ in ballistic-missile-class Yukons while texting.
*But* since we are talking about extremely rural areas, I think this could work in areas like MT, AZ, NM, West TX, WY. Basically the Midwest and southwest in areas where population density is super low and you’re driving for hours and seeing a handful of other cars. Especially with the night speed restrictions. It just might work.
“This good behavior is declining however, with the rising number of distractions in our phones and our cars.”
Yes, unfortunately. We have so many zombies with lack of situational awareness floating in the middle lane even though the right lanes are empty. That forces the faster traffic to merge to the left as to overtake them, causing the back-up on the left lanes…
“When this Altima hits 88 miles per hour, you’re going to see some serious shit.”
I like the implication Altimas aren’t speeding because that’s illegal
This is one of those classic “introduced a bill” where it draws a lot of short term publicity and goes on to a quiet death in some legislative committee.
Texas famously has the 85mph stretch on SH 130 but honestly there are several stretches that are effectively unlimited. I-10 between El Paso and Ft Stockton is arrow straight, flat, and very sparsely traveled. The posted speed is 80 but really just go whatever speed you car can handle. I-45 between Madisonville and DFW is very hilly, very busy, and for some reason every time I travel it the common speed is 100mph and I just go with it. If AZ passes this I suspect TX would follow soon after.
As Americans, we really will do anything as long as we don’t have to build a damn train. If this were elsewhere, that stretch of road and others like it would have a train doing 100 mph instead.
Only 100mph?
I’ve driven across the US on I-70 many times. Once you get out west, the speed limit is generally 75 mph. I usually set the cruise control around 78 to 80 and I seem to be one of the faster travellers on the road. I’m not against raising speed limits where they are too low, but I think 75 to 85 is probably adequate. The “reasonable and prudent” standard just invites abuse. Is 130 mph reasonable and prudent? or is 85 reasonable and prudent? Can you only tell when something isn’t reasonable and prudent – i.e. there is a wreck? I think that maybe one of the reasons Montana did away with that standard is because it wasn’t enforceable.
My little Elroy doesn’t like going over 80 anyway. 2015 Fit been to 41 states.
The actual result of the “educate the public” will be sign with some words on it that no one will read, or can read since they will already BE at a very high speed when the get to the sign.
I have a pair of sibling cousins who are left lane campers. I refuse to be in a car with them driving. Been there seen is close up. They are completely oblivious to the fact that cars are passing them on the right. It is something they just do not notice. Grr.
Some people seem to thing it’s the “through lane” when it’s actually the “passing lane”. My wife will pull to the left to pass and then camp there until someone comes up behind her. It drives me nuts.
Hmm.
Here in California the law is very clear, the posted speed limit is absolute and nobody short of an emergency vehicle is allowed to exceed it. By CVC 22400 anyone driving the posted speed limit does not need to yield to speeders:
“No person shall drive upon a highway at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic unless the reduced speed is necessary for safe operation, because of a grade, or in compliance with law”
Three points here:
AFAIK speeding is seldom if ever legally considered “normal and reasonable”. If you disagree, well good luck with that in court.
Driving the speed limit is arguably “necessary for safe operation” as higher speeds increase the risk of accidents and exponentially increases the severity of accidents. I do not think the argument of “keeping up with speeding traffic is needed for safety” actually works on a cop or in court much less passing traffic that isn’t speeding.
Driving the speed limit is inarguably “in compliance with law”. Speeding inarguably is not.
I dunno what state/country you live in or how it treats the left lane but if it’s California or models itself on California a driver has every expectation by CVC 22400 or your local equivalent to drive in the left lane and not be required to yield as long as they are driving at the posted speed limit.
If not California I suggest you review the laws very carefully before calling people driving the speed limit out as “left lane campers”. A lot of people here in California IMO get it wrong by trying to use CVC 21654 to argue those driving the posted speed limit must by law yield to speeders; however as far as I have been able to determine that law only applies to prime facie speed limits, not absolute (posted) speed limits which are legally distinct and control most roadways. And that law, according to the CHP, was never intended to enable speeders.
Some argue it’s courtesy to yield to speeders, I counter it’s rude AF for a speeder to demand someone who is following the rules to literally go out of their way and take on all the risks of yielding so the speeder can break the rules and increase the risk of accidents for everyone, (including themselves) rather than slowing to the speed limit and following at a safe distance. Speeders are jerks and do not deserve such courtesy.
Of course all this only applies to people driving the posted speed limit, not people driving BELOW it in the left lane. That is a completely different situation. They need to yield.
In California yes, but my cousins camp in the left lane roughly 5 MPH below the posted speed limit, so yeah, they are oblivious.
i see the comments disapproving of this. it’s easy, just raise the gas prices to california levels and people who think they’re going to drive 130 all day will hurt where it hurts most.
Money will not stop Americans. If you pay attention you will notice that the bigger and less efficient a vehicle is the faster they fly down the highway!!
I do take a perverse pleasure in pushing them faster and faster. Many drivers don’t really pay attention, and it’s easy to get them going “only in Mexico” speeds if you gain speed slowly. I enjoy that they’re probably in gallon-per-mile territory, and wearing their tires to nothing, while mine is still ~30mpg.
I heard a great quote the other day to the effect of, “Never underestimate an American’s ability to spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need”.
Financial incentives have to be annoyingly high to make them have any real affect on the majority of the population.
I never much cared about an unlimited speed in Montana. There simply aren’t any real population centers in the state.
This stretch in Arizona is a whole different story. If this were to get passed (it won’t) you’d practically be able to hear 30 percent of TikTok making it’s way to the SW. Oh what fun.
A pretty terrible idea.
Heading out of Phoenix to Vegas or SoCal is already pretty hairy with people going well over the current speed limits, the number of trucks, the lack of awareness and lane discipline, no state safety inspections, etc, etc.
Just last month (Thanksgiving eve) my brother and nieces were parked on the highway for 4 hours on the way to Vegas because of a multivehicle accident with multiple fatalities (including children) shutting down the road in both directions as they airlifted people to the hospital. That happened during daylight hours on a perfectly clear day. He said as soon as they started moving people were immediately going 90 and swerving through traffic, again.
My wife and I frequently travel from New York’s Hudson Valley to the top of Vermont. The Northeast Kingdom right on the border . One you get past Brattleboro on 91 there’s not a lot of traffic and the road is in great shape . It’s real easy to not realize you’re doing 90. I could make a case for ” reasonable and prudent ” on the upper part of 91 in the daytime . Nights are not advised . The crash bars on the 18 wheelers are built for moose .