The Texas House got serious about speed last week, approving a bill that would set the speed limit on some highways at 85 mph, the fastest in the nation.



We are not opposed to somewhat higher speeds on highway structures built for it. Anyone who drives an Interstate Highway in Texas knows speeds above legal limits already are common along some stretches. If roads are properly engineered and constructed, if traffic flows allow it, there is no reason speed cannot be safe. The limit already is 80 mph in two remote areas of West Texas. One is a 432-mile stretch of Interstate 10; the other is an 89-mile stretch of Interstate 20.



Besides, having the fastest speed limit in the nation would fit our “everything’s bigger in Texas” culture.



But 85 mph, frankly, is excessive. Our chief concern is safety. Speed is deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about one-third of all highway deaths in 2010 were speed related.



Our second concern is an offshoot of our first: Higher speed limits could lead to higher insurance premiums for Texas motorists. That’s because higher speeds inevitably lead to more crashes, more injuries and more deaths. In some congested areas, speed limits already are too high and in others they are routinely ignored.



“The two things that kill most people on our highways are speed and alcohol,” said Jerry Johns, a spokesman for the Southwestern Insurance Information Service. “Increasing it to 85, or even 75, will have a dramatic impact on the death and injury rate ... To drive 85 mph is simply ludicrous.”



The Texas Department of Transportation hasn’t yet done the analysis of state roadways that is required for the legislation to become law. We hope when that is done and a similar measure is taken up in the Texas Senate, that chamber will do the right thing and slow down this speed limit bill.

If they had tougher laws on how to drive, ie passing on left don't be passed on right