80 Miles Per Hour OKd in Nevada
Nevada will now allow vehicles to travel at 80 miles per hour on a 130 mile stretch of rural road on Interstate 80 in the high desert, from 40 miles east of Reno to the rural town of Winnemucca.
The state joins South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah, which all have 80 mph limits on rural roads, and Texas, which has a stretch of toll road allowing drivers to travel an even faster 85 mph.
Gov. Brian Sandoval signed the law 18 months ago, but then charged highway engineers with finding roads safe enough to go that fast. They’re considering future additions, but for now I-80 is it.
Although some were opposed to the higher limit, several groups came out in favour of it. Chad Dornsife of the National Motorists Association said fatalities didn’t spike when other states raised the limit, partly because drivers spend less time on the road. “Fatigue is the biggest killer, not speed,” he said.
The Nevada Highway Patrol also came out in favour of the new higher limit.
There has been little reaction to the change thus far. Adrian Elena, an independent coast-to-coast truck driver from Sacramento, said it’s good to have the option to drive 80 mph even though he rarely does because it’s hard on his engine.
