Apparently sucking practically every oil well in the state dry wasn't enough for Texas. Now they're going to try and sop up what's left, this time by increasing the state speed limit to 80 MPH!
In these times with skyrocketing gas prices, this idea is insane. If anything, they should be lowering their speed limits from an already too high 75 MPH. The reduction in fuel efficiency is so great that it's estimated that every 5 MPH over 60 increases your fuel costs by about $0.20/gallon. So driving at 80, that's adding about another 60-80 cents per gallon to the driver's fuel tab. That's wasteful.
From a safety standpoint this is ridiculous too. Making it legal for drivers to go that fast just simply isn't safe. There are bad drivers out there; giving them this much latitude is going to make things that much worse. Plus, we're human, we're always going to go over the speed limit. If it's 55, you go 65; if it's 65, you go 70. It's what we do. Now if the limit is 80, good freaking goodness how fast are people going to go.
Bottom line, there's a certain point at which it offends the sensibilities. 80 pretty much reaches that point. So I shall reach back and channel the spirit of Keith Olbermann as I say:
"State of Texas...Worst State in the World!" (sorry Ritchie)
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