speed limit

17 Stories

Richard Branson: Cut Speed Limits to Beat Putin

'Importing Russian oil and gas is funding Putin’s war and has got to stop immediately'

(Newser) - Sir Richard Branson, who has broken world speed records in boats and balloons and beat Jeff Bezos to space last year, isn't a man normally known for advocating slower speeds—but he says it could be the key to defeating Vladimir Putin. The billionaire says the world needs to...

City of Lights Is Now the City of Dawdling

Paris' speed limit is now about 19mph, s'il vous plait

(Newser) - No more zipping past the Eiffel Tower or through the Latin Quarter without slowing down to soak in the sights: Starting Monday, the speed limit on nearly all streets of Paris is just 30kph, or a bit less than 19mph, reports the AP . It’s the latest initiative by a...

Electronic Speed Limit Could Curb Tractor-Trailers

Bill would hold heavy trucks to 65 mph

(Newser) - Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill that would electronically limit tractor-trailer speeds to 65 miles per hour, a move they say would save lives on the nation's highways. Sens. Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican, and Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, introduced the measure Thursday, saying it would...

Google's Self-Driving Cars Will Be Able to Speed

Engineers figure it's safer to keep up with traffic

(Newser) - When Google's self-driving cars hit the road, they'll be programmed to bust the speed limit in the name of safety. That nugget got spotted by PC Pro in a first-person account of a test drive by Paul Ingrassia of Reuters . Google engineers explain that it would be unsafe...

Idaho, Wyoming to Hike Speed Limit to 80mph

They join Texas, Utah with highest limit

(Newser) - Idaho and Wyoming are set to join Texas and Utah as America's fastest states, with speed limits on certain highways boosted to 80 miles per hour. Lawmakers in both states have approved the rise, with advocates noting that a similar law in neighboring Utah did not contribute to a...

EU Looks to Make Drivers Stop Speeding

Britain opposes 'Big Brother' proposal

(Newser) - The European Union is pushing a high-tech plan to prevent speeding: Cars could be equipped with devices to reduce their speed when it breaks the limit, the Daily Mail reports. Some 30,000 people in the EU die in road accidents each year; officials are hoping to slash that figure...

Birds Observe Speed Limits on Roads, Too

They adapt to car speeds for their own safety, study says

(Newser) - No, birds can't decipher the numbers on speed-limit signs. But researchers suggest that they've learned to observe our posted limits in their own way, reports the Canadian Press . Essentially, the higher the speed limit is on a road, the faster the birds take off to avoid oncoming traffic....

Fastest Speed Limit in US Coming to Texas

Feel free to drive 85mph...

(Newser) - Speed demons, rejoice: A new stretch of Texas highway will have the nation's highest speed limit when it opens in November: 85mph. The record limit on the 41-mile stretch of Texas 130 follows a decision by the state legislature last year allowing 85mph limits on new roads, the Los ...

2nd-Fastest Speed Limit in World Coming to Texas?

It's safest when everyone's speeding the same: official

(Newser) - A stretch of highway through Texas could soon have the highest officially posted speed limit in the Western hemisphere. State officials are considering an 85mph limit along a portion of new Highway 130 running between San Antonio and Austin. Critics say the speed boost will cost lives, but the state...

LA Wants Speed Limit ... for Skateboarders

New rules could let police impound boards

(Newser) - Skateboarders in Los Angeles may soon have to obey traffic regulations—including a 25mph speed limit. The city council voted unanimously to draft rules against "unsafe" skateboarding, the Los Angeles Times reports. Councilman Joe Buscaino, who launched the proceedings, said he wanted to stop skateboard "bombing," during...

Brits Plan to Boost Speed Limit to 80 MPH

Limit of 70 is stifling economy, government argues

(Newser) - Britain's government—citing major advances in vehicle safety and the fact that half the country's drivers are ignoring the current limit of 70 miles per hour—is planning to raise the speed limit to 80 on the nation's highways. "Britain's roads should be the arteries...

Coming to Texas: 85mph Speed Limit?

Would once again give Texas the highest speed limit in US

(Newser) - Good news, Texans: Soon you might not need to restrain yourselves to a mere 80mph. The Texas House has passed a bill that would raise the speed limit for certain stretches of highway from 80mph to 85mph, Fox News reports. If the bill passes the Senate and becomes law, it’...

Speed Limits Aren't Saving Lives, So Make Cars Slower

Government's priorities elsewhere, but cars that can't top 75 would save gas, too

(Newser) - Speeding contributes to 13,000 US road deaths each year, and, at 30% of traffic fatalities, places only slightly behind alcohol, at 39%, Kent A. Sepkowitz writes in the New York Times. While preventing drunk driving is a complex problem requiring cooperation of motorists, police, and educators, speeding can be...

US Can Drive 55—and Should, Greens Say

Call to lower limit claims better mileage, lower emissions

(Newser) - Escalating fuel prices and fear of global warming are rekindling debate over the nation's maximum speed limit—and environmentalists are urging Congress to slow the US back down to 55 mph, Wired reports. Advocates say going back to the speed limit set during the oil crunch of the 1970s will...

Motorists Brake for Fuel Prices

Drivers try to get savings any way they can, even if it means slowing down

(Newser) - It’s common knowledge that driving a little slower makes more efficient use of gas. And with fuel prices sky-high, some drivers are actually throttling back in hopes of feeling less pain at the pump, the AP reports. Vacation drivers and truckers alike are heeding experts’ advice that cars are...

Slow Down! Autobahn Hits a Limit

Germany rolls out first 75mph speed limit

(Newser) - The German autobahn is one of the world's last stretches of open road where a driver can learn how it feels to coax a Porsche to 200 mph and beyond—legally. But those days are numbered. the German state of Bremen has imposed a 75 mph speed limit and others...

Octogenarian Busted for Racing
Octogenarian Busted for Racing
Jan 8, 2008 12:18 PM CST

Octogenarian Busted for Racing

New traffic-safety law applies to 85-year-old speedster

(Newser) - An 85-year-old speedster has been charged with street racing after a Canadian cop clocked him going 100mph, the Globe and Mail reports. When the officer tried to pull over the rocketing Oldsmobile Intrigue, the heedless octogenarian sped up, weaving between lanes in icy conditions to maintain speed. When he finally...

17 Stories