1. Speediest Highways in America
American drivers have slowed down a bit over the last few years. The reason some
people are letting up on the pedal slightly may be due to higher prices for gas or
more aggressive traffic enforcement. Either reason reflects the fact that it is more
economical to drive slower whether motorists are looking for greater fuel economy
or fewer speeding tickets.
INRIX, a GPS data tracking company, reports the average speed on the nation’s
ten fastest highways was 81 miles per hour this year compared to 85 miles per hour
last year.
Even though the average speed is lower, people seem to be driving faster as they
get closer to their homes, making up time as they near the end of their trips. Many
of the speeding instances this year occurred on open stretches as they approach
major urban centers as well as on roads just outside of congested areas like New
York City and Los Angeles. According to Yahoo Autos, much of the speeding in
the nation takes place on long, open stretches of highway connecting major urban
centers.
The following statistics regarding America’s ten speediest highways come from
information gathered by the traffic data firm, INRIX.
1. Northbound Arizona State Route 79 between Saguaro National Park and
Phoenix
The fastest five percent of drivers on this 17.6-mile portion of Route 79 averaged a
speed of 88 miles per hour, and the highest speed recorded was 94 miles per hour.
2. Oklahoma State Highway 33 in both directions just northwest of Oklahoma
City
The fastest five percent of drivers on this 24-mile stretch of highway averaged a
speed of 83 miles per hour, and the highest speed recorded was 87 miles per hour.
3. California State Route 73 in both directions between Moulton Parkway and
Bear Street
The fastest five percent of drivers on this 14.8-mile road averaged a speed of 81
miles per hour, and the top speed clocked was 85 miles per hour.

2. 4. Eastbound MI 5 Michigan Highway heading into Detroit from the I 275/I
96 interchange to Telegraph Road
The fastest five percent of drivers on this 4.9-mile stretch of highway averaged a
speed of 81 miles per hour, and the highest speed recorded was 83 miles per hour.
5. Arizona State Route 77 heading north out of Tucson up to the AZ
76/Redington Road interchange near San Manuel Airport
The fastest five percent of drivers on this 4.8-mile portion of Route 77 averaged a
speed of 81 miles per hour, and the highest speed recorded was 81 miles per hour.
6. Interstate 5 in California from Lake Forest Drive To CA 133 in both
directions
The fastest five percent of drivers on this 6.1-mile stretch of the interstate averaged
a speed of 80 miles per hour, and the top speed clocked was 84 miles per hour.
7. Route CA 241 in California
Route CA 241 in California is a toll road nearly 25 miles long between Rancho
Santa Margarita and Yorba Linda. INRIX did not list specific speed data for this
road.
8. Route I 25 in Colorado
Authorities recorded 973 vehicle accidents in the section of Route I 25 in Colorado
between Santa Fe and I 70 in Denver last year. Many of the crashes resulted from
speeding, but there were other causes as well. INRIX did not list specific speed
data for this road.
9. Route US 385 in Texas
Route US 385 in Texas is part of the La Entrada al Pacifico trade corridor from
Fort Stockton to Odessa. INRIX did not list specific speed data for this road.
10. Route I 95 in New Jersey
Part of Route I 95 in New Jersey runs from the Scudder Falls Bridge to the US 1
interchange and ends there. Another portion of I 95 begins at the George

3. Washington Bridge and becomes I 276 at the Delaware River Turnpike Toll Bridge
going into Pennsylvania. INRIX did not list specific speed data for this road.
After the oil crisis of 1973, the US Congress created a National Maximum Speed
Law that set the highest speed limit at 55 miles per hour on all the nation’s roads.
Many motorists ignored the lower speed limit, and it was raised to 65 miles per
hour on some roads in 1987. Congress finally repealed the law in 1995, allowing
each state to set its own limits again.
Each state or territory in America sets the speed limits for roads in its jurisdiction,
and many factors contribute to determining the limits. Some roads have different
limits for different types of vehicles as well as for daytime and nighttime driving.
The inland West usually has the country’s highest speed limits, and most of the
Northeast, excluding Maine, usually has the lowest limits. In June of 2011, Maine
set a maximum speed limit of 75 miles per hour for a remote section of Interstate
95 in the northern area of the state.
Although two of the nation’s fastest roads are in Arizona, the state’s speed limit in
rural areas is a reasonable 75 miles per hour.
Texas recently raised the speed limit on some roads approved by state officials to
85 miles per hour, and the nighttime limit for trucks is no longer lower. In addition,
most 70 miles per hour speed limits on Texas roads will be raised to 75 miles per
hour.
State laws in Oregon allow a maximum speed limit of 70 miles per hour. However,
the Oregon Department of Transportation has not identified any roads that they
believe should have the higher limits. Therefore, 65 miles per hour remains the
highest speed limit for the state’s roads at this time.
Drivers in Oregon appear to be more careful about staying within the speed limits
according to Jim Bak, INRIX spokesman, who said, “Nothing in Oregon showed
up in the top 10th percentile of data.” This could be due in part to Oregon’s stricter
traffic enforcement policy.
Speed limits in Hawaii are even lower than in Oregon with 60 miles per hour the
highest limit on freeways in that state.
Although rarely acknowledged, speeding motorists provide a profitable income
source for many jurisdictions. Some states prefer to maintain lower speed limits

4. because drivers tend to go faster than the limits when they are lower than those to
which they are accustomed. This gives the ticketing authorities additional
opportunities to issue citations and increase their revenue.