Cross Country
Big State, Big Hair, Big Oil, Big Speed
Texans boast that everything is bigger there. They could say faster, too, if West Texas becomes home to the highest speed limit in America. Drivers along Interstates 10 and 20 near bone-dry towns such as Midland-Odessa and Kerrville could legally go 80 mph if the Texas Transportation Commission agrees to a new speed limit proposal as early as this week. More than 30 years since it was first proposed, the 80-mph marker came up again after a study found that 85 percent of drivers in the area already drive up to 79 mph. But safety advocates oppose the measure, saying it invites accidents and fatalities. And some environmental and energy groups say the higher limit will only increase the demand for gasoline.
You Want Polite? Try Minneapolis
While those Texas motorists may be cruisin' down the highway, in other, more congested places, drivers were feeling just a tad, well, frustrated. A poll-based survey released last week ranked Miami as the top city for rude driving and road rage. The survey, by AutoVantage, an automobile membership club, also listed New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix as places where motorists commonly speed, tailgate, cut off other drivers, honk the horn, or make obscene gestures. Young drivers and people with long commutes were found to be especially testy. No major differences were found between male and female drivers. Courteous drivers? The survey found some of those too--in Minneapolis, Nashville, St. Louis, Seattle, and Atlanta.
With Alex Kingsbury, Angie C. Marek, Silla Brush and Associated Press
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