A new study ranking states based on their highest posted speed limit puts Texas in the top spot at 85 mph. The Lone Star State is the most extreme example of a national trend toward higher and higher speed limits over the last few decades, according to the study, which was published by cars.com.
Idaho came in right behind Texas after raising speed limits on portions of its roadways to 80 mph this past July. Two other states—Utah and Wyoming—were found to have speed limits of 80 mph or above. Another 12 states topped out at 75 mph, and 22 registered at 70 mph.
Coming in on the bottom of the rankings were Alaska and Washington, D.C., both of which feature speed limits maxed out at 55 mph.
The study also examined average top speeds for each state, which largely correlated to posted speed limits. Texas was again the fastest state with an average speed of 78.3 mph, with Idaho registering 76.7 mph on the radar gun. Alaska and Washington, D.C. displayed average top speeds of 55 mph, and five other states came in at lower than 60 mph.
