Navigating Newly Adjusted Speed Limits in Texas

In the months ahead, Texas drivers may be in for a surprise to find that the Speed Limit(s) may not match the permanently posted road signs.
- Passed by the Texas House of Representatives on May 3 and Effective September 1st, 2023 is House Bill 1885; which empowers Texas Department of Transportation (DoT) engineers - without case-by-case approval from the statewide transportation commission - to temporarily change speed limit(s) for a portion of a road or highway.

The Importance of Adherence to New Road Rules

The reason for the change in policy is to promote safety under specific inclement weather or hazardous road conditions such as heavy rain, flooding, ice, and during roadway construction or maintenance. Although Texas DoT engineers do not need prior permission or notice to adjust the speed limit on a patch or road, they do have a requirement to inform the public of the speed limit change by way of “..a sign notifying motorists of the change in speed limit is posted not less than 500 feet but not more than 1,000 feet before the point at which the speed limit begins.”

A Solution to Adjusted Speed Limits

These temporary/repositionable road signs indicating the temporary speed limit will modify/supersede the posted speed limit by 10+MPH or the new indicated speed limit. So in short, be aware of the signs you pass because the permanent sign reading 70MPH may be overridden by a temporary sign reading 60MPH or even less. A costly oversight; but fortunately, a correctable one. The state of Texas allows its drivers to take a defensive driving course to dismiss a traffic violation once every 12 months.

Keep Your Record Clean

Taking an online traffic school course will prevent the demerit point associated with that violation from going onto your driving record, which will also keep your insurance from going up as a result of the ticket-as long as you provide them with a copy of the completion certificate for completing traffic school. When you complete the course for ticket dismissal, you will automatically receive a certificate to turn in to your insurance company. The school will provide you with a two-part certificate of completion - one portion is for the court, and the other is for your insurance company.

While speeding tickets aren’t anyone's favorite thing, the safety of construction crews can't be understated. Senator and former Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner Robert Nichols said of the bill: “Everybody was concerned and had speeding tickets in their mind, not safety in construction zones,” and “..We did a little more educating on it this time and it flew through both chambers pretty well.”

There is always an adjustment period after new road regulations are put into effect. This one seems to be fairly straightforward and hopefully, Texas drivers and roadworkers alike will enjoy an improved safety standard going forward.

Best Online Traffic School

For more common sense driving practices be sure to check out our blogs or for more information about online driver improvement courses, contact us at 800-800-3579.