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I live in Michigan so speed limit is back to 75 mph on certain highways.
The Michigan Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that 600 miles of interstate will increase from 65 to 75 mph limits, and 900 miles of non-interstate highway will increase from 55 to 65 mph. The first freeways to see 75 mph limits by mid-May will be Interstate 75 between Bay City and Sault Ste. Marie In 2017
Big, unmarked, Plymouth goes sailing past me. Must have been doing maybe a hundred.
I get in behind and follow at about a quarter of a mile.
Check rear view mirror. Cop !
Slow down, and another mile or two up the road the Plymouth is pulled over and the cop has his cruiser parked sideways across the parkway.
Cop wanders up...95 in a 55. License and registration.
We get dragged off to a local justice of the peace. $100 bucks, no checks. Cash ( you know where that is going....)
The Plymouth guy, it turns out, works for the UN and is on his way to Canada. Starts arguing with the old justice. I'm thinking "don't do this, and don't drag me into it. We are lucky we aren't going to jail" if we don't happen to have a hundred bucks in cash on us.
We pay, and get the lecture about tricky dick and the 55 MPH limit for the good of the Nation.
Escaped. Close one. I think of it every time i drive through that area. Cop and judge are probably still laughing about bilking us out of $200. Whatever, we were certainly over the 55 limit.
It took forever to get anywhere. When I started driving the speed limit on the interstate was 65 MPH and state roads were 55. Many of the vehicles of the era had 55 MPH in a different color or other special notation. Then, in 1996 my state raised the speed limit on the interstate to 75 MPH and other roads to 65. Better.
Then about four years ago we raised the speed limit to 80 on the interstate. Which is fine with me.
It was not the ' Sunniness ' moment for Car People
Actually, in 1975 the introduction of the Catalytic Converter and HEI ignition
just added insult to injury. and it would be many years before the bugs were
taken care of.
It was 50 mph in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and New Jersey.
Those states were forced back to 55 on March 1, 1974, when the NMSL took effect. All highways that were 55 or over before November 10, 1973 had to go to 55. Ironically, the Hutchinson River Parkway had been set at 50 previously. By mistake it was raised to 55 north of the Wilmot Road on-ramp and has remained at that level since whereas south of that on-ramp to the NYC line it has remained at 50. NYC was exempted from going back to 55 on the few roads posted at that level previously.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffD
In November 1973, I'd just gotten my Vermont learner's permit which you could get at age 15.
Ironically I got my junior license on November 10, 1973 or a day or two later. I never got to drive at 60 mph, the historical limit on nearby interstates, on our highways.
In fact I still wonder why New York, New Jersey and Connecticut haven't restored some 60 mph zones. The NJ Turnpike, formerly 60 for its entire length, is now split between 55 and 65. I-287, I-95 and I-87 in Westchester and Rockland counties are still stuck at 55.
It took forever to get anywhere. When I started driving the speed limit on the interstate was 65 MPH and state roads were 55. Many of the vehicles of the era had 55 MPH in a different color or other special notation. Then, in 1996 my state raised the speed limit on the interstate to 75 MPH and other roads to 65. Better.
Then about four years ago we raised the speed limit to 80 on the interstate. Which is fine with me.
Yes, I had forgotten about the required emphasis placed on the 55 mph marking on the speedometers during that era.
Also, from the late 1970s to early 1980s, speedometers in the U.S. were limited to being marked for maximum 85 mph, even though most vehicles would go faster than that. Even though that Federal mandate was dropped, some new vehicles continued to be produced with those speedometers. By the late 1980s, most automakers had completely phased out 85 mph speedometers.
Now, 130 mph - 160 mph speedometers are the norm, although in many cases, the vehicles won't go that fast.
I survived with radar detectors and CB radios. I never drove 55.
I remember them.....good buddy.....LOL
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