AUSTIN, TEXAS (AP) -- Texas could lead the nation when it comes to zipping along in the fast lane.
The Texas House has approved a bill authorizing an 85-mph speed limit on some highways.
The proposal would give the Texas Department of Transportation power to raise the speed limit on designated lanes or entire stretches of roadway after doing engineering and traffic studies.
The Dallas Morning News reports the 85-mph limit would be the highest in the country.
The House on Wednesday tentatively passed the bill on a voice vote. A similar plan is in the Senate.
Jerry Johns with the Southwestern Insurance Information Service is critical of the proposals.
Johns says upping the speed limit to 85 mph would have a dramatic impact on the death and injury rates of those highways.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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