If you take those same type of county roads in Wisconsin, the fastest you’ll ever get to legally go is 55mph (90kmh).
As you can imagine, when I return to Wisconsin to visit, everything seems excruciatingly slow. I really have to watch my speed and make sure to set the cruise control so I don’t subconsciously shatter the speed limit.
Setting the cruise control isn’t just limited to highways. I often do it in the city where the speed limit is 25mph (40kmh).
Now I understand that there’s things like deer and snow that require you to drive slower. In driver’s ed we were taught how to properly drive in snow as well as properly hit a deer if a collision is unavoidable.
It does appear that the speeds limits for any given road are 15-20mph (25-30kmh) slower in Wisconsin (and many other states) than Texas. For example, this divided road in Wisconsin is 35mph (55kmh). If it were Texas, it would most likely be around 60mph (100kmh).
When I leave Texas, I definitely have to make sure I slow down. I find running the gears and accelerating much faster in anticipation of a higher speed limit to then catch myself to slow down. When making left turns, I’m expecting the oncoming traffic to be going much faster so I end up waiting when I could have easily went. It’s definitely a shift in mentality!
I understand the need for slower speed limits in a lot of areas. Sometimes it feels like some winding roads in Texas should be lower. It doesn’t take long, but I can shift back into my old Wisconsin-style driving habits and soon I’m not thinking twice about the slower speed limits there.
