Jerry Patterson, the State Land Commissioner, shares his attitude toward speed limits in a comical fashion:
Mr. Patterson’s comments were transcribed with difficulty, because he and his turbocharged, six-cylinder Ford pickup were speeding on I-10 west of Houston as he spoke on his cellphone. “I’m right now doing 79, and I’m going with the traffic,” he said. “The speed limit here I think is 70. If I was doing 70, I’d have cars backed up behind me, I’d have folks that are trying to jump in and out to change lanes to get around me. The majority of the citizenry do not drive 70 miles an hour in a 70-miles-an-hour zone.”Mr. Patterson's comments actually reflect Texas Transportation Code Sections 545.351-353 and 545.3531. These laws establish that an operator may not drive at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under circumstances then existing. Those provisions also authorize the Texas Transportation Commission to alter speed limits. For more information see the website of the Texas Department of Transportation http://www.txdot.gov/safety/speed_limit/setting.htm.