It’s been just over a year since North Dakota raised the maximum speed limit on select highways to 80 miles per hour, making it one of several states to do so over the past decade.
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and other states now have maximum speed limits of 80 mph, while Texas tops the nation with an 85-mph limit on a 41-mile stretch of Highway 130 between SH 45 near Austin and Interstate 10 in Seguin. And the trend toward higher speed limits continues to spread.
Lawmakers in many of these states argue that higher speeds, particularly on rural stretches of highway, don’t directly lead to more dangerous roads. But the early data from these states tells a different story.
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The Data Is Hard To Ignore
In 2017, Michigan raised the speed limit from 70 to 75 mph on more than 600 miles of rural highways. In the years that followed, crashes and fatal crashes on those roads increased significantly.
A 2022 study found that fatal crashes on the affected roads increased by 63 percent. Total crashes rose nearly 17 percent, from an average of 3,624 per year before the speed-limit change to 4,241 in 2018 and 2019. The number of fatal crashes also increased, from roughly 11 per year to 18.
Speed plays a large role in crash severity.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says increasing speed from 40 to 60 mph—a 50-percent increase—raises the energy of an impact by 125 percent. More broadly, higher speed limits have been associated with increases in crashes and fatalities. A 2019 IIHS study found that every 5-mph increase in the maximum speed limit was associated with an 8.5-percent increase in interstate fatality rates.
A 2022 study found that fatal crashes on the affected roads increased by 63 percent.
North Dakota has not been immune to the broader increase in crashes.
The state’s new 80-mph speed-limit law took effect in August 2025. Through mid-August 2026, North Dakota had already recorded 59 traffic fatalities, putting it on pace to surpass its 2025 total. In 2025, 83 people died on the state’s roads.
That was down from 106 fatalities in 2023 and 89 in 2024, which was the state’s lowest total in more than two decades. The 2025 total declined again, continuing a multi-year downward trend.
But while fatalities remain relatively low, crash numbers have moved in the opposite direction.
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According to data provided to Motor1 by the North Dakota Highway Patrol, crashes increased across nearly every speed-limit zone between August 2025 and August 2026. Crashes in 65-mph zones rose 42.11 percent, while crashes in 80-mph zones increased 17.27 percent. Crashes in 70-mph zones were up 22.64 percent.
At the same time, law enforcement issued fewer speeding tickets in most of those zones. Tickets fell 43.28 percent in 80-mph zones and 44.39 percent in 65-mph zones. The number of tickets issued in 70-mph zones, however, increased 30.55 percent.
A spokesperson for the North Dakota Highway Patrol told Motor1 that troopers “continue to see people exceed the speed limit as with any zone.” In an interview with WDAY, North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Bryan Niewind attributed the increase in crashes to inclement weather, saying people were “driving too fast for these conditions.”
According to data provided to Motor1 by the North Dakota Highway Patrol, crashes increased across nearly every speed-limit zone between August 2025 and August 2026.
The North Dakota law has only been in effect for about a year, so it is far too early to draw firm conclusions about its long-term impact. Weather, road construction, traffic volume, enforcement, and countless other factors can influence crash numbers from one year to the next.
Still, the early data is worth watching. If North Dakota follows the pattern seen in other states that have raised their speed limits, the coming years could provide a much clearer picture of whether allowing drivers to travel faster comes with a measurable safety cost.
Will More States Follow The Trend?
Despite these concerns, states across the country continue to consider higher speed limits, with several pieces of legislation already proposed or approved.
In Missouri, lawmakers recently passed a law raising the maximum speed limit on rural interstates and freeways to 75 mph. The law took effect on August 28, 2026, but the Missouri Department of Transportation has not yet determined which roads will qualify. Those roads will also need new signage, meaning the higher limits may not be posted until late 2027 or early 2028.
Despite these concerns, states across the country continue to consider higher speed limits…
In New York, Republican state Sen. Thomas O’Mara introduced a bill last year that would raise the state’s maximum speed limit from 65 to 70 mph. The legislation remains in the Senate Transportation Committee.
Arizona considered an even more dramatic change. The proposed RAPID Act would have brought a bit of the German Autobahn to the U.S., potentially allowing unrestricted daytime speeds on certain sections of highway. At night, those roads would have had an 80-mph limit.
The bill was introduced earlier this year but died in committee before reaching a vote.
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Speeding Is Only Part Of The Problem
Before the pandemic, speeding was a factor in 26 percent of traffic deaths in 2019, accounting for 9,592 fatalities. That share increased to 29 percent in 2020, when emptier roads and higher speeds contributed to a sharp rise in speeding-related deaths. A total of 11,258 people died in speeding-related crashes that year, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The number rose again in 2021, reaching a 14-year high of 12,330 deaths. Since then, speeding-related fatalities have generally declined, falling to 11,288 in 2024, or 29 percent of all traffic deaths. The number dropped another 11 percent in 2025 to 10,035, and early data suggests fatalities could decline again this year. Even so, speeding remains a significant factor in traffic deaths nationwide.
Seatbelt use is another major factor. In 2024, about half of the drivers killed in speeding-related crashes were not wearing seatbelts. Young drivers are particularly prone to speeding, too. That same year, 39 percent of male drivers ages 15 to 20 involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 20 percent of female drivers in the same age group.
North Dakota’s experience will therefore be worth watching.
The state has joined a growing number of states that believe modern rural highways can accommodate higher speeds, but its crash data could provide another useful case study as policymakers consider whether those increases come with a measurable safety cost.
For now, the numbers show that crashes have increased in North Dakota’s 80-mph zones, but they have also increased in lower-speed zones. Determining whether the higher limit is contributing to that increase will require more time and data, along with a closer look at traffic volumes, actual vehicle speeds, weather conditions, enforcement, and the severity of the crashes themselves.
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Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, North Dakota State Highway Patrol
