The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to reduce the speed limit on a portion of U.S. 75 Central Expressway after NBC 5 Investigates shined a light on extreme speeds and speed-related crashes on that roadway.
The speed limit from Mockingbird Lane to Woodall Rodgers Freeway will be reduced from 70 mph to 65 mph. The Texas Department of Transportation said in a statement to NBC 5 Investigates that it would install new signs following the council’s vote, and the 65 mph speed limit would then become enforceable.
Councilmember Paul E. Ridley petitioned the state to conduct a speed study on Central Expressway after NBC 5 Investigates clocked drivers at speeds above 120 and even 130 mph on a Monday evening.
Last fall, the NBC 5 Investigates series “Driven to Death” revealed that at least 18 people died and 78 more were seriously injured in speed-related crashes alone on Central Expressway in Dallas in less than five years.
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Road safety experts interviewed by NBC 5 Investigates said the 70 mph speed limit was unusually high for a freeway running into the heart of a major U.S. city. TxDOT increased the limit from 65 mph to 70 mph nine years ago, saying the higher speeds would help alleviate congestion.
Central Expressway also received national attention for high speeds in March after a crash involving Kansas City Chief’s wide receiver Rashee Rice. Police said Rice was driving a Lamborghini at 119 mph in the seconds before a crash that injured at least four people.
NBC 5 Investigates has reported that the number of speeding tickets written on Central Expressway declined 70% from 2019 to 2021. That number increased in the next year but was still down about 30% compared to 2019 numbers. Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia said the department has stepped up enforcement on Central Expressway recently but still lacks the staffing levels it needs to enforce speeds as consistently as he would like.
Road safety experts said speed limit changes may not be enough to change driving behavior on roads like Central and that roadway design improvements and increased enforcement may be necessary to gain more compliance.
However, a lower speed limit will allow police to write more substantial tickets at a lower speed threshold. With a 65 mph speed limit, drivers could be arrested and their vehicles impounded for traveling above 95 mph.
NBC 5 Investigates conducted a three hour test on a Monday night earlier this year. Between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., we observed at least a dozen vehicles traveling above 100 mph.
