Road Deaths Up 17% With Hike in Speeds

Traffic deaths in Texas have increased 17%--an average of 40 more a month--since the state began raising highway speed limits last December. In rural areas, where interstate traffic is now permitted to go as fast as 70 mph, fatalities increased 28%, the Austin American-Statesman reported. From Dec. 8 through June 30, accident records indicated 1,936 people died in Texas traffic accidents. That compares with 1,655 traffic deaths in the same period last year. At the current pace, about 3,600 people will die in traffic accidents in Texas this year, the highest toll since 1985, the newspaper said.