When you’re cruising down a backroad, it may be easy to forget just how fast you’re going, especially since there are no speed limit signs.
However, there is a speed limit for county roads, and you can very well be penalized if you’re caught going over.
“Any road that is not marked by a speed limit sign in the county, whether that’s paved or dirt, is 60 miles an hour,” said Sgt. Bryan Witt with Texas DPS. “We have to remember, that could be too fast for you to drive down that road, depending on what condition that road is in. Law states that you have to drive at a speed that is reasonable and prudent of the roadway.”
He adds that paved subdivisions that are out in the country have a speed limit of 30 miles per hour.
In short, if you are driving down the back roads and are not near a subdivision of any kind, a safe speed to go would be 60 mph. However, given that these roads are typically composed of either dirt or loose caliche, it would be wise to drive even slower.
“They’re not going to be like driving on these city streets. They’re going to be more narrow, you’re not going to have that much room to pass other vehicles, and some of the ditches are going to be deep.” said Sgt. Witt.
On behalf of Texas DPS, Sgt. Witt also wants to remind drivers that if you know you are going to be driving down county roads, where there is less traffic control, to always be aware of the children and pets potentially playing near the front of their homes. If you find that you will be passing by a residence along your, a good rule of thumb would be to slow down altogether.
And while DPS and the Sheriff’s Department both do their best to facilitate and address traffic control on these county roads when possible, the wide-stretch of miles makes it difficult to do so. This is why they urge drivers to drive as safe as they can for both the safety of themselves and of the residents along county roads.
According to County Commissioners, the reason there are no signs along these back country roads is because they do not have the ability to enforce them.
