BISMARCK, ND — More states are pushing speed limits higher, especially on rural highways, and the latest numbers are adding pressure to that trend. North Dakota raised the maximum speed limit on select highways to 80 mph in August 2025, joining states such as Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Texas in allowing faster travel on certain roads.
But the first year of North Dakota’s new law has brought a rise in crashes, even as the state’s overall fatality count has continued to move around from year to year. Data shared by the North Dakota Highway Patrol shows increases in nearly every speed-limit zone between August 2025 and August 2026. Researchers and highway safety groups have long warned that higher speed generally means more severe collisions when things go wrong.
Michigan’s earlier speed-limit increase showed a sharp rise in fatal crashes
One of the clearest examples cited in the debate comes from Michigan, which raised the speed limit from 70 to 75 mph on more than 600 miles of rural highways in 2017. A 2022 study found that fatal crashes on those roads climbed 63 percent after the change.
Total crashes also increased nearly 17 percent, rising from an average of 3,624 a year before the change to 4,241 in 2018 and 2019. Fatal crashes went from roughly 11 a year to 18. The figures have become part of the broader argument over whether higher limits improve travel efficiency without adding risk, or whether they simply raise the stakes when drivers lose control.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says speed has a large effect on crash severity. It notes that increasing speed from 40 mph to 60 mph raises crash energy by 125 percent, which helps explain why even modest increases in posted limits can carry outsized consequences.
North Dakota’s first year at 80 mph brought more crashes in several zones
North Dakota’s 80-mph law took effect in August 2025, and the state had recorded 59 traffic fatalities through mid-August 2026. That pace would put the state ahead of its 2025 total of 83 deaths, though still below the 106 fatalities recorded in 2023.
The state saw 89 traffic deaths in 2024, its lowest total in more than two decades, before the 2025 count dipped again. Even so, crash numbers have moved in the opposite direction. According to data provided to Motor1 by the North Dakota Highway Patrol, crashes rose 42.11 percent in 65-mph zones, 22.64 percent in 70-mph zones, and 17.27 percent in 80-mph zones during the yearlong comparison period.
The patrol also said troopers “continue to see people exceed the speed limit as with any zone.” In an interview with WDAY, Capt. Bryan Niewind said weather was a major factor, pointing to drivers who were “driving too fast for these conditions.”
Fewer speeding tickets were written even as crash counts rose
The North Dakota Highway Patrol data shows that citations did not rise in step with crashes. Tickets fell 43.28 percent in 80-mph zones and 44.39 percent in 65-mph zones over the same period. Tickets in 70-mph zones moved the other way, increasing 30.55 percent.
That combination makes the picture harder to read. More crashes with fewer tickets could point to changes in enforcement, driver behavior, traffic volume, weather, or some mix of all four. State officials have not pointed to a single cause, and the yearlong window is still short enough that no firm conclusion can be drawn about the long-term effect of the higher limit.
Even with that caution, the early pattern is notable because the increase is not limited to the new 80-mph roads. Crashes are also climbing in lower-speed areas, suggesting the broader driving environment may be changing at the same time.
Other states are still moving toward faster rural highways
North Dakota is not alone in reconsidering speed limits. Missouri recently passed a law raising the maximum speed on rural interstates and freeways to 75 mph, effective Aug. 28, 2026. The Missouri Department of Transportation has not yet decided which roads will qualify, and new signs could take until late 2027 or early 2028.
New York Republican state Sen. Thomas O’Mara introduced a bill last year to raise that state’s maximum from 65 mph to 70 mph, but the measure remains in the Senate Transportation Committee. Arizona also entertained a more aggressive proposal, the RAPID Act, which would have allowed unrestricted daytime speeds on some highways and set an 80-mph nighttime limit.
That Arizona bill was introduced earlier this year but died in committee before a vote. The continued interest in higher limits shows that many lawmakers still believe modern highways can handle faster traffic, even as safety advocates point to the rising crash data.
Speeding remains a major factor in U.S. traffic deaths
National data shows that speeding continues to play a major role in traffic deaths. Before the pandemic, speeding was a factor in 26 percent of traffic fatalities in 2019, accounting for 9,592 deaths.
That share rose to 29 percent in 2020, when emptier roads and higher speeds contributed to 11,258 speeding-related deaths. The number climbed again in 2021 to 12,330, a 14-year high. Since then, the totals have generally fallen, reaching 11,288 in 2024 and 10,035 in 2025, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Other risk factors remain part of the picture. In 2024, about half of the drivers killed in speeding-related crashes were not wearing seatbelts. Young male drivers are especially vulnerable: 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.
Why North Dakota’s numbers matter for future speed-limit debates
North Dakota’s experience will be closely watched because it sits at the center of a broader national trend. The state has joined the group of places that believe faster rural highways can work, but its crash data may help determine whether that belief holds up over time.
For now, the figures show rising crashes in both 80-mph and lower-speed zones. That makes it impossible to blame the new law alone. Traffic volume, road construction, weather, enforcement and actual driving speeds all can affect the results, and officials will need more time before the safety impact of the higher limit is clear.
Still, the first-year numbers give policymakers a real-world case study. If the pattern seen in other states repeats itself, North Dakota may end up providing one of the clearest examples of how higher speed limits can change crash risk on American highways.