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Texas DOT refuses to pay for damage when road sign falls on SUV

Zach Bowman — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:02:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Videos, Luxury

A Texas woman recently found herself with no recourse after a large traffic sign fell on her Lexus SUV. Stephanie Hawkins was stopped at a light with her teenage daughter when she felt her vehicle shake violently. Thinking she'd been in an accident, she stepped outside only to find a sign had fallen over onto her vehicle. After taking photos of the incident and receiving a repair estimate of $2,791.25, Hawkins filed a claim with the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT quickly responded by saying the state government was not responsible for the damage and therefore would not pay to fix her vehicle.

How is that possible? According to Texas, government agencies are not liable for damages caused while performing government safety functions. That includes maintaining signs. The ruling is part of the Texas Tort Claims Act and the Doctrine of Government Immunity. In a separate statement, TxDOT said it investigated the claim and found no negligence on its part. Take a look at the local news report on the incident below.

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Texas DOT refuses to pay for damage when road sign falls on SUV originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas toll road to get 85 mph speed limit?

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

Oh, Montana, how we miss your speed-limitless ways of the mid-1990s. We were carefree and young then, driving a 10-year-old Chevrolet that in no way, shape, or form was designed to travel at its top speed for hours on end. But that didn't stop us, we the "reasonable and prudent," and neither did it stop our digital dashboard from just flashing "85" over and over and over again. We'll never know how fast we were really going, but suffice it to say, we were traveling at the speed of youth.

Today, the search for fast, legal roads pretty much starts and ends in Germany, with Texas a distant second. But the one-time Republic may have just cut the distance between it and the Autobahn-wielding Germans by five miles per hour. A new toll road, part of State Highway 130, is under construction near Austin, the state's notoriously traffic-clogged capitol, and it may have its speed set at 85 when it opens. The Texas Department of Transportation made the decision, according to the Fox News report, in the wake of the legislature passing a law in 2011 to raise the maximum limit from 80 to 85 mph on approved highways.

Texas toll road to get 85 mph speed limit? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas considering 80 mph speed limit

Chris Paukert — Tue, 16 May 2006 07:05:00 EST

Somewhere, Sammy Hagar is smiling. Texas' Transportation Commision will consider raising the speed limit on Interstates 10 and 20 next week. The Texas Department of Transportation's proposal would bump the speed limit to 80 mph to better reflect the rate of speed that traffic presently travels at anyway. A survey of the West Texas roads found that 85 percent of drivers regularly travel at up to 79 mph.

Of course, the proposed change has environmentalists and road safety advocates audibly concerned, but advocates maintain that raising the legal limit will make the roadways safer by encouraging a more universal pace.

What do you think? Sound off in 'Comments.'

[Sources: Associated Press via Houston Chronicle; Motomania; Lyricsbox]

Texas considering 80 mph speed limit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 May 2006 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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