​The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved an 85 mph speed limit on a 41-mile-long toll road between Austin and San Antonio, making it the highest speed limit in the nation.

As the speed limit increases, so do safety concerns. Nationwide, 31 percent of all traffic deaths are attributed to speed. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, there were 23,968 crashes involving commercial motor vehicles in 2011 with one fatality occurring every 2 hours and 54 minutes.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Transportation said the toll road was “designed and tested for high-speed travel” and that “tests have shown the designated speed is a safe one.” However, opponents, including the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Southwestern Insurance Information Service, believe that increasing the speed limit to 85 mph will result in most motorists actually driving 90 to 95 mph, which will dramatically increase the number of serious accidents.

According to the Department of Transportation’s Analysis of Fatal Large Truck Crashes, Texas leads the nation in the total number of fatal commercial vehicle accidents. If your drivers travel through Texas, make sure they are educated on the increased speed limit and prepared to adjust their driving accordingly. For example, they should increase their following distance since cars traveling at a faster speed will need more time to slow down. Also, large commercial vehicles become more unstable the faster they travel so drivers will need more distance to maneuver and react to other vehicles and hazards on the road. Drivers should look as far down the road as possible to maximize their reaction time.