American Notes Nevada

In Nevada, where the roads are mostly flat, straight and empty, drivers never did like to poke along. Nevada was the last state to comply with the federally imposed 55-m.p.h. limit in 1975, and last week it was the first to try officially to break it, upping the speed limit to 70 m.p.h. on a short stretch of I-80.

The state legislature hoped that coupling the higher speed limit with a mandatory seat-belt requirement would induce the feds to exempt Nevada from the 55-m.p.h. restriction. No such luck. When the Federal Highway Administration promptly announced a cutoff of road-building funds--including $66 million for next year--the state just as quickly backed off. But not without vowing to fight: the state has filed a suit against the Federal Government, calling the threat to stop funding an infringement on states' rights. It is, said Nevada Chief Deputy Attorney General William Isaeff, "like putting a gun to our head."