What Everyone Ought To Know About The Montana Rebel Spirit

Montana is a state unlike any other. We are big in size, but small in population. We border a foreign country. We have lots of people moving here to be a part of this magnificent state. I have said it many times for anyone who moves here, Montanan's don't like being told what to do. Our history gives us quite a few examples of that spirit. Who remembers when Montana "didn't have a speed limit"?

Montana's "Reasonable and Prudent" Speed Limit

The "no speed limit" was actually not really true. Highway drivers had to drive "reasonable and prudent" or get pulled over. This happened twice in our history with the last time being in the late '90s and it didn't last long. Car and Driver magazine called Montana, "Last Bastion of Hot, Nasty, Bad-Ass Speed". That's because we don't like being told what to do.

"Reasonable and Prudent" Couldn't Last In Montana

There were many problems with "reasonable and prudent" as a speed limit. That is why it didn't last very long. The problem I had with it, was that it gave you the false impression that you could drive as fast as you wanted. That wasn't the case. What it actually did, in my mind, was give the authorities a reason to pull you over whenever they saw fit to do so. It was up to them to decide if you were "reasonable or prudent". If it was raining and you were going 55 miles per hour, they could pull you over. If it was sunny and you were going 80, they could pull you over. It gave the authorities all the control.

Montanan's Don't Like Being Told What To Do

Eventually our legislature made the decision to have a posted speed limit. It made things a bit more clear for drivers in our state. There are drivers in Montana that still aren't happy about that, all these years later, because we don't like being told what to do.