Overview
- In early July, the Texas Department of Transportation obtained Federal Highway Administration permission to pilot standard white speed‑limit signs with red or yellow reflective borders in locations with frequent speed transitions.
- The colored border is designed to draw attention to the exact point where a new posted speed limit takes effect and not to change the legal limit shown by the numeral on the sign.
- A yellow "Reduced Speed Limit Ahead" sign is an advisory that warns of a coming change, while the bordered white sign marks the location where the new legal limit begins.
- Law enforcement and courts still treat the number on the sign as binding, and failing to see a new limit will rarely be an acceptable defense against a speeding citation.
- TxDOT says the treatment targets stretches where drivers move quickly between highways, urban streets, school zones and work zones and could reduce inadvertent infractions by improving sign visibility.