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http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060517/ts_usatoday/texascouldaccelerateto80mph
kevin

"If the speed limit is raised to 80, everybody is going to be doing 85 or 90," says Hudspeth County Judge Becky Dean-Walker, the top elected official in one county facing the move to 80. "That's just human nature."
A very wise judge.

Hi Texashchman:

___I can just imagine what the rest of the world thinks about us now? It isn’t like it was bad enough before … Not even a consideration for fuel consumption or emissions whatsoever. Sad, truly sad :(

___Good Luck

___Wayne

ignorance is bliss I'm just glad I don't live there.

It's not just how fast they are driving, but what they are driving out in West Texas (hint: a Ranger would be a "compact pickup")

It just seems over the years, the pack speed has gone higher and higher over the posted speed limit. It was not always that way. Just enforce the existing speed limits. Besides it will generate revenue.

I do have to say that driving across West Texas is a pain. I can understand trying to get across it but 60 mph I'd love to see and have it ENFORCED!

Did you hear? Hummer is going to stop making the original "H1" this year.

When asked about it, a representative stated "While popular in the past, we seem to have run out of a$$holes to buy them."

-Conan O'Brian

:p

loL oh Conan you devil.

In regards to Conan's remark about the kind of people that buy H1s, I wish more people made such remarks - a lot more. Extend that to any set of wheels that gets under 15-20mpg bought to be bling-bling - not a workhorse.

Think about it - what were people driving in 1980 as opposed to now? SUVs were at most 2% of the market then and light trucks were nowhere as common or as huge. Back then, if someone had a Ford F250 pickup, it was because they used it. I need to stress there is nothing wrong with large vehicles that are being used. In fact, they are more fuel efficient if they are properly used, than a small car. I'm aware that my past comments about power trucks/SUVs have irritated people. Again, I've nothing against those that truly need them or use them only in limited circumstances. Keep in mind I get cut off by a lot of agressive drivers in all kinds of vehicles, but the large ones stick out. I honestly think the larger vehicles tend to be roadway bullies more often. If you want to intimidate, you get a larger vehicle. Some commercials explicitly cater to just that. Some people, while not into this highway bully thing, choose size to feel safe. There are plenty of studies that prove that big means less manuverability, breaking, more rollovers, but "feelings" win out over logic.

Wrapping this up, pride motivates the purchase of many of the power trucks/jumbo SUVs. It's written in how they drive, their posture, the kinds of commercials made for these vehicles.

More effective than gas prices, if people in general started to tease and ridicule those that got a poser vehicle relentlessly, it would probably be the most effective way to get them to trade them in for an unbloated vehicle. It's all about pride. If it's under siege, they will respond to peer pressure - something they are sensitive to.

MSNBC had an online poll, and I think most of you will be disappointed but not suprized by the results. I voted #3, BTW. I expect if they raise the limit to 80, most people will just cruise around 85mph.

Don't know if you have been on I10 and I20 in West Texas, but it is really desolate. As long as you are outside El Paso, Midland, or Odessa, you are not going to hit anything. The speed limit goes down in cities of course.




_______________________________________________________________
Do you back the proposal to raise the speed limit to 80 mph on two West Texas interstates? * 6390 responses

Yes, the move would bring the law into alignment with reality. - 52%
Yes, there may be costs in fuel economy, but they would be offset by gains in travel time and safety. - 14%
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorboxImages(globalonlyplease)/dotRed.gifNo, it's a ridiculous move at a time when we should be conserving fuel. - 17%
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorboxImages(globalonlyplease)/dotRed.gifNo, raising the limit will result in more highway deaths. - 18%

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ColorBoxes/Styles/ColorboxImages(globalonlyplease)/dotRed.gifNot a scientific survey. Click to learn more (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3704453/). Results may not total 100% due to rounding.

I see no actual reason for someone to own a H1. And like Delta says 20 years ago SUVs were not the norm but then Detriot seemed to push them on us. While I have to say our Tahoe is really nice to drive I think it'll be the last one we own. We do have a use for it but now we've seen that there are other options out there that we hadn't thought of. Wife and I have talked about WHEN we get rid of it, it's paid for and had been paid for for some time we'll most likely look at the FEH. While it's much smaller we could use a roof pod to help with the space. We've seen this at some tournament with a reg. Escape so it is doable. I know that it would cut down on the mpg but still think it would be better than other options i.e another Tahoe. kevin

Delta as someone once told me and it's true in West Texas "there is nothing but miles and miles, of miles and miles"kevin



MSNBC had an online poll, and I think most of you will be disappointed but not suprized by the results. I voted #3, BTW. I expect if they raise the limit to 80, most people will just cruise around 85mph.

Don't know if you have been on I10 and I20 in West Texas, but it is really desolate. As long as you are outside El Paso, Midland, or Odessa, you are not going to hit anything. The speed limit goes down in cities of course..

Well, I have driven on TX interstates, and there were definately some wide open spaces, if you are traveling far distances, you could go rather fast if you stopped watching the speedometer without cruise control.

BUT the real reason I am responding to this is they are going about it the wrong way. I would have to do some researching but I remember visiting a website based on a study of the lifted speed limits in Montana(?). What they found was that with no speed limit, the average speed actually dropped. People felt comfortable doing what felt right and didn't go the limit or faster because it was there. It also resulted in less accidents, less fatalities, and less negatively aggressive drivers ... you know the tailgaters who won't pass and you could never go fast enough. Since there was no limit, they didn't assume you should go any particular speed and would pass you quicker and more safely. Wow, No speed limits equal slower, more courteous drivers ... a bit counter-intuitive for the american decision makers huh? I think Canada also had some similar results from a study/experiment with posted limits and the removal of them.

I think conserving fuel is great, but if you are making a long drive, being able to shorten it is nice as well. 1000+ mile trips can actually benefit from a higher speed, but I do realize there are a lot of sub-200 mile trip drivers that are just in too much of a hurry to do not much at all. Can't miss that rerun of them nascar races or Roseanne/Benson/All in the Family/etc :rolleyes: Or maybe they are rushing to the gas station, they need to fill up their tank and empty another ;) :p :D