Lower the national speed limit?

[lakedude]

Bush was on the TV the other day talking about lowering our dependence on foreign oil but at the same time they are thinking of rewarding gas wasters with a feel good $100 handout to ease the pain of high gas prices. I remember the 55mph limit being unpopular so it might be political suicide to try it again but we need to do something, right?

[krousdb]

Bring on the double nickel!

[brick]

I have a tough time with this one. See, I know that when I drive 55mph instead of 65-70mph my fuel economy increases dramatically. I also know that the same applies to some other guy in his Escalade. But I wonder (since I only vaguely remember 55mph limits) what will happen to traffic on the whole? Reducing the speed limit does reduce the carrying capacity of a given road. Cars get on at the same rate that they always do but it takes longer to get them off the road. The thought of summer traffic jams getting worse rather than better makes me shudder, even from the perspective of fuel economy. I suppose it could just as easily be the other way around, and reducing the limit would improve traffic flow. It's a tough call without data.

The other problem is that you are guaranteed to have a high percentage of "rebels" who will scoff at the new limit and continue to drive 75-80mph. An extremely nasty speed enforcement campaign would have to be launched, which I have qualms about as well. There really isn't a good way to "make" people slow down.

My philosophy on rampant inefficient driving is the same as my philosophy on cutting traffic deaths: educate. Legislating common sense is easy and cheap (in fact it brings in money from all the fines). Unfortunately, legislating common sense does not work until you follow it to the logical conclusion of putting a black box in every car that monitors operating parameters and enforces the laws in real time. That concept offends me. The better approach, in my mind, would be to launch a massive campaign to absolutely beat it into the heads of drivers that speeding wastes fuel. Don't guilt the public into it, don't threaten them. Convince them that it is in their best interests. Slowly people catch on, and slowly the attitude changes. Eventually doing 90mph in the left lane is not the acceptable or fashionable thing to do. Note that I am by no means claiming that this is the easiest approach, but that this would be the most effective.

Oh, and put a freaking FCD in every car made. (That could be legislated without offending me ) It's cheap, it's simple, and it educates.

[psyshack]

55 didnt slow anybody down here. They still ran 70 mph regardless of what the law said.

[Texashchman]

I remember the 55 mile per hours speed limit and it worked for along time. Then they seemed to quit inforcing it. They did try the 55 mph speed limit her in the Houston area a few years ago to lower emmisions but the people SCREAMED, they said it took longer in traffic and increased emmisions! They then repealled it. When it was rolled back to 55 they didn't hardly enforce it so they figured why have it, go figure.kevin

[hawkgt647]

The Texas Department of Transportation is considering increasing the speed limit on certain interstate highways:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/200...elerateto80mph

What was their motto? "Everthing is bigger in Texas"

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by hawkgt647

The Texas Department of Transportation is considering increasing the speed limit on certain interstate highways:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/200...elerateto80mph

What was their motto? "Everthing is bigger in Texas"

That was in the www.dallasnews.com yesterday - raising the speed limit on West Texas freeways to 80mph.

Whle I typically hypermile, time is at a premium on vacatins and last trip got up to 70-75mph. Both coming and going I got just shy of 60mpg on my Insight.

The 55mph speed limit ended up like Prohibition - too many defied the law.

There are so many other ways that would probably be more effective in conserving energy such as raising CAFE standards, swap tax breaks on gas guzzlers with gas taxes, enforcing the present speed limits. Places like Dallas you get the distinct impression it's legal to add at least 10mph to the posted limit.

[xcel]

Hi All:

___There are multiple problems with the consumption of oil at our present rate and there are only 2 things that can be done about it. Make the prices higher until people get it or lower the speed limits until people get it. CAFÉ’? That has been a joke for so long and if the states keep raising the limits, what does CAFÉ’ do? It was just last year when Iowa mandated more ethanol use at the pumps and in the same bill raised the states speed limits. Are they trying to reduce CO2 and smog related emissions or increase tax revenue from the ever increasing price and consumption of fuel/oil?

___As for traffic congestion, the limits are already 55 mph inside and around the Chicago Interstates and people get along just fine at 50 - 70 mph. The Traffic tie ups are construction and accidents that aren’t cleared off in minutes but hours usually. The normal 3 lane - 15 mile backups from Golf Road to Irving Park near O’Hare out on I-294 South bound start at 02:30 PM and last until 05:30 PM no matter what the limit is so that doesn’t matter either. When I see 18-wheeler’s running 70 - 75 mph down the Interstates thinking of their 4.5 - 5.5 mpg consumption, I cringe knowing 7 + is possibly available at 50 - 55. Is there time that much more valuable then mine? I spend 4 + hours a day on the road and that does not include my 12 hour work day. What is there excuse? They don’t care and there is only one way to make that happen. Enforcement to slow them down no matter what FE their rigs are getting.

___Finally, a trip across the country is one we all dread in terms of time but we also have to take responsibility for our fuel consumption no matter the time constraints. If that means running 60 in a 55 vs. 72 in a 65, so be it. It will be better for all of us in the end until we do figure out how we are going to transport all the goods, people, and stuff we do on a daily basis without destroying the planet or worse yet, fight major wars in the future over resources that are not rightly ours to begin with.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[philmcneal]

accidents could have been preventable if everyone hypermiled lol... car's speed can be easily predicted by just looking at the road itself.

I must admit prohibition does not work though, it has never has, never will it just encourages people to break it even more. What we need is higher prices sadly.

[Chuck]

CAFE could work, but there is not enough political support for a serious upgrade.

One idea I've tossed several times is a gas tax/income tax shift. Still pay income taxes - just transfer some of it to gas taxes. Total taxes for the majority of people would be the same, but shifing it to the gas pump is an incentive to drive better.

Three things that could significantly reduce fuel consumption:

• increase the cost of fuel, driving gas guzzlers
• enforce the existing speed limits a lot more.
• Don't know how to do it, but somehow make peer pressure to make driving a gas guzzler (such as an H2) socially unacceptable.