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Automotive News & Views Should the US government bring back the 55 mph max speed limit again?
1418 messages, Last post on Dec 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM
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With oil running out, gas cost is rising every few months, and people's saving are getting less every year, do you think the US government should bring back the 55 mph max speed limit again in all states like they once did in the 70s fuel-crisis era. Although 55 mph speed is very slow for many people and probably will not get the job done for most people, there are many benefits if we all drive 55 mph speed MAX again on highway: 1. It's the most fuel-efficient speed you can get in a vehicle. You can get more than 40 MPG in a gasoline Honda Accord or Toyota Camry by driving only 55 mph with A/C turned off. 2. We can save more than 30% of the oil supply before it is completly depleted. 3. When driving 55 mph, you get to be in your car longer (assuming new) and enjoy the interior comfort around you. Plus, it's more relaxing and fun to drive, and you can multitask more easily at the same time, such as taking cell phone calls, eating snacks, writing notes, or reading papers. 4. It can increase the engine life of the vehicle. 5. It may (or may not) reduce the chance of getting into an accident. However, nobody seems to take advantage at this speed. Everytime I try to drive 55 mph on the highway, freeway, or expressway, people keep on honking, flash headlights, or pass me. Why? Back in the 80s, I had no trouble driving 55 mph on the highway. Now, nobody cares. Today, everybody looks to be in hurry, but they are not. What is going on with people's driving habits these days, and why are people still not worrying what MPG they get in their vehicles?
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Replying to: waltchan (Dec 04, 2007 3:42 pm) And BTW, I always drive the speed limit on the highway for the express purpose of saving gas, and always consequently exceed the EPA highway ratings on my vehicles by 10-20% or more. And I DON'T get run off the highway as all the speed mavens at Edmunds always imply. In fact, since the gas prices have skyrocketed it is quite the contrary: I find I have to quite often get out of the slow lane to pass cars going even slower than me. Just one anecdote to add to the pile. 
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Replying to: nippononly (Dec 04, 2007 4:01 pm) 70 wouldn't be too painful personally, but 55 outside the urban areas may be a hard sell until gas really does get rationed or goes to $8. (got the dupe, Nippononly). |
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Replying to: waltchan (Dec 04, 2007 3:42 pm) It would also eliminate those who think they are "Precise" drivers in little cars as they would have to submit to the fogey's 55 limit. |
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Replying to: waltchan (Dec 04, 2007 3:42 pm) At 55 MPH you need the AC on full blast to keep you awake. 55 is fine for urban areas. There are too many long stretches of Interstate that should be posted even higher than the current 75 MPH. I just made a trip to Phoenix last week. I drove with the traffic going over. Running about 75-80 MPH in our Sequoia. I got 16.88 MPG.On the return to San DIego I decided to take it easy. I never went over 70 MPH with mostly 65 MPH. I got 16.82 MPG. So I would argue with this vehicle it makes little difference the speed you drive. I got tailgated and and had people passing me across double lines out in the middle of AZ when I was cruising the posted 65 MPH. Switching to diesel cars is a much better way to save gas than slowing down millions of drivers. It would congest the roads even more than they are now. |
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Why 55? Why not 45? Although the speed where vehicles attain maximum fuel efficiency varies by vehicle, according to what I've read on this point the majority of vehicles, or maybe the average vehicle, achieves maximum fuel efficiency at ~45 mph. Also, if lives would be saved with a vigorously enforced 55 mph limit, just think of all the lives you'd save at 45 mph. And since saving lives is even more important than saving fuel, why not impose a 35 mph limit? No, wait, lets make it 25. The answer to why speed limits are unlikely to be reduced again, nationwide, is simple; we live in a democracy, and the majority of drivers don't want to be limited to 55, much less 45. It didn't work well in the '70s, since many people violated the double nickel, and it would cause even more resentment and frustration now, since cars are much safer than they used to be and the average horsepower to weight ratio is significantly higher than it was in the '70s. Look, no one is arguing that saving lives and reducing serious injuries, as well as cutting our dependence on a depleting resource from politically unstable countries, are not worthy goals, because they're very worthy. However, there's also something to the argument that individuals weigh the safety, economic and social factors, as well as the value they place on their time, and other considerations, when they decide how fast they should drive. It seems to me that if 55 were a brilliant idea, all things considered, we wouldn't have raised our limits, and other countries would have embraced the idea.
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...the 55 mph speed limit was a dumb idea on the 1970s, and and an even dumber one today. Here in Pennsylvania, where the speed limit is 65 mph, most people drive 70-75 mph, with a fair number in the 80+ mph range. Which is fine with me. Realistically, anyone who can't drive at least 70 mph on a rural limited access highway shouldn't be on the road in the first place. I drove from Harrisburg to Indiana (Pa.) for Thanksgiving, most of it via the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and anybody going 65 mph was blocking traffic in the slow lane. Guess what - fatalities are lower than ever. Setting the speed limit at 55 mph for those who hate to drive any faster is like letting the special education kids set the curriculum for the rest of the class. If drivers want to make the trade-off of higher speeds for less fuel economy, that is nobody else's business. Let people vote with their right foot.
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Replying to: grbeck (Dec 05, 2007 6:56 am) I think our forefathers fought for the right to govern ourselves. I would like to see the speed limits dropped altogether on the Interstate highways. Currently they are just a money maker for the states they pass through. If someone is driving recklessly give them a ticket. Driving fast and driving erratic are not the same thing. I tried the slow relaxing 65 MPH for my 325 mile return trip from Phoenix. I got worse mileage than driving 75 MPH and got home 40 minutes later than if I drove the speed limit. |
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| Another reason why I'm not in favor of the reimposition of the 55 mph limit by the federal government is that I think speed limits are best set by the states. I think the representatives of Montana are better qualified to decide what the maximum safe speed should be in their state than the politicians from Rhode Island, and visa versa. | |
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Replying to: grbeck (Dec 05, 2007 6:56 am) That said, 55 mph is an invitation to screw that up. You have roads that are built to go 70 on them. Going 55 on them only makes you drowsy. You don't have to go out to Idaho or Wyoming or wherever to find these roads. There's lots of them right here in New Jersey. Try going 55 on the south end of the Parkway!
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