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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
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: euphonium (Nov 12, 2008 11:06 am) |
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 11, 2008 2:36 pm) Most drivers aren't concerned, and for good reason. The extra safety, convenience and pleasure that comes from higher speeds on limited access highways are worth it. Speed limits should be set for safety, not to save gasoline. We don't need to turn the state and local police into the energy police. How people use their gasoline is their business. We've tried this approach in the 1970s and 1980s; it failed miserably; it's time to accept that and move on. cdn_tch: Polution: NHTSA states that there are about 3 trillion vehicle miles driven per year. If we simplify the numbers and say that on average the sum of all vehicles driven average 30MPG, the savings in gasoline by increasing that to 31 MPG would be about 3.2 Billion gallons. So would a 1 mpg increase make a difference? I'd say that it would. For new cars, volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions drop as speed increases, while nitrogen oxides emissions are less at 70 mph then they are at 10 mph. For carbon monoxide emissions, speed increases emissions, but new cars are so clean that the increase is negligible. For all three pollutants, the main problem is stop-and-go driving. That is what drives the big increase in emissions of those pollutants. Slowing people down on limited access highways in the name of reducing emissions is a waste of time and a misapplication of law enforcement resources, especially given that the truly gross polluters are clunkers (almost 50 percent of vehicular pollution is emitted by about 10 percent of vehicles). If you are really concerned about decreasing those pollutants, you would worry about improving and maintaining traffic flow, particularly in urban areas. Also note that unregulated gasoline powered engines - used in lawn mowers, snowblowers, etc. - pollute much worse than automobile engines. A 1998 car, for example, would have to drive 305 miles to put out as much carbon monoxide as a snowblower operated for one hour. And a 2008 car is even cleaner than the 1998 model. Sorry, but slowing people down in the name of pollution control is a waste of time, energy and money. Our air today is clean and getting cleaner, even with higher speeds, and will continue to do, even as people continue to drive at the safe, comfortable speeds of 75-80 mph.
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Replying to: cdn_tch (Nov 12, 2008 11:20 am) I only took a couple of compareable long freeway journeys a year, so there is no comparision. Maybe 30mpg on my 2-lane 50mph 60-mile roundtrip commute of the time. No, they start taking a hit shortly (RPM wise) after getting into top gear. No. Do a little research on where gasoline engines run most efficiently. It is not necessarily at the lowest rpm. Yes it is a choice that people can make, but just because a person can make a choice does not miraculously make it a good choice. "Good" is subjective; it depends on your goal, which may not be the goal of your collective.  You are saying that if I get a new car that will save a 100 gallons a year, that my neighbor will go out and do something to burn that 100 gallons that I am saving. Well if your conservation causes the cost of oil to drop, then that oil certainly becomes more tempting to use. Personal example - if oil is $4/gal I use electric and wood, if oil is $2.50 I burn the oil. Similarly people are driving a little more now then just a few months ago. And yes the fuel we save now will be burned in the future, but by spreading it out over a longer time frame there is less environmental damage. Bulloney. As an engineer, knowing quite a bit of physical chemistry and thermodynamics I can assure you, you end up with the same increase in entropy and the same by-products in the same quantities. You also must be ignoring the fact that with increasing populations, and a larger population globally using oil and gasoline, individual conservation does not stop consumption-growth. When you and the UN find a way to stop everyone in the world from using more let me know; and then maybe I'll consider using less too. But on the other hand the reason I come to work everyday is so I can purchase the fuel I want to stay warm and to use anyway I want, whether you think it good or not. Someday I hope to own a Viper. 
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75 to 80 % of drivers are not comfortable with the psuedo expert drivers going that speed. 75-80 mph is not safe because of the careless who's opinion of their driving skills exceed their natural abilities. Leave earlier, drive safely, arrive with less tension having been endured. We all will be better citizens for it. Why are those who advocate higher speeds the ones who are least qualified to handle those speeds? 
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Replying to: euphonium (Nov 12, 2008 2:28 pm)
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Replying to: grbeck (Nov 12, 2008 1:27 pm) Most drivers aren't concerned because they don't think about it. They'll complain about how much it costs to fill their tank and then peel out of the gas station. The extra safety, convenience and pleasure that comes from higher speeds on limited access highways are worth it. Pleasure, yes, I'll agree with that; Convenience, doubtful; Extra safety, no, speed increases risk. Speed limits should be set for safety, not to save gasoline. It isn't an either or, it could be both. For new cars, volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions drop as speed increases, while nitrogen oxides emissions are less at 70 mph then they are at 10 mph. Comparing 10 mph to 70 mph in this discussion is irrelevant. What are the stats on 60 vs 70 vs 80 mph? Also where is the information from? Please provide a link so we can all learn. For carbon monoxide emissions, speed increases emissions, but new cars are so clean that the increase is negligible. With 3 Trillion vehicle miles driven, the increase ends up being substantial. Also note that unregulated gasoline powered engines - used in lawn mowers, snowblowers, etc. - pollute much worse than automobile engines. A 1998 car, for example, would have to drive 305 miles to put out as much carbon monoxide as a snowblower operated for one hour. And a 2008 car is even cleaner than the 1998 model. Yes, unregulated gasoline powered engines do pollute more but that does not make it OK to pollute more with a car. Sorry, but slowing people down in the name of pollution control is a waste of time, energy and money. I have not advocated slowing down for pollution control. I just made the point that if we slow down, not only do we increase safety, but reduce emissions as well.
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Replying to: euphonium (Nov 12, 2008 2:28 pm) But please stay in the right lane so those of us that choose to can do so safely & enjoy it more. Cheers! Paul |
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Replying to: euphonium (Nov 12, 2008 2:28 pm)  Why are so many other developed nations able to handle 75-80, but not Americans? Why are those who preach freedom and liberty the ones who become pseudo-authoritarians when it comes to speed limits, and why do said people who completely lack credentials believe they can judge driving ability? 
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"Why are so many other developed nations able to handle 75-80, but not Americans? And those numerous nations are.............. Why are those who preach freedom and liberty the ones who become pseudo-authoritarians when it comes to speed limits, and why do said people who completely lack credentials believe they can judge driving ability? Experience under all conditions enable discernment of selfish driving styles.
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Replying to: lemmer (Nov 12, 2008 2:37 pm) Yes on a multilane interstate, driving at 75-80 mph is the same skill level as driving at 55-60mph. You point the car straight, with slight turns of the wheel. Interstate driving is actually the safest and easiest, you'll find. And for those that say people can't do that, in my neck of the woods - NorthEast - that is what people are driving on the interstates now. All I want is to make the current driving legal.
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