Should we lower the speed limit back to 55 mph?

USA Today profiles an activist who wants to lower the national speed limit to 55 mph, saying it would save gas and lives. The guy's been pushing the idea for a while, but he hasn't gotten very far -- until gas hit $4. A handful of congressman have signed onto a bill that would do just that. The concept is still about as popular as playing Madonna at an American Legion mixer.

Here's the official Drive 55 site.

Comments

[Searching]

Didnt we just have an article that stated that the national car wreck deaths have gone down??

[The_Golfer]

I can't drive... 55!!!!!!!

[Keith G. in P.V.]

Don't drive in Leawood, Golfer! It's almost against their religion to post anything over 35. I'm shocked I-435 made it thru Leawood without a 30 m.p.h. speed limit. It's a great money-maker, though.

[Jason]

Keith: No kidding! Last night I couldn't get past two cars on Roe Ave going 30 mph and I was about five minutes late for a meeting and needed to get to 135th street from 110th street. I couldn't freaking believe how slow these drivers were. Happens every day. I'm pretty sure it's 35 mph but these geezers weren't about to go more than 25.... Heartburn...

[You're a Mean Drunk R2D2™]

Yea, this tool can suck it. If I choose to go 55, I can do so in the right lane. If he wants to save gas and go 55, he has the right to do that as well, but stay out of the fast lane you moron.

My car gets peak MPG at 67MPH. Anything slower or faster will hurt my gas mileage. And heck, if I'm getting worse mileage, I may as well go 75mph instead of 55.

[Bucky]

I don't think we need speed limits. Just let everyone drive at thier own pace. Ala the autobahn. Slower traffic keep to the right as always.

[Lisa]

55 is way too slow for highway....i totally disagree....65 minimum, 70 is great!

[Larry]

I try to keep my tachometer below 2500 RPMs to save gas..thats about 60-62 MPH

[David]

How about a public transit system that WORKS!? That would save more gas and lives than fiddling with a speed limit. Drunk drivers are dangerous, maybe we should make them illegal. Old people driving the wrong way downtown are dangerous, teens in Leawood with Corvettes are dangerous, For crying out loud, just getting up is too dangerous for some people.

[PTBitte]

55 MPH!!!!

How much sacrifice can we STAND!!!
Drill more oil! Turn all of our corn into ethenol! Pass a law forcing oil companies to sell gasoline at no more than $1.55. That'll fix the problem.

[Jellybean]

LOTS of cars get better gas mileage in the 65 to 70 mph range.

If you've got all day to get there - good for you. But, the rest of us are busy so stay to the right and leave us alone.

[gee]

PTBitte wrote--"Pass a law forcing oil companies to sell gasoline at no more than $1.55."

I hope you're joking, right? Price controls would be the worst thing possible for supplies of gasoline. What incentive would oil companies have for exploration if the government limits their profits? Artificially setting a price limit on gasoline would translate into shortages fairly quickly, especially when such a large percentage of the cost for a gallon of gas consists of taxes.

[htown1962]

Why not just invade another country and take their oil. No more "we are fighting terrorists extremist" excuses, we should be honest with the American people and say we are invading X country and taking their oil, this way you pay $1.50 per gallon of gas. I think the Republicans would gladly send American kids to die for our freedom and right to have cheap gas. Or at least they'll send YOUR kids to do so. The poor and middle class always get sent first, by the time the rich kids go, it is time to negotiate for a peaceful resolution.

[Peanut Gallery]

All it will do, for a little time, anyway, is cause more speeding tickets. People will not slow down for a 55 mph speed limit unless they are looking to avoid a ticket. A 55 mph speed limit didn't work in the 70's and it won't work now.

[D-man]

I think it would be hilarious to watch people have to slow down for a change.

[Common Sense]

There is no way I would drive 55mph, it would create so much traffic that the gas savings would be minimalized by the amount of gas you lose sitting in traffic everyday because of the change.

Drilling for more oil isn't a solution, it really isn't even a band-aid. We are still going to send money over to the middle east and venezuela if we leave the current system in place. There is no way we can produce enough oil for our needs. Demand for oil is not going to change, hence drilling for more oil may add some to the market, but the demand is going to increase over time also.

Everybody needs to get out of the oil mindset and be looking at electric cars. Even if they are more expensive, it will help the economy to buy them since we can produce our own electricity. The less money that we are sending overseas the more powerful the dollar becomes....

[Johnkel]

Driving 55 mph on the highway would actually have a devastating effect on the tourism industry. Think about the time an American might allot to travel to a destination in a day. Currently the reasonable maximum driving limit for one day of travel would be to go somewhere 12 hours away at 70 mph. Now drop the speed limit by 15 mph and multiply that 15 mph difference by 12 hours, that's a 180 mile deficit that at 55 mph would take over 3 hours of additional driving to cover. The result of that difference would be to put that destination effectively out of reach for most drivers willing to spend a day travelling to get somewhere. So folks wanting to take a trip on a 4 day weekend, which is one of them most common methods for taking a vacation today, would have to give up visiting a number of places.

[No]

No

[Johnkel]

I forgot to mention the secondary effect on the economy of having some business deliveries and trips take longer. With a 55 mph maximum, the idea of getting something delivered overnight might become an expensive challenge. Stores that keep their backstock minimized and depend on timely deliveries to stay profittable would be devastated. Dropping the speed limit would be like dropping the proverbial pebble in still water and watching the unfortunate ripples roll over our economy.

[Mike M]

jellybean > > LOTS of cars are better at 65-70? Got any facts to back that up?

gee > > taxes in Missouri / KC Area are about 42 cents per gallon - that includes the 18 cent Federal tax ... It is not a percentage like other taxes - it is more a 'surcharge' ... ... most of the price of gasoline is OIL, specifically drilling, pumping and transporting ...

johnkel > >
driving 55 vs. 70 would take just over 3 hours more, like you said. However, if your gas mileage increases from 20mpg to 25mpg, you will save $60 or so, depending on the price of gas along the way. That is enough for a roadside motel or another tank of gas ...

55? Why not 0? At 0 mph and we'll get infinity miles to the gallon.

[Chris]

Let's all buy hybrids and power them with electricity that was made from coal-burning plants. That's forward thinking right there. And David, while you're at it, let's increase production of that super-efficient e85 fuel, and triple food costs because we're using corn to shuttle ourselves around. At least we'll all be skinnier, and won't burn as much fuel carting our fat-American-arses around.

Not just no but, Hell No! How about we just enforce the laws that are on the books now that would help. Make it illegal to go under the speed limit in the far left lane, possibly even create carpool lanes in KC. Anything but lower the speed limit. Turn signals, courtesy, things like that help traffic flow better preventing people from sitting in traffic which in turn conserves fuel.

[Mike M]

There are 2 parts to this idea of lowering the speed limit: 1) safer & 2) save gas ...

- 1) At 70mph, you are travelling at 103 feet per second. At 55mph, that is 81 feet per second. There should be fewer wrecks at 55, since you have more reaction time ... Plus, when wrecks do happen, they will be less violent, since the energy (momentum) involved is directly related to the velocity ...

- 2) with people driving slower, that will lower our gasoline consumption on a national level - - millions of gallons saved will lower demand, thus lowering the price ...

If you think prices are going up now due to gas costs add the cost of extra time to the trucking factor. The guys (and gals) driving the big rigs are having a difficult enough time now trying to turn a profit and this passes it will cost them more than an extra day a week of driving time to cover the same distances. Who do you think is going to have to absorb that cost?!?!? I only hope it could get passed along to all the idiots, sorry consevationists, that support this.

[Mr. Petty]

How much more would it cost to enforce the 55 MPH speed limit if it were re-enacted?

The majority of drivers are not going to drive 55 MPH.

[nothanksToMorons]

The faster you drive, the more energy it takes to cover the same distance. That's all you need to know and anyone who paid attention in high school physics class knows why.

While it might be true that some of us "get better fuel economy at 70mph than 55" it's only because of the stupid decisions someone made in the way your vehicle was spec'd out or the way you're driving it.

Slowing to 55 or 60 from the 80-90 that's common today would save more fuel than we'd ever find by off-shore drilling.

As far as the insane argument that truckers won't make any money at 55mph ... BS. Just the opposite.

Anyone who's been on the highway lately knows that trucks, feeling the pain of $4-5 diesel every day, are slowing down. The fuel savings most trucks see in slowing from 70 to 55 can mean an extra $20-30000/year in each driver's pocket. Even if the driver sees his miles reduced, that $20-30000 in savings is pretty good money to pay yourself for driving less and slower.

55mph is a good idea for all of us. This means, of course, it's doomed. Party on, America. You're mostly idiots and I see nothing on the horizon to change that fact.

[John]

All of the arguments for driving 55 mph leave out one critical part. That is what is your tie worth to you? Mine is worth a significant amount to me. If I have to add 20% of my time for every trip on the highway, it is absolutely not worth it. I'd rather pay the money than to sacrifice my time. Just make the right lane 55mph and leave everything else alone. Call it the penny-pinching lane.

[D-man]

I think it is an awesome idea.
The past 15-20 years we have been engineering vehicles to be safer at high speeds, if you bring the normal speed down, then most vehicles can more than handle most collisions with minimal injury to their occupants. Plus with more Motorcycles/mopeds on the road it only makes sense because people fail to look for them.

This TOTALLY excludes the drive from KC to Denver because western KS is so boring that you shouldn't have to do that run any less than 100mph.

[nothanksToTheMathChallenged]

Slowing to 55 from 70 improves your fuel economy by 20%. You still get where you're going but you use less fuel.

Trying to make the "what is my time worth" argument is a hollow way to defend driving 80-90mph.

First, only because the difference in "time" between 55 and 90 is only a few seconds/minutes each day in most of the driving most of us do.

Second, the dude driving 90mph to get to his important business meeting isn't driving in a vacuum. Your actions effect the rest of us. The extra fuel you're pumping into the Hummer is driving up the pump price and costing me everytime I gas up. All of us are subsidizing your high speeds.

And, there's the issue of the military investment in Iraq over oil. We're all sharing that but it doesn't show up at the pump ... yet.

[Brian Yerka]

I live in Minnesota where the posted speed limit is 55 on most 2 lane highways and all but one freeway in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan area. That freeway is posted at 60. A few 2 lane trunk highways are also posted at 60. Outstate 4 lane highways are posted 65 and outstate freeways (I94 and I35) are posted at 70. Because more than 85% of all traffic is on the lower speed roads, forcing that 15% of outstate long distance travelers to 55 would have minimal effect on gas savings. This, more than anything else, is why the 55 speed limit didn't achieve much fuel savings during the 70s and 80s.

As most people live in suburbs and commute daily to cities, on roads with lower speed limits and parking lot freeways, not to mention stop signs and traffic lights, there will be no significant fuel savings by lowering the nation's roads to 55.

The solution?

We need to find a way to get the one million commuters (in the Twin Cities Metro Area) to and from work each day without them having to sit 40 minutes each day idling their engines in traffic. That means that we need a truly regional transportation system in each metropolitan area. I have long advocated such a plan (I even have one if I can just get it to the right people), but in most cities, we continue to hear the same mantra; all transit goes downtown. The problem, of course, is that 4 out of 5 commuters aren't going to downdown, they are going through downtown on their way to another suburb.

When we solve this issue, fuel consumption will be drastically reduced. Not before.

As for electric cars, here's the rub;
Fossil Fuel (gasoline): 7.5 million BTU/lb of fuel.
Current battery technology: maybe 10,000 BTU/lb of battery weight.

Until we can find a way to get batteries to deliver nearly 1000 times more BTU/lb electric cars will never be able to replace the gasoline engine. Sorry, but that is chemistry and physics.

[Biff]

"All of the arguments for driving 55 mph leave out one critical part. That is what is your tie worth to you? Mine is worth a significant amount to me. If I have to add 20% of my time for every trip on the highway, it is absolutely not worth it."

Let's see...

30 miles at 90 mph = 20 minutes.

30 miles at 60 mph = 30 minutes.

His argument doesn't really hold up, you know?

[Bohica]

How about we stop sending jobs to foreign countries?
It used to be that they couldn't afford cars. Now they can afford cars and that is what is driving the cost up.

This will work 2-fold. We get our jobs back in America, and the countries that used to not be able to afford cars, will no longer be able to afford them.

Oh.. and people are already driving too damn slow. I have noticed on a 40mph street, people are doing 35!! If they want to save gas... just get a different vehicle!

[1MadJack]

If I want to drive 55 I will drive 55. But try to force me to drive 55 I will drive 65 or 70. We went through this 55 nonsense back in the 70s all the way to the 90s before somebody finally got some common sense. I think this guy needs to move to Canada. The speed limits up there are all slower than molasses in January.

[Ternie]

Um..... let's NOT lower the speed limit. Just raise it to 70 everywhere so we get to where we need to be quicker.

[Herbert Spencer]

No, it will just be used by every thief with a badge to stick their hands deeper in our pockets. In particular I don't want to see Kansas become the kind of mugger with a badge paradise that KCMO has become, particularly when it comes to vehicles with Kansas plates. It's like Bi-State 247,632.

[nothanksToFastMorons]

Those who want to drive fast are pushing demand along and driving the pump price up.

You're also demanding my tax dollars to support military spending overseas and keep the oil tankers moving.

You're reaching into my pocket to finance your speedy lifestyle and it's about time to do something.

Rolling roadblocks. 55mph. All lanes.

The safety point is a big one, just look at the I470 - Hwy50 accidents in the morning.... It's those over 70 mph in the 65 zone that are hitting all the merging cars every morning (which only causes delays since now you have damaged cars all over the roads) Same on I70 and I435, etc. Get smart slow down cause the delays to accidents is going to take you longer than just slowing down to the speed limit. It's called a limit for a reason.

[Gary]

#1 To Brian; YES you are right - however it does not fit into the propaganda that the liberals are espousing at this point in time. (note; last week they were carrying protest signs to save the baby salamies until they found out there was no such thing)#2 NO on 55 - NO on anything the liberals want to do to the majority through the back door with liberal judges.

55 is too slow. I can see 65 though.

NO, BUT HELL NO! YOU ARE ALL WRONG! NO 55MPH SPEED LIMIT! MORONS!

[BillV]

No -

If you can't go lower than 75 mph then take the interstates and stop tailgating and trying to run everyone else over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course when you calculate in the time everyone will lose from having to drive slower, the total impact will be billions to the economy.

Plumber bob gets to charge another hour now becuase of lower speed limits! All the truckers on the road hauling all those goods to a store near you now get to charge 8.5% more becuase that's how much longer it will theoretically take them.

When you factor in what peoples time is worth, it's a horrible idea.

[Nemesis]

People, people...Driving slower WILL NOT, I REPEAT, WILL NOT SAVE FUEL. IT IS ENGINE RPM THAT CONSERVES FUEL, NOT CAR SPEED. All car engines have an optimal powerband in which the engine works best. Car manufacturers design the engines to cruise in that powerband. The manufacturers will adjust the gearing in the transmissions and if it's a rear wheel drive car, change the differential so the car will be turning the same RPM at a slower speed. Does anyone remember the AWFUL fuel mileage that cars got during the mid to late 1970's?? This is a ruse by the government and auto manufacturers to sell cars. I think the government is trying to force Americans back to mass transit, like pre 1940 and if that's the case, in KC were screwed.

[SM]

If slowing down will noticably contribute to our indepencence from foreign oil, then I'm all for it. It's time for citizens of our nation to realize that we all need to make some small personal sacrifices in order to turn things around.

All of the conveniences that we've developed to make things "faster" for us have created a consumption crisis. Obesity, credit problems, and dependence on foreign oil are all the results of our "me, me, me" attitudes.

Now that we're faced with these problems we look to "someone else" to solve them - never thinking that we can do something to help, like slowing down. We expect the government (who only 30-40% of us vote for anyway) to step in and do something about it as long as it doesn't affect MY personal life.

I've been driving 5MPH less everywhere I go and everywhere it's safe to do so. I've saved trips to the gas station and therefore am contributing less to the demand - that's a fact. What can you do?

[KMAC]

Rest assured, that I will not ever again for any elected office holder who is in favor of lowering the speed limit.

[SM]

Nemisis. I agree that RPMs are a factor, but you failed to mention resistance and drag. Driving a high-profile vehicle at 70 creates more wind resistance than driving it at 60. Therefore, the engine works harder and uses more fuel.

[Dan]

60 should be the National speed limit!!

[Lorraine]

Money, Money, Money.... that's what it is all about. Are they stupid? People should we allowed to decide what the speed limit is . NOT the government!!!City, State and Federal government needs to spend more time on figuring out how to fix the problem with homeless, hungry, and sickly. That would keep them busy.
LEAVE THE SPEED LIMIT ALONE !!!!!

Someone said "Slowing to 55 from 70 improves your fuel economy by 20%"
This is not true. Different cars get optimal fuel efficiency at differnt speeds. The older cars that do not have the overdrive transmission will do better but newer cars with overdrive were built for the higher speed. If you slow down the engine may not be in its power band thus causing you to push harder on the gas pedel to maintain speed on uphill grades and increasing fuel usage. most newer cars are at the lower point of the power band at about 62mph. My truck gets its best fuel economy at 63mph, my newer car at 65mph, and my older car at 50mph. since most cars on the road today have the overdrive transmissions they are optimal at 62 to 65 mph.