Is it time to return to the double nickel?
With fuel prices now hitting $4.50/gallon in California and even topping $5 in Hawaii, it may be time to ask the question, Can you drive 55? The original national speed limit came about in 1974 following the first Arab oil embargo and stayed in force for 19 years before it was finally repealed. While the premise of the 55mph speed limit was a perfectly valid one, the effectiveness of the rule was debatable. There is certainly no doubt that driving at a lower speed would consume less energy. The problem lies in the fact that the national 55mph speed limit was perhaps the most universally ignored law in history apart from prohibition. With some people obeying the law and perhaps far more openiy flouting it, the latter were constantly speeding up and slowing down. That fluctuation in speed may have actually consumed more fuel than was saved by driving 55. If the spread among speeds on the roads is smaller and people are driving at a more constant speed, their mileage will be better. Unless we can find a way to actually bring down the speeds to 55-60mph and keep the spread smaller, we may not actually get much real benefit. Perhaps now that gas is closing in on $5 and their is widespread concern about both the environment and energy independance, a lower speed limit would actually work. Would people actually slow down this time?
[Source: Wired Blog, via GMNext]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
crazymagman 8:54AM (6/06/2008)
I've already noticed that people have slowed down some. Myself, I've started doing 60 to 65 on interstates instead of 70 to 75, and my gas mileage has improved from 17mpg to 20mpg combined. I think if this is such a terrible crisis, and we know cars get better gas mileage at slower speeds, then why hasn't this been done already?
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brn 8:56AM (6/06/2008)
Leaving the limit at 70 gives people the option. If they want to save gas, drive 60mph. If they value their time more, let them drive 75mph.
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len simpson 9:07AM (6/06/2008)
On 4+ lanes ,55 too much against human nature, as was proven before. Last fall began the enforcement of 65 on our stretch of a federal 4 lane(instead of the average 75/80)--- very well received.
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Tim 9:10AM (6/06/2008)
Comrads, since the speed limit is set by law, why don't we finish the job by including in the law a provision that ALL vehicles on the road MUST have operating speed limiters on them along with their other "safety" equipment like air bags, passenger restraints, laminated glass and so on.
Not having speed limiters on vehicles is like being able to sell booze, but you can't drink it or being able to buy and sell drugs, but you can’t take them.
You either do it, or you don't... there is no "try". The attitude of "we'll try" instead of "we'll do it" is why we fail.
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anthony 9:19AM (6/06/2008)
A speed limit change will do nothing other than give municipalities and states a tool to tax the public. 55mph won't make the highways any safer and in reality will not save any significant amount of fuel. If gas prices stay high (as they probably will), people will figure out how to use what they can afford. If slowing down on the highway is part of what they need to do, they will do it. We don't need a punitive law passed that will do nothing substantive except make environmentalist feel good and give the police a tool to raise more money harassing people with places to go.
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BlackbirdHighway 9:18AM (6/06/2008)
To save gasoline? As long as electric cars are exempt, I'm all for it.
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JZeke 9:34AM (6/06/2008)
New cars are pretty efficient devices at speed. I've taken road trips in Subarus, Saabs, Toyotas and noted very little difference in overall economy at 55-60 vers 70-75. Punishing drivers of more efficient cars with painfully slow progress is a backwards step. When I see an F150 with the tailgate down blow by me at 85, then I wonder if there are other issues to address.
A return to 55 is an infuriatingly infantile gesture that doesn't create a proactive longterm solution to existing problems.
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Dave S 2:31PM (6/06/2008)
My only question is: is 55 the most efficient speed for every car? Might a Corvette get better mileage at 70 (provided of course, it is cruising for a long enough distance to make up for the acceleration.
A more comprehensive plan might be in order, but I already foresee the incredible complications.
Here is a notion though: Limiting vehicle traffic to 55 makes riding the train a value added proposition. It is STILL too expensive to move around by Amtrak or even lots of regional rail, compared to $4/gallon gas!
55mph would give the trains a competitive advantage.
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BrianM 9:39AM (6/06/2008)
While I see a marked improvement in fuel economy (16% increase) dropping to 55 from even 65, I don't drive those speeds very often because it's currently VERY dangerous. With the rest of the yahoos on the road, in their SUVs and 1-ton trucks, doing 75+... and the general inability of Americans to control their vehicle (anyone else had ANY sort of drivers education after high school? Taken a track day, participated in Autocross, taken a driving school?), that difference in speed is a killer. Those people ALREADY break every traffic law in existence, why would they stop if the limit were 55?
As is said all the time in another argument about laws.... only law abiding people follow them. Criminals don't care about the laws. Speeders are, in every way, shape and form, criminals. They just plain and simple don't care about the laws (doesn't matter if it's subjective law breaking... just like someone can't just be "Partially" pregnant, or just a "Little bit" dead).
Probably the single best thing that could be done right now, at this point in time, is to enforce the laws that are currently on the books. In my state, the cops won't even blink at you for going 10mph over the limit (which means all highways are 75mph speeds and the interstate is 85!) If there were some Real reason to get Most drivers down to 65mph, then *I* could drive 57~60.
Montana, in the mid 90's when they had no state speed limit, offered a "Waste of Natural Resources" ticket for those deemed to be going a bit too fast for conditions/their vehicle. It didn't show up on insurance, or your driving record... it was just a fine of $5. Perhaps that would be a good solution for speeders. Only tack about 3 Zeros behind that 5 so it has some sting to it. Would YOU speed if you knew that it might cost you and extra $5000? Accompany that with an outright ban on radar detectors and it wouldn't take long to raise the money for better speed enforcement equipment and the workforce needed.
Heh, if you can't tell... I'm all for a 55mph national speed limit. That would add roughly 60 hours a year to my time in a car (20k miles a year), but I'm ok with that.. I mean, that's .007% of one year, for perspective... not even one percent.
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rar 9:42AM (6/06/2008)
Blackbird, you may be on to something there. There could be no way for consumers to demand an ev quicker than to have ice cars limited to 55mph and ev's 70mph.
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Tony Belding 9:52AM (6/06/2008)
No. And by that I mean, Hell No!
The 55 MPH speed limit was a bad experience in just about every possible way. We do not want to go there again.
Besides which. . . I observed here in Texas that when the speed limit was 55 MPH most people drove about 80 MPH on the highway. Since they raised the limit to 70 MPH most people still drive 80. The difference is, now at least I can drive 70 MPH and not worry about a ticket, and not be hopelessly off-pace with the rest of the traffic flow.
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JZeke 10:02AM (6/06/2008)
@BrianM:
What sort of car are you driving? Im curious because just last weekend I did a 1200 mile road trip in a 2004 Saab 9-3, and using both the trip computer's avg mpg and my own calculations, over stretches of fairly flat and straight highway (driving from northern VA to upstate NY) I found less than a 5% difference in economy from 70-75 to 55-60.
Me and my copilot surmised it was probably the long legged gearing of 5th that was helping us out. more specs on the car: 2004 Saab 9-3 Linear, 5 speed auto, 175hp turbo 4 cyl, running on 87 (as recommended by the manual). Tire pressure set recommended at 42front, 39 rear (Saab's spec again, its on 205/65-15s... not exactly a sporty wheel/tire setup.)
For a less than 5% change in economy, I'll gladly take the reduced travel time and visceral pleasure of speed of going a safe 70-75. I never go any faster than that, and slow down a bit on grades. Why punish a smart, conscientious driver's right to choose?
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James Bowe 10:01AM (6/06/2008)
whatever the limit is set at, how about some cameras and automated guns handing out the fines. That way people will have to respect the limit. If you put them every mile or so, people will also feel a need to use cruise control, which is much more efficient. And to those of you that claim that slowing down doesn't save gas, the sky is red because I say so.
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LightSpecter 10:21AM (6/06/2008)
I personally understand the goal of a 55 national speed limit, but I don't agree with it. I live about 50 miles south of Houston, and many people in my town commute that 50 miles every day. The posted limit on the highway was 70 about 10 years ago, and about 8 years ago the speed limit was reduced to 55. The commuters threw such a fit about the reduction, as their morning and evening drive was extended from 45 minutes to 55 minutes. On top of that, most drivers ignored the limit making it unsafe to drive 55 or 70, which caused traffic problems. A short while after the limit was raised to 65 and still is today.
A reduction in the speed limit causes immediate problems for those who use the roads. I understand that it is not possible to drive safely at 55 on busy roads where the posted limit is 70, but when traffic is light, I will go 55. The posted limit is not a recommended speed, and going slower when safety permits is not illegal.
I say let people drive 55 in the 70 zone, and let people go 70 if they want to.
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JZeke 10:06AM (6/06/2008)
*My copilot and I, oops...
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retro77 10:14AM (6/06/2008)
I'm curious to see if slowing down actually saves gas. Since it takes you longer to get to your destination, then you can't use MPG to calculate the savings. You have to see how many gallons of gas you burnt on the trip at both speeds.
This also means that cars are on the road longer, giving off more greenhouse gases.
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Anonymous 10:21AM (6/06/2008)
Our government will not pass laws to make emissions clean and reduce global warming but we are going to set a speed limit to conserve gasoline? Speed limits to conserve fuel are a typical example of the government sticking its nose into a place where it definitely does NOT belong.
The bottom line is that from a financial standpoint people are not equal. A lawyer who bills $300 per hour and has a 50 mile commute will definitely want to drive 75mph because he can cut 15 minutes off his commute time and bill an extra $75 to clients. A dishwasher at McDonalds does not have that same financial incentive.
People are also not equal when safety is considered. An ambulance driver will feel comfortable driving 25mph above the speed limit while an 83 year old grandmother will probably want to drive 52mph just to be 'safe'.
A better approach would be to require all speedometers to include a MPG readouts on the same gauge. Show people how much it costs for them to race to the next red light. I know this works because I had one of these on my electric car back in 1991 and it had an enormous affect on my driving habits.
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RG 10:32AM (6/06/2008)
I can tell who the democrats are here. They are the people who want to FORCE you to have a speed limiting system. They are the people that want to FORCE you to slow down by imposing speed cameras that ticket you if you exceed the speed limit by a half a mph. I say forget that! It's completely stupid but that goes with the party. I want the freedom to make my own decisions rather than to be forced to do anything. More control is not better. George Orwell was onto something when he wrote 1984. If Democrats had their way, we'd already have thought police.
As was pointed out earlier, people are going to speed no matter what you set the limit at. There is just a point where a certain speed is comfortable. I can tell you that on a large freeway, it's not 55. When speed limits went from 55 to 70, a few people sped up more but for the most part the average freeway speeds didn't change that much. All a 55mph limit will do it generate more revenue from speeding tickets but then again that is a liberal way of control and probably what they want. People are slowing down to save fuel. Rather than trying to control emissions by controlling speed, how about getting people to stop buying small aircraft carriers as their daily drivers? Then again, the logic is probably also to force people to drive smaller vehicles. At the end of the day, it's all about personal choices and the more controls we have imposed, the less freedom we have to make personal choices. Welcome to the Middle East.
No thank you. This November, keep the "change".
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TPL 10:43AM (6/06/2008)
We should raise speed limits instead of dropping them in order to encourage people to drive instead of fly. Even a single occupant gas-guzzling SUV releases fewer greenhouse gases per passenger-mile than a jet aircraft.
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Anonymous 10:39AM (6/06/2008)
Don't usually like to post twice but this time I just can't resist. BrianM and James Bowe please move the frick to China. You and your kind are not welcome in the USA. What makes you think you are so fricking superior to dictate what the rest of Americans should do? James you want to turn USA highways into 1984 with cameras and guns every mile? I want to take a gun to your head!
As to retro77 you are just plain stupid! MPG stands for Miles Per Gallon. There is no relation to time. Aerodynamically most car designs become incredibly inefficient above 55 MPH. There is a certain speed where your vehicle reaches its maximum efficiency (usually somewhere between 45MPH and 60MPH) and above that your MPG decreases as your MPH increases. Your engine must burn more gas (and thus emit more emissions) to travel at a higher speed. Emissions are directly related to the amount of gasoline you burn - what goes into your tank must come out.
If you don't know what you are talking about please try to make yourself look intelligent and don't post any replies.
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