a return to federally mandated 55MPH on highways?

[jims69camaro]

http://www.motorists.org/ sent me this email:

Dear Fellow Motorist,

As fuel costs have escalated there has been an equal increase in the number of politicians and editorial boards that are calling for the return of the 55 MPH national speed limit. The most recent politician to advocate reducing speed limits is John Warner, a Republican senator from Virginia.

Going back to this counter-productive law will have zero effect on fuel prices, but it will generate millions of speeding tickets, auto insurance premium surcharges, and a whole new level of motorist harassment. If you don't want to return to the days when an Interstate trip consisted primarily of looking for speed traps, now is the time to speak up. Anytime an elected official, reporter, editor, or talk show host starts lamenting the loss of the 55 MPH national speed limit (and the Nixon-Carter years) they should hear from you.

Here's a few points you can stress:

-Only a very small percentage of our streets, roads, and highways are posted for speeds above 55 MPH (about two percent).

-Artificially low speed limits will not be complied with and they just invite abuse by unethical public officials and law enforcement agencies.

-Most of our motor fuels are actually burned up in urban/suburban settings and highways posted at or below 55 MPH. A car going 75 MPH on an Interstate highway is still getting far better mileage than one going 25 MPH in stop and go urban traffic.

-The 55 MPH national maximum speed limit was a 22 year long public policy disaster that wasted billions of dollars and billions of man-hours while corrupting state agencies (for the sake of federal highway funds) and misallocated law enforcement resources that could have been used in much more productive ways.

-Any person that wishes to save fuel by driving slower is free to do so, just as they are free to use more fuel efficient vehicles, car pool, combine trips, or vacation closer to home. The public needs neither a legal hammer over its head nor a government incentive to act in its own best interest. The last two energy "crises" proved that government price controls, rationing schemes, and attempts to dictate fuel distribution decisions were an unmitigated disaster. The same can be said for the 55 MPH national maximum speed limit.

For more information on motorist issues, please visit www.motorists.org.

James Baxter
President
National Motorists Association

all that he says is true. other than filling the coffers of police agencies, what would 55 MPH do? like he says, anyone that wants to drive slower, can. more gas is burned at speed limited areas below 55 MPH, so what is the reasoning behind 55 MPH? i don't buy the argument that more fuel is burned in the same distance at speeds above 55. cars today have a much lower drag coefficient than cars of the 60s and 70s.

[HardcoreZ28]

This is the exact same reason why they dropped it to 55 back in the Reagan days. The savings is something like 12% for every decrease of 10mph. There is less incentive to drive slower if everyone is still doing 65+ because you feel like a target waiting to be run off the road.

Not saying I want a lower limit but I suppose it wouldn't be a bad thing.

[SteveR]

lower it for the right lane and let everyone else driver like crazy people in the left lane, except in Pensyltucky where they dont understand the concept of the passing lane

[Tsar]

Doing 55 in 6th gear is not cool... that would be like 1100 - 1200rpm. And if I switch to 5th that would land me even worse gas mileage.

[SteveR]

Originally Posted by Tsar

Doing 55 in 6th gear is not cool... that would be like 1100 - 1200rpm. And I switch to 5th that would land me even worse gas mileage.

cant you put it in 5 1/2?

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by SteveR

cant you put it in 5 1/2?

Sure, if it's downhill.

[79CamaroDiva]

Most cars will in fact burn less fuel at 55 mph than at 65 or 75. In F-bodies we're lucky enough to have 6th gear, but I learned that my cherokee would get 23 mpg or more going 55 mph coming back from vermont than the 18 mpg it would get at 75. The new HHR is also geared so that 60mph is the magic number, going up to 65 mpg "drops" to around 31 or so, where as at 60 mph, its around 33-34. At 55 on some of the state roads around here, I got up to 37. So, no, it wouldn't be a terrible thing.

[JL8Jeff]

It depends on the car/truck, but my 454SS pickup got 14 mpg at 70 mph which was right in the perfect rpm range for the combo but would get 12-13 at lower speeds. The F-body get best gas mileage at 70-75 mph as well. 55 mph in an F-body is too low in the rpm range and will hurt gas mileage. A couple of my old 4Runners got best mileage in the 65-70 mph range so I don't think this 55 mph thing is accurate. With overdrive, almost all the new cars are geared for best cruising rpm around 65-70.

-

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by 79CamaroDiva

Most cars will in fact burn less fuel at 55 mph than at 65 or 75. In F-bodies we're lucky enough to have 6th gear, but I learned that my cherokee would get 23 mpg or more going 55 mph coming back from vermont than the 18 mpg it would get at 75. The new HHR is also geared so that 60mph is the magic number, going up to 65 mpg "drops" to around 31 or so, where as at 60 mph, its around 33-34. At 55 on some of the state roads around here, I got up to 37. So, no, it wouldn't be a terrible thing.

You know you can drive below the speed limit on the highway, just do it in the grandma lane and everything should be fine.

[BonzoHansen]

Originally Posted by Tsar

Doing 55 in 6th gear is not cool... that would be like 1100 - 1200rpm. And if I switch to 5th that would land me even worse gas mileage.

Time for 4:10s....

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

Time for 4:10s....

that might work, but I like driving at 75ish so I think it would be a bad idea with 4:10. Well, gas mileage wise that is.

[qwikz28]

the savings will be far less than back in the reagan era with cars nowadays having 5 gears minimum and better drag coefficients. i say keep it the way it is and leave it to the consumer to decide which speed to drive

[jims69camaro]

so a cherokee, with a much worse drag coefficient, leads off your argument for 55? sorry, i am not buying it. if it's true, then utilize the right lane properly and drop your speed. the highways are meant for cruising. even when the 55 MPH limit was posted, people still went 65-70, and targets for tickets were 74+. this is still true; most people still cruise between 65-70, but the target is higher, more like 80+... rush hour changes things a little bit, especially if you're in a pack that's cruising right along. cops tend to leave you alone if you are moving with traffic. it's the constant lane changers and tailgaters that get targeted along with those moving faster than traffic. that kind of law enforcement makes sense.

i don't want to go back to the time where 73 in a 55 is a big ticket. then it's all about the money to the cops. there hasn't been a big increase in traffic fatalities like it was fore-casted by the nay-sayers way back when, either. leave it alone at 65.

[PolarBear]

Originally Posted by jims69camaro

i don't want to go back to the time where 73 in a 55 is a big ticket. then it's all about the money to the cops. there hasn't been a big increase in traffic fatalities like it was fore-casted by the nay-sayers way back when, either. leave it alone at 65.

Amen

[sweetbmxrider]

well if the posted speed limit is 55, most people will do 60-65 comfortably. theres your magic number range for gas mileage, there is your decrease in fuel usage nationwide, and there is your reason to post 55. i see this as a good thing.

[EchoMirage]

not every car gets better mileage at lower speeds, as already stated. all depends on the motor and gearing. bigger motors like to breathe more, and can get better mileage at 75 then 55. someone on tech posted his friend has i think a big jaguar. he gets near 30 at 75-80, but very low 20s at 55, which is where the EPA rating was.

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

well if the posted speed limit is 55, most people will do 60-65 comfortably. theres your magic number range for gas mileage, there is your decrease in fuel usage nationwide, and there is your reason to post 55. i see this as a good thing.

NO ONE is stopping you from driving 60-65 RIGHT NOW. What's the problem?

[Jersyboyy]

Well with the way gas prices are I am certain the economist arnt thinking about all of the big block or ls1 or diesel truck owners when they thought this up. They thought about the MAJORITY or motorist who are all trying to scrounge up what ever money they have to pay for gas let alone bills(its not just gas thats getting high in price, taxes food water). Alot of people are under hard times and their trying to do SOMETHING to help ease the burden of the masses. Might be smart for everyone to get a dd that gets 32mpg at 55-60 and drive the muscle car on the weekend if it helps the majority.

[sweetbmxrider]

Originally Posted by Tsar

NO ONE is stopping you from driving 60-65 RIGHT NOW. What's the problem?

people are ****ing idiots and drive as fast as possible. it can be dangerous to not keep with the flow of traffic. most people don't realize that they would get better gas mileage if they slowed down some, so you gotta force it.

oh and most people these days aren't driving big v8s and such, so they will see better gas mileage but we won't. deal with being a minority!

[Jersyboyy]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

people are ****ing idiots and drive as fast as possible. it can be dangerous to not keep with the flow of traffic. most people don't realize that they would get better gas mileage if they slowed down some, so you gotta force it.

oh and most people these days aren't driving big v8s and such, so they will see better gas mileage but we won't. deal with being a minority!

Exactly my point, Graciass.

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

people are ****ing idiots and drive as fast as possible. it can be dangerous to not keep with the flow of traffic. most people don't realize that they would get better gas mileage if they slowed down some, so you gotta force it.

oh and most people these days aren't driving big v8s and such, so they will see better gas mileage but we won't. deal with being a minority!

Idiots will keep driving as fast as they do now, no matter the speed limit. They are also a minority just like the people who drive cars with big engines. And as far as its "dangerous" to not keep up with the flow of traffic, I have personally driven 35 (thats thirty five)MPH on route I-80 East for extended period of time, and look I'm still here typing! I have also noticed from this summer, while visiting my girlfriend in Central, that people drive A LOT slower. If used to do 80 mph on the parkway I would get passed like no tomorrow, now I do 75ish and I pass 80 - 85% of the people on the road, people DO know about lower speeds and increased mpg, some of them just choose not to drive it. Lowering speed limits will only increase your fine when you are traveling at the comfy speed of 75, which will lend you 4 points on your license, and insurance surcharges for the next few year + some revenue for the town you were cough in. If YOU want do drive 60 or 65, do so, like I said NO ONE will stop you. I want to keep cruising at 75...

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by Jersyboyy

Exactly my point, Graciass.

Stop being a sheep.

[sweetbmxrider]

you are speaking about 1 portion of 1 state.....there's like...i dono....50?

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

you are speaking about 1 portion of 1 state.....there's like...i dono....50?

I'm speaking from what I have personally experienced. Do you know what SPEED LIMIT is? It is the maximum speed allowed by law for you to travel on that stretch of road. Most places DO NOT have minimum speed limits, the only places I can think of are stretches of I-95 South, but that is not Jersey. So there is a Maximum speed limit but nor minimum speed limit, thus you CAN drive below speed limit and be fine and dandy! How about some individual responsibility? Don't want to drive 80+? Get in the RIGHT lane and drive 60, that is why its there!

What is so hard to understand?

[sweetbmxrider]

there is a ticket....obstruction of traffic.....you get that for driving too slow....fyi