Can you drive 55?

There is a growing (but small) movement in Washington to bring back the 55 mph speed limit as a way of boosting fuel efficiency. According to Time, Sen. John Warner (R-Virginia) is leading the way:

The National Maximum Speed Limit of 55 m.p.h. was created in 1974 when Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Energy Highway Conservation Act. Before that, states had been free to set their own speed limits, but the new law threatened to strip federal highway funding from any state straying above the national standard. The ostensible purpose of this limit was to keep down gas prices, which had been driven through the roof by an OPEC embargo touched off by the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. And with gas prices once again sky-high, Warner isn't alone in talking up a cap on speeding.  Jackie Speier, a first-term Democratic Congresswoman from California, is already on the case. Earlier this month, she introduced a bill that would cap highway speed limits at 60 m.p.h. — 65 in rural areas. It's awaiting a hearing before the House Committee on Transportation. Warner says he hasn't contacted Speier but adds that he'd be willing to "stroll out on the floor" in favor of a speed-limit bill. He has yet to propose a similar bill in the Senate.

According to the Department of Energy: "Each 5 m.p.h. you drive over 60 m.p.h. is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas."

CAN YOU DRIVE 55? SHARE YOUR VIEW

-- Shelby Grad

Comments

[Stephen Yang]

We've already seen consumption drop without the use of laws. It's called Expensive Gas!

:)

[Stephen]

The 55 was a disaster.

It didn't save lives, that much has been proven since after the repeal the deaths went down despite claims of 6000 more deaths a year.

As for fuel savings, some vehicles might get better economy going slower, but that decision should be left up the driver, not some meddiling nanny from DC.

The 55 is like some bad fashion wear from the 70's. Some things just shouldn't be repeated.

[Gwen]

I don't see why it needs to be made into a law.
If you want to drive slow, then drive slow. Stay out of the fast lane, but if it is above the posted minimum limit then by all means, drive 55.
Why do people think the government needs to step in? Last time I checked we are not in an energy crisis, gas is $4. It sucks, but its not a crisis, its still widely available.

[Gary Kavanagh]

"Calls for a 55 mph speed limit -- and most other plans, such as urging people to ride a bus or a bicycle rather than driving a car -- reflect a mindset that oil and gasoline are more valuable than human time." - Max

I've compared drive times (both freeway and surface streets) from Hollywood to Santa Monica with bike times at rush hour and I consistently arrive faster on my bicycle. I'm in great racing shape and riding a carbon fiber bike, but even my girlfriend on a 70's steel Schwinn has beat my driving time. Sure in suburbs a bike is always going to be slower then driving, but don't be so quick to assume a bicycle is always the slower option. Not to mention I am in great physical condition without needing to waste valuable "human time" at the gym.

[Max]

Calls for a 55 mph speed limit -- and most other plans, such as urging people to ride a bus rather than driving a car -- reflect a mindset that oil and gasoline are more valuable than human time. The National Research Council calculated in 1984 that Americans spent one BILLION wasted hours a year in their cars because of the 55 speed limit law vs. 65. Doesn't it matter if a lower speed limit means Americans would spend a billion extra hours on the road?, assuming a $15 per hour average wage means the speed limit could cost the economy $15 billion a year in lost output.
Calls for a 55 mph speed limit -- and most other plans, such as urging people to ride a bus or a bicycle rather than driving a car -- reflect a mindset that oil and gasoline are more valuable than human time.
America is not running out of energy. We have potentially hundreds of years of oil and natural gas and coal supplies in America alone, if Congress would only let us drill for it. What is in short supply -- the only truly finite resource, is the time each of us spends on this earth. And most of us don't want to spend it sitting longer than we have to in traffic.

[perks]

Hybrids get better mileage in stop-and-go traffic than in open city driving.

We should all be required to buy hybrids and drive them as though we were on the 405 during rush hour at all times.

[stan derrin]

"Most modern vehicles are designed to run efficiently at 70mph."

This is not true.What is your proof?.Why and how people make such outlandish claims without having to back them up is absurd.
Any vehicle will save much more gas by driving at 55-60 vs 70 mph.This is a fact.It has been proven in every govt. and consumer study that increased speed decreases efficiency.
You can prove this and try this in any car.There has never been a documented case of a car being more efficient at 70 vs 55.

[Jim Halloran]

This is a stupid idea. Back in the double-nickel days, it saved about 1% in total fuel consumption. The economic downside way overwhelms that...the name of the game is productivity.

I am retired, but I do volunteer work once or twice a week, which involves a 115-mile round trip. I've timed my departures to keep my drive times to one hour or less each way, because my bony old butt gets sore on longer stints at the wheel.

Damned if I'll slow down!

[Eric G]

Wny didn't you mention the facts about the repeal of that 1974 law? That experiment was a failure for a number of reasons and was very unpopular. People didn't slow down in the 55-limit days, they just bought more radar detectors and slammed on their brakes more often when they saw cops... not the safest thing for traffic. You can see evidence of this in CA where the truck limit is 55 (another bad law) but the trucks still go 70+ like everyone else to even out the traffic flow.

In the modern days of hybrids and 6-speed and CVT transmissions, even that argument about wasting gas over 55mph goes out the window (unless you still drive a 1974 model with a 3-speed automatic transmission). For example, my motorcyle shifts into 6th gear above 60mph, so it would use more gas at 55 as I would have to travel in 5th at higher revs. Most modern vehicles are designed to run efficiently at 70mph.

[Matt]

The reason the 55 was so despised and ignored was that it came out of Washingtion as a "one size fits all" approach, without taking local conditions (road design, for example) into consideration. Setting speed limits should be a state responsiblity, not a federal one. My car gets great mileage at 65 (range on the Interstate or other rural freeway is 400 miles)-a 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo. Brock Yates of Car & Driver said it best "The 55 was the dumbest law since Prohibition." He might have added the most ignored as well. Bottom line: the Sammy Hagar song sums up my attitude: "I Can't Drive 55."

[Tony Fernandez]

Crazy thought: if you want to go 55, then go to the slow lane. If people need to go somewhere fast and they can do that safely, then let them. Why should the government force people to be more fuel efficient? Granted, the slow lane usually does move faster than 55, but I don't want to be forced to save on gas. If I want to go fast and spend more, then that should be my choice.

[Drive 55 Conservation Project]

Actually, Senator Warner has introduced a bill that would require the federal fleet to reduce consumption by 3% for a year and asking GAO to quantify the savings possible with a 60 MPH national limit. Download it at drive55.org:
http://drive55.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,12/Itemid,32/

This is modern day alchemy, change the lead in your right foot into gold in your pocket, simply observe ALL speed limits and never exceed 55 MPH to save 20-50% NOW with NO new technology!

[Susan]

Well, I could, but I am relatively sure few would let me. As it is, on the interstate if I cruise at 75, people fly by me. I worry about a 55 or 60 speed limit. I would love to turn the cruise on and coast but people these days are in a hurry, impatient, mean even. I think it will backfire. Yes, I would drive 55 or 60, but I almost think the correct answer is I CAN'T because it would probably end up being too dangerous, so without some serious law enforcement nationwide, it likely will fall flat.