55-mph speed limit may have found its Washington patron

[babylonsister]

55-mph speed limit may have found its Washington patron
By Dave Montgomery | McClatchy Newspapers


WASHINGTON — Is the double-nickel speed limit ready for a comeback?

Congress thus far has shown no movement toward resurrecting the 55-mph speed limit, but one of the Senate's senior members — Republican John Warner of Virginia — says it's time to start the conversation about an energy-saving national speed limit to help spare Americans from usurious fuel costs.

The 55-mph limit was imposed by federal law during the energy crisis of the mid-1970s, remained in effect for 20 years and ultimately was booted off the roadways by Congress in 1995 amid near-universal contempt among motorists.

Warner hasn't specified what a new limit should be, but he points out that Americans saved 167,000 barrels of petroleum a day when the 55-mph speed limit was in effect. He told fellow senators this week that he'll probably proceed with legislation after the Energy Department determines the most fuel-efficient speed limit for the nation's highways.

"We have to take the lead in Congress, and hopefully the president will join," Warner said on the Senate floor. "We have that duty.":eyes:

more...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/43926.html

[Olney Blue]

1. The president doesn't play well with others who make sense.

[Auggie]

2. Because it's so much easier to lower the speed limit than to stand up to oil

and auto lobbyists. What bullshit.

[Obamanaut]

5. We'll show them! We won't do anything to conserve while the

fight goes on!

[high density]

6. The fact remains that some cars get 15mpg and some get 40mpg

While that disparity exists it makes no sense to force those who drive the fuel efficient vehicles to slow down when they could probably drive at 100mph and still beat the fuel economy of the behemoth vehicles.

[Obamanaut]

8. Isn't it true that we deal with disparities all the time, and approach

a lot of them in different ways?

We want to tax higher income bracket persons more heavily than those in the lower brackets, but we do not want to take away any grade points from high achievers in the school system to share with those who are less brilliantly endowed?

So, why not limit everyone to a certain, probably lower than now, speed on the highway?

[Hugabear]

66. Doesn't matter what your gas mileage is - you still get better gas mileage at 55mph than 70mph

I don't know what the exact number is, and I'm sure it probably varies from car to car. But once you pass a certain speed, your gas mileage starts going downhill.

Is it really such a bad thing to want people to conserve as much fuel as possible?

[Auggie]

30. How about better fleet standards too?

This is taking the easy way.

[awoke_in_2003]

32. They should be doing both. nt

[Kutjara]

3. Brilliant!

A scheme that will do nothing to bring oil prices down, will save a drop in the bucket in terms of consumption, and will piss just about everyone off (with the exception of the usual cadre of killjoys and finger-waggers who live for BS like this). Well, done! An initiative truly worthy of this most feckless of all Congresses.

[MercutioATC]

4. That would be a savings of about $24M per day.

We use about $2.9B per day.

It's a drop in the bucket.

[liberal N proud]

11. Nothing more than a symbolic move

To make people think they are doing something about gas prices.

Smoke and mirrors, that is all we get from Washington

[Clear Blue Sky]

28. Agree. This will accomplish little other than adding travel time.

[bbinacan]

7. The only result

will be more speeding tickets and higher insurance premiums for the working families.

[Robb]

13. ...And millions will be late!

/end homer simpson channel

[XOKCowboy]

19. Police departments and city councils all over the nation are salivating over this

Their coffers get filled which means that they can hire more cops (and buy more radar, pursuit vehicles, etc) to write more traffic tickets. 90% of the traffic will be doing over 55 just like they did back in the 70s. It's like shooting fish in a barrel for the cops. It also makes lawbreakers of the majority of drivers just to keep up with the flow of traffic.

[Truth4Justice]

63. Bingo! Why, oh why, do we have to go through this all over again?

[sybylla]

9. The problem with this is assuming all vehicles are the same

Sports cars are not the same as family sedans are not the same as pickups are not the same as subcompacts.

I've never gotten better mileage on state highways with my cruise set at 60 than I got on interstates with my cruise set between 70 and 75. I check my mileage religiously because it has always mattered to me under what conditions I get the best mileage. Whatever kind of car it is that benefits from going slower I've never owned one.

[Truth4Justice]

64. Most modern cars with overdrive will be lugging the motor at 55MPH.

[TwilightGardener]

10. That shit might work in congested areas in Virginia--

but in wide-open, spread-out midwest and western states, where it takes me going 70 mph for almost an hour to go to a real shopping center, it ain't gonna fly.

[BlueJazz]

12. Yep....Can you imagine going across South Dakota at 55 MPH .....I mean..

..it's boring enough at 70-75....at 55 ?? AGGGGHHH! :)

[TwilightGardener]

14. LOL! I used to live in SD. Oh well, 55 mph just means those unintentional "road naps"

will become a little more frequent.

[awoke_in_2003]

33. You think SD is bad

try driving through Kansas.

[Muttocracy]

44. I'm sure people in rural VA commuting a long way to work on 81 or 64 will not be happy! nt

[newmajority]

15. There is one Republican who is praying this happens, so his career might be salvaged.

This assclown........

[RC]

16. Try 3 and a half hours of this @ 55 MPH

The trick is to stay awake.
The same trip is 2 hours and 40 minutes @ 75 MPH.

[XOKCowboy]

18. My commute last week was 500 miles each way of that...

Denver to Salt Lake City via I-80. 7.5 hrs at 75mph with stops for food and gas. The same trip at 55 mph? Closer to 10 hrs. Also the people doing 55 mph on I-25 between Ft. Collins and Denver on the Sunday of 4th of July weekend had traffic backed up behind them for miles even if they were in the right lane.

[XOKCowboy]

22. BTW I used 32 gallons and spent $135

Love my little Dodge Stratus, XM radio and my new 8G digital Walkman. On the long stretches out west you better have some entertainment.

[NNN0LHI]

24. Thats I-90 from Sioux Falls South Dakota to Rapid City isn't it?

If it isn't it sure looks like it.

Don

[RC]

25. I-94 going West from Fargo ND

[DS1]

40. left-lane parker

:grr:

[XOKCowboy]

47. LOL Ya noticed that too huh?

He better be passin' someone! :)

[Fumesucker]

17. Why not 45 or maybe 35?

Slower is better, eh?

Then let's go *really* slow and save sooooooo much fuel.

25 would be even better..

[Mugu]

20. If a national speed limit makes sense

then a national indoor temperature limit makes much more sense to save fuel. It's time that the federal government mandate that thermostats can't set heating temps higher than 65F for heating and no lower than 80F for cooling.

Anybody caught with a thermostat that can be set higher or lower than the legal limit should be fined for every day that they owned said thermostat and their home-owner's insurance should be raised accordingly.

[Fumesucker]

21. Great idea, you should make that an OP n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

31. Great Idea? It's One Of The Most Stupid And Overdramatic Ideas I've Seen On Here.

65 Degrees? Fuck that.

[Fumesucker]

38. If a 55 mph speed limit is a good idea then a thermostat law is a great idea..

Since it would save far more energy.

:sarcasm:

[scheming daemons]

23. I am VEHEMENTLY against this... especially west of the Mississippi

If people want to drive 55... they can stay in the right lane and do so.

[RC]

26. If they want to drive 55, they need to stay on the shoulder with the scooters and bicycles..

[aztc]

27. Example of why we need a law...

If they want to drive 55, they need to stay on the shoulder with the scooters and bicycles..

It is this attitude that makes it unsafe for some of us to even observe existing speed limits. When Jethro is riding your bumper it is unnerving and unsafe. Please try to remember that these are PUBLIC roads and we all have EQUAL RIGHTS to use them.

[RC]

35. The speed limits here are 75 on the interstates and 65 on state black top.

Doing 55 in a 75 is obstructing traffic

[aztc]

54. Really? In what state am I "Obstructing Traffic" at 55 MPH?

"Obstructing Traffic" is a legal term, so please, educate me. Where is it illegal to drive 55? NOWHERE BUB. The very idea that you would try to intimidate me with this nonsense is yet more proof of why we need a law. I have had enough of you aggressive drivers that think you rule the road just because you have awful manners and no regard for others. STAY OFF MY BUMPER

[RC]

61. Then stay off the Interstates in North Dakota so your actions don't get someone killed.

You would not be bothered so much by the bumpers huggers if you drove the posted speed limit. You must be quite arrogant behind the wheel.

[krispos42]

65. Sounds like you have a choice to make

a) drive slower so that if you're in an accident the impact energies are lessened in an accident BUT everybody and their mother has to squeeze past you at 20+ miles per hour while changing lanes, or b) drive the same speed as everybody else in a steady, stable formation while recognizing that the practical difference between hitting an overpass at 75mph and 55mph is very minor.

[cherokeeprogressive]

41. "When Jethro is riding your bumper..." WTF?

Show yourself. Wait, nevermind. You already have.

Posts like yours just go to show that bigotry and progressive ideals aren't necessarily like oil and water.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

29. Fuck That. I'd Still Be Doin 80.

Just means there would be that many more people I'd have to cut off for driving so slowly lol.

[aztc]

37. Imagine all the new jobs handing out tickets

For speed freaks that won't go along we will need an army of officers to do nothing but hand out tickets generating revenue for bike lanes and trains. :):party: :hug: :pals: :yourock:

[WillyT]

34. Can We At Least Make It 60 MPH ???

A mile a minute makes trip time calculations a whole lot easier.

:evilgrin:

[aztc]

36. Thrifty Sixty is Nifty

If the limit is 55 most people will fudge a bit and go about 60, a-mile-a-minute is fast enough, and sixty is thrifty too, but we already have all those 55 signs, and trucks like it best, and a song to resurrect and modify,, I CAN drive fifty-five...

[flvegan]

39. Why not just let those that want to go 55 go 55. If

folks want to go 65, let them go 65. It's not that difficult.

[cherokeeprogressive]

42. It wouldn't be difficult at all if the slowpokes understood the first thing about "lane etiquette".

But that's another argument altogether. The Autobahn has strict rules about which lane you should be driving in and they seem to do okay. Here we have the folks who say "I pay my taxes! The left lane is just as much mine as it is yours! Who cares if I'm going 50!"

I just pass 'em on the right when it's safe and forget about them before they've disappeared from my rear view mirror.

[flvegan]

49. I agree completely.

With the gas prices as they are, people here are slowing down to annoying levels and staying in the left. Too many people lack basic traffic consideration.

[XOKCowboy]

46. Doing 20 mph below the speed limit on a 2 lane interstate is dangerous

especially on a busy interstate. Last weekend I was driving back from a job in Utah. It was the last day of the 4th of July weekend so traffic was pretty heavy but moving along nicely until I got closer to Denver. At one point traffic went from 75 down to 25 and bumper to bumper. It turns out one car was in the right lane doing about 55 I'd say but everyone that came up behind him had to slow and merge into the left lane, slowing the left lane down (and causing many cars to slam on their brakes when a car cut in front of them) till traffic was lined up for almost a mile behind this one car. Then of course once we got around this guy traffic went back up to speed till we got behind the next Hypermiler and had to do it all again. :banghead:

I know that it's legal and I know that it might save you a pint of gas but one of the most dangerous things you can do on the interstate is drive 20 miles slower than 95% of the people on the road.

[aztc]

50. 'Let' me obey the law?

Hey dude, I don't need your permission to observe ALL speed limits and never exceed 55 MPH. I'll appreciate a bit of "lane courtesy" from you when you race up on my bumper and tailgate me to make your point. Remember these are PUBLIC highways, take your need for speed to the race track. The problem occurs when speeders come along and disrupt traffic. We need everyone to be going about the same speed and a-mile-a-minute is fast enough.

[flvegan]

51. Then stay out of the left lane.

If it's 65, and you're doing 55 in the outside "speed" lane, then you're a dick.

[aztc]

53. Control Freak - stay off my bumper

Why are you trying to control my speed? Who are YOU to tell ME how fast to drive? I Observe ALL speed limits and never exceed 55 MPH, what law am I breaking to deserve such scorn and disrespect? Why do I have to get out of YOUR way? :grr:

[flvegan]

55. Again, and I'll talk more slowly this time

if the speed limit is 65, and you're pissing along at 55 in the far left lane, you're being an ass. If the speed limit is 55, then I could care less.

Control freak, indeed. Coming from someone who may well be going out of his/her way to be an asshole.

[aztc]

56. I'll use crayons this time

If I am doing 45 in a 45, STAY OFF MY BUMPER - If I am doing 35 in a 35, STAY OFF MY BUMPER, how can I be any clearer? You don't tell me how to drive, I'm buying this gas and I can use it as I see fit. If I am doing 55 MPH in the left lane there is some reason for it, and it is NOT because I want to annoy rude people like you. Maybe I am passing an even slower vehicle or some other road hazard. You can wait until it is safe for me to move right, but STAY THE FUCK OFF MY BUMPER, get it?

[flvegan]

57. If you're obeying the limit

I'm not on your bumper. Reread my posts.

Thanks for playing.

Idiot.

[XOKCowboy]

58. I think aztc

just proved your point. :shrug:

[aztc]

59. Now I'm an idiot? Well you're a bully.

I beg your pardon, are you saying I am an idiot because I am telling you to stay off my bumper? Really, this is the problem right here. This idea that you can bully me around because I want to save energy - then call me names when I tell you to back off. Man you are just a bully. :shrug:

[flvegan]

60. No

I have a working brain that understands what other folks say. I can read. I'm saying that you're an idiot because your tirade completely missed the point of what I was saying, yet you hung onto it like a squirrel with a nut. And even to this point, you're still wringing your hands over it.

I'm a bully, yet you threw down first. Nice.

I'll bet you're just charming in person. :eyes:

[XOKCowboy]

52. The problem occurs when speeders come along and disrupt traffic.

I think that you have that backward my friend at least on the interstates out west. If you're doing 60 on I-80 in Wyoming, YOU are the disruptor.

Oh and how do you gauge what "is fast enough"?

[Better Believe It]

43. Bad Idea: There Is No Gas/Oil Shortage!

Here are the facts:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3606939

[Truth4Justice]

62. This is about profit for the trafiic cops and the counties, just like it was in the 70's & 80's....

Only the fines will be much steeper then before.

Follow the money!

[JustAnotherGen]

45. That won't fly

in NJ. I deliberately bought a 4 Cylinder car for the better mileage. Knowing that Nissan may come out with an electrical car in 2010 - I'm thinking of selling my 2006 Altima at the end of the year, and leasing a Hybrid Altima. Then flip to the electric car (I've sent 3 hand written letters to Nissan/Renault asking for NJ to be a state it launches in).

Back to the current state of my vehicle - It's not my fault if someone has an Escalade or an Explorer. They should move to the slow lane and let me get by.

[LawyersGunsandMoney]

48. I'm not a big fan of this proposed bit of legislation

if i want to drive 80 and I can afford to fill my car with gas, why shouldn't I be able to do that? Surely my speeding would be off-set by someone who wanted willingly to drive slower.

[Hugabear]

67. Am I the only one who thinks this isn't really that bad of an idea?

I don't know about bringing it back down to 55mph, but maybe 60 or 65mph perhaps. We need meaningful reform, more fuel efficient vehicles, and less dependence on oil for sure. But what's wrong with trying to get Americans to conserve gas? We know that at high speeds, your gas mileage starts to go downhill.

Is it just because a repuke is proposing this that it's a bad idea? As long as we don't use this as replacement for a progressive energy policy, if we use it as a supplement, then I'm all for it.

[MindPilot]

68. 55? I parallel park at 55.

Really, why do we need government to tell us to conserve gas? There is no shortage--there are no lines--it's just expensive. A lot of people are being motivated to conserve because it costs more.

We don't need gas-saving laws; five bucks a gallon does that just fine.

The double-nickle is just a full-employment program for traffic cops. Now that many municipalities have lost their red-light camera funds when the people found out what a scam they were, a new federal speed limit looks pretty darn good.