Do We Need To Go Back To 55 M.P.H.?

I say we need to lift the speed limit entirely, to get rid of all those cell phone wankers. Then there will be plenty of gas for everyone!

Poor car companies. Reaping what they sowed…
Poor Americans. Reaping what they voted for…

I make a lot of long trips from St. Louis to northern Wisconsin. Lowering the speed limit to 55 mph would add 1-2 hours to my trip. The time involved is also a monetary factor that goes into play. I’ll eat the extra cost of fuel consumption if it takes me 1-2 hours less on the road.

That’s funny, Ron, you don’t look naive.

I don’t know if you are too young to remember the 70’s, or what. But Nixon’s 55 MPH speed limit was the stupidest thing the federal government did since prohibition. Like the Volstead Act, it turned us all into lawbreakers. People who wouldn’t dream of breaking the speed immediately began driving at least ten over. And a large number of cops hated it too. They weren’t fond of enforcing a law that nobody wanted. The idea of piddling down the road at 55 on interstate highways designed to be safely traveled at 75 was sickening.

Economic pressure has turned me into a slower driver who coasts over eight miles of a 23.5 mile commute, getting 42-44 MPG in my 1992 Toyota Tercel. But anyone who would call for a federal mandate to drive slower is either a young kid or a very forgetful adult. The 55 limit SUCKED!!!!!

Thanks for the comments. I take it that ‘ stay alive at 55′ is not an option? Just thought I would ask.

Should we bring back the ‘WIN’ buttons [whip inflation now] since our economy appears to be heading to higher inflation?

Been there, done that. The 55-mph speed limit was one of the most godawful, horrible pieces of legislation (and one of the most universally hated) this country has ever seen. It was almost never followed. It took us DECADES to get rid of that garbage, and GOD HELP US to never go down that horrible road again.

The 20% saving the author reported was by reducing from an (unstated) ILLEGALLY HIGH speed. Not from the speed limit.

Reducing the speed limit hurts those who legitimately have to cover long distances, including long haul truckers. Boredom and the resulting additional driver fatigue DECREASE highway safety. There used to be talk about how the 55mph speed limit supposedly “saved lives” but that claim totally ignored the greatly increased number of people grievously injured but not QUITE killed… who did not show up as “fatalities” in the highway statistics.

A far better way to save fuel would be by reducing unnecessary trips, reducing commuting distances (moving closer to work, or working closer to home), going to a four-day work week, and further increasing CAFE standards for new cars. Even if states cannot establish higher state CAFE standards, they certainly COULD establish dissuasively high taxes, inspection, and licensing charges for grossly wasteful vehicles.

And here is a STAGGERING statistic… the amount of energy this nation WASTES in incandescent light bulbs is equal to SEVENTY PERCENT (!!) of all the energy used in EVERY CAR AND LIGHT TRUCK IN AMERICA…!!! We already have a Federal law mandating a phaseout of incandescent light bulbs… that law needs to be accelerated dramatically. Instead of 2014-2016, we should mandate a phaseout by 2010. We should also move beyond intermediate-solution compact fluorescent bulbs to the technically superior cold cathode light bulbs instead (this is the technology which provides the backlight for your flat-panel computer displays). I’ve got more than 53 cold cathode light bulbs installed at my house here, and am getting rid of my CFLs too.

Window air conditioner SEER rating standards should be increased, too.

Finally, we need to adopt Al Gore’s proposed Apollo-style project to generate ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of this nation’s electricity from renewable sources within 10 years.

Let’s not revert to this stupid 55mph crap… which was a stupid idea the FIRST time we tried it. Let’s instead switch over to plug-in electric vehicles (and generate the power from renewable sources) so this is simply no longer an issue…!

I would prefer a National Speed Limit of 60 MPH which would be more acceptable to the majority of folks and I could feel safer driving 55 to conserve energy. But this is not a replacement for drilling for more oil. The entire World is beginning to use much more energy, and we can not conserve ourselves out of this mess. Even if the USA outlawed all autos, the rest of the World would be hurting in less than 20 years unless someone drills for more oil or comes up with a realistic energy source! We should have 2000 Nuclear Plants operating right now, but fools are standing in the way. That is the biggest reason we are in this mess now.

Ron, There are two significant miscalculations in the article which you quoted.

First- “59.9 miles a gallon going 60 … compared to 42 mpg”… “59.9 mpg - a 30 percent improvement.”
>> That’s an increase of 17.9 mpg, which is a 42.6% increase from the base of 42 mpg (17.9/42 = 42.6%)

Second- “30 percent improvement” … “like lowering the price at the pump by 20 to 30 cents a gallon”
>> At current gas prices, 30% savings on $4.00 gas would equal $1.20 and not $0.20 or $0.30. BUT, this calculation can cause a little confusion- you have to be careful with calculating cost per gallon, because you’re changing the number of gallons involved.

Now actually, the arithmetic can play games with you when you try to calculate the percents… see this example:
Assuming a trip of 210 miles, and gas @ $4/gallon
42 mpg = 5 gallons = $20
59.9 mpg = 3.506 gallons = $14.02
… a savings of $6, or 30% from the base of $20
.. but, if you started with 59.9mpg, and a cost of $14, but then drove faster and got 42 mpg and a cost of $20, then your cost went up $6 over your base, which is an increase of 42.8%.

BOTTOM LINE- you can say that you saved 30% on your cost when you slowed down, because your cost went from $20 to $14.

… Sorry for all the annoying numbers…

A law rolling back the national speed limit to 55 MPH isn’t just shortsighted, it’s flat out wrong. A driver that uses the proper driving techniques at higher speeds can exceed the gas mileage results of an untrained driver at 55.

What we need is a national effort to help folks learn how to drive for the optimum efficiency.

The engine in the Prius is not the king of fuel economy at highway speeds - that crown is held by the small displacement clean diesel engines.

In the words of Sammy Hagar - “I Can’t Drive 55″…

And I don’t think the rest of can either ;);););)

The modern auto with all of its electronics is designed to get its best gas mileage between 55 and 70 MPH. As far as the Prius, the gasoline engine is a 1.4 litre which should get about 45 MPG at its best. But since there’s an electric motor that will kick in from time to time, the mileage would increase as the electric motor takes over.

To me the best hybrid would be a large electric motor as the main drive with a small gasoline or diesel engine that would drive a generator or alternator that keeps the batteries charged. This would save from plugging in every night and you could go more than the expected 125 miles from a plug-in.

Thanks for all of the comments everyone.

GentleGeek - and the calculations as well.

Considering all that went on when Al Gore was VP, there may be a few people who want an Apollo-style program to send him to the moon — so he won’t continue to rake in cash with his fake green stances and carbon-ultra-positive lifestyle.
When a person is having a heart attack, band-aids and our comrade’s five-year plans are criminally stupid at best. We put Nancy Pelosi and company in charge because of her promise to reduce oil prices when oil was at $2.95 a gallon. Thanks to her, we are paying about a dollar *more* per gallon. THIS IS FIXING? It’s time to clean House and elect new leadership!
We need a four-prong approach.
#1 start drilling yesterday to salvage the economy.
#2 look into authentic technologies that can be implemented in record time to assist energy production (algae-oil for diesel vehicles, nuclear and wind for electricity, etc.).
#3 incentivize industries (with oversight) to right-now produce SAFE personal transportation, get rid of incandescent AND COMPACT FLORESCENT LIGHTS (they look weird, they don’t last, they don’t save as much as advertised, and they are [Mercury] toxic inside — hmm, sounds like Al Gore again) and replace them with LEDs, and other genuinely environmentally friendly energy saving ideas.
#4 work on a plan that gets government OUT of energy production since no one can recite five major government programs that have worked as-advertised. If the Lords of politics *must* do something, let them be truthful watchdogs and follow the Original Intent of the Constitution and *lead*.

1) What’s your time worth?

2) Are the fuel savings worth the extra purchase and maintenance costs?

3) What percentage of the total miles driven, or hours driven, or fuel consumed in the US happens above 55 MPH?

4) How many gallons and dollars would you save per 1000 miles?

REF: “I got 59.9 miles a gallon going 60 or under in our Prius, compared to 42 mpg”

If my quick calculations are correct, at $4.00 per gallon they save:

$28.40 (7.1 gallons) per 1000 miles and it takes about 3 hours 54 minutes longer.

$280. (71 gallons) per 10,000 miles and it takes 39 hours longer.

$2800. (710 gallons) per 100,000 miles and it takes 390 hours longer.

Is your time worth more than $7.28 per hour? Is the savings in fuel worth all the lost time and productivity?

And furthermore, how much more did that Prius Hybrid cost over a non-hybrid model? And how much more does it cost to maintain that hybrid technology considering battery replacement and all?

I understand that the battery packs are expected to last about 8 years or 100,000 miles and cost about $8000. to replace.

Changing the speed limit by economic sanctions is still wrong. Even when the posted speed limit was 55, only the folks in CT, PA and VA actually followed them. On the east coast, from ME, through NH, MA, NJ, NY, SC, GA, FL the maximum “real” speeds went up to 75 MPH.

After the posted limits were changed, CT still maintains the signage through the urban cities and most folks follow it at 55 (through the cities).

For those folks who want higher gas mileage, it is still legal to travel at any speed their little hearts desire, as lonhg as it is over 45 MPH on Interstate Roads and many Toll Roads.

I have been driving to Florida from MA for over 20 years and other east coast states for business (1 - 5 times a year), generally making the trip at a max of 80 MPH (In FL, SC during slack traffic). In practice, I make the trip (nowadays) in just under 25 driving hours. In Theory, if I could maintain 55 mph, it would take27 hours, and 65 would be 23 hours.

However, due to the “bunching” around slow pokey drivers, those speeds cannot be maintained 100% of the time. Also due to accidents that tend to close a portion of the Interstates “up to 8 hours of no motion”, those speeds cannot be maintained. The ability to “catch up” is a boon, and in my humble opinion, each person needs to decide what part of the economic advantage is good for them.

In a very recent Business Week article, the feds now have another annoyance, and that is the reduction in automotive fuel taxes is hitting their bottom line (less gallons sold is less taxes collected). The upshot is the Feds are looking for another way to fund the roads and bridges!!!

Bob

If More People Would Ride > HARLEY’S <
_________Ther Wouldn’t Be a Problem… ???

What a great idea.

Another comment, Ron.
I’m not certain, but I think the largest fuel users aren’t you and me. They are the tractor-trailer rigs. Yes, I want better mileage than I get with my Corolla just as the SJMN reporter wants with his Prius; and I truly hope Toyota/GM/Ford/etc. are working on carbon-fiber body hybrids that are the size of Dodge Grand Caravans but get 60-100mpg or better.
But what I *really* hope is that the big-rig folks now getting 4-6mpg and hauling nearly all the food, clothing, computers, toys, and everything else to the stores for you and me get some relief. Wouldn’t it be good if the 18 wheeler hurtling past the Prius got 20mpg or better? I know that shipping by rail is less costly, and by barge even cheaper than that. But aerodynamics alone aren’t going to increase efficiency that much for them. Ron, they don’t like 55mph either. What can be done for them?

LED lighting for homes is harsh in color, the bulbs are too highly directional, and generate a lot of glare. Cold cathode bulbs last at least 2.5-6 times longer than CFLs, generate a cozy, glare-free familiar-color light, and work in existing screw-base lamps, including with dimmers. Cold Cathode bulbs also contain far less mercury, and that mercury works longer before recycling.

Even without recycling, the mercury in a cold cathode light bulb is FAR FAR less than the mercury released by a coal-fired power plant generating the electricity used by incandescent bulbs.

And LEDs tend to generate a lot more heat than cold cathode bulbs do…. thus you spend a lot of the “savings” in your air conditioning system.

As for big rigs, at 4 to 6 mpg they are HUGELY more efficient (gallons per pound per mile) than ANY automobile, including Priuses.

My great insight to the matter is that people speed. So dropping it down to 55 will make a good portion of drivers slow down to just under 65 so that they can avoid meeting with their local police officer.

Yes it does save money, by way of gas, but it may also save time. Barring bottle necks, road construction, mother nature and freak accidents, the morning ballet of lane changes/mergers may ease up a bit. A lot of stop and go traffic is the result of these mergers, where someone going exceedingly slow or fast interrupts the flow of the next lane and sends shivers of brake lights. They refer to this as phantom traffic because that shiver can stay in that area for a good portion of rush hour.

Germany created a brilliant system to solve this problem! By notifying the drivers that they need to slow down before they reach the congested area it allows for that phantom traffic to clear out before more people get in line to depress their brakes to a full stop. As hybrid owners know best, accelerating from zero drops your mpg rate quite dramatically, so keep it rolling. Ehh?

Anyways, this whole thing comes down to government control. On this matter I do not see a problem with a posted speed “limit” change (although the people that drive 80mph may interpret those signs as minimums).

You want to save money on energy. Start with your home, where you don’t have the potential of accidentally setting off the lunatic behind you. Nearly half of our monthly electric and gas is wasted because we leave appliances on. Save a buck there and fill up your tank until you log enough work hours to buy a more fuel efficient car.

If that doesn’t work, well you may be in way over your head. Take the bus, which may get there faster now that you are not on the road.

Gordon, I couldn’t find any CCFL bulbs more than 100W equivalent. And those cost a great deal of money with no cost savings assured. But then, LED aren’t cheap either. As for harsh light, so are CFL and CCFL. Honestly, the best solution is what I do. Old coal-fired plants DID release a lot of pollution (mercury), but the newer technologies are not only more efficient, they are less polluting. Me? I try to schedule things to wake up with the sun and go to bed when the sun goes down.

AND I apologize that you were not able to understand the big-rig comment. Doubling the mileage of little vehicles will save people money. Doubling the mileage of big-rigs would save people *much* more money and “reduce the carbon footprint” *much* more and ’save the planet more’.

I’m for working both ends of the problem. Instead of holding hearings on steroids in baseball, or reading tawdry journals about Kerry’s 2 Americas (one where married men cheat on their wives as they die with cancer, and the other America that doesn’t), or whining about raking in 1.62 trillion dollars in profits from oil revenue last year (that’s our U.S. government’s profits): let’s GET more energy and SAVE more. Just dropping to 55mph will save energy, but as others have stated will actually cost us consumers more money. Politicians CAN’T save us. But they can-and-do harm us. Technology can’t save us either. And only an utter fool believes we can save ourselves into prosperity. It takes balance. And I do thank Ron for providing some.

I think Congress needs smacked around for giving in to the demands of the Big Business and not thinking ahead about the obvious and foreseeable effects. This may be a bit radical, but I dont think they should let people drive large trucks, SUVs, or Vans without the nessecary need for them. Basically what I’m suggesting is that they should use them for the purpose of utility and business. Although every redneck would cringe, you have to think about how much oil a year that would save a year.

Oh I heard on the news today that Exxon had the largest growth in business out of any other business in US history last year. BIG SUPRISE!?!, again congress, we thank you!

JmactheAttack, And should they also dictate how many calories you may consume in a day? Or start taxing Big Soda for their obvious fascist-fructose campaign? Oh, and I think the Democrats wanted to restart the draft, too, about two years ago. Surprise! Our beloved Big Brother made $1,300 Billion in profits off the crude oil sold, more than Exxon-Mobil and all the others combined. It would seem more prudent to tax Big Government. The higher the oil prices, the more tax profit the government gets, so they have a vested interest in high oil prices. Horrors! As crude prices decline, so does tax revenue! California found that out as people started conserving and now they want to (BIG SURPRISE!?!) raise taxes again.
TANSTAAFL. They will use social-architecture taxes on hydrogen (if it ever gets here), too.
!Stop the hemorrhaging economy with drilling NOW, then give genuine incentives to conserve and go to alternate fuels! Oh, and tax the begeebers out of the hypocrites who stop the drilling but fly home on their private jets and drive the vehicles JmactheAttack hates so much.

Long time, no post. Probably my last. My first tank of gas was during a gas war (go ask your grandfather what that was) at 19.9 cents per gallon. I happily drove a VW bug and got 25mpg. I’m thankful for seat-belts and other mandated safety stuff. But I get very concerned about more laws for social architecture. Such laws from our Senate and House (and presidents) created the mortgage meltdown, stole our money for a bailout (that didn’t work), and seem to be blind to what’s coming in a few short months to stay with us quite a while. Nor will they be held accountable for the misery, corruption, or toxic waste they created and fed us with their smiles.
I drive rural roads at 50mph when I can, and conserve as much as is practical in my Toyota CE (usually 40-42mpg now). Ron, if we could stop the slithering socialism in the House, Senate, and 1600 Penn. Ave. long enough (about two years) to get thru the economic quagmire they gave us, we could have 5 passenger algae bio-diesel and Cyclone Engined serial hybrids in a huge variety of styles getting 50-80mpg in good safety. In fact, there are MANY technologies that are fairly green which would not only keep us at a good standard of living, but would be scalable and exportable and sustainable for a few billion more folks.
Having a dim view of the human race in general, especially as it turns its back on all forms capitalism to embrace the system guaranteed to fail every time (socialism, or “spread the wealth around to people who exerted no effort and took no risks”), it seems that we are heading for the “two-America” scenario with filthy-rich politicians and others driving nice cars and the rest of us seeking air-tin-cans from India or Cherry’s from China.
Me? I’m wondering if there is some way to convert my Toyota to run on my dreams… or the limitless supply of hot air from politicians. Oh, and fixing other peoples’ autos, planting gardens and trees, and trying to do other things to be helpful.
Thanks for the forum, Ron! May the LORD bless and keep you.

Hello Michael,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and also the well wishes and the Lord,s Blessing. It is appreciated, May the Lord keep you and yours safe and healthy.