**Moved** Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

You don't need to imagine it, you can read about its history. Contrary to the expectations when implemented, tail gating got worse, gas consumption did not improve as much as expected as people were accelerating, decelerating, and speeding because of the artificially low limits. The limit was kept low because of safety concerns, and estimates from the advocates claimed raising it back up would cause 6000 more deaths, these deaths never materialized, the improved safety had more to do with road and car improvements than the speed limit. Your mpg includes start up, stops, and other things, it won't magically jump over 65mpg unless it is close already.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

65 at 55 is not that far-fetched, IMHO... Lessening the wind resistance from 70 to 55 is quite a big deal.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Where were you in the seventies and early eighties? No tailgaters?
It was a lot worse back then than it is now.

The fastest I have ever driven my Prius is 60 mph in a 65 zone.

I drive to Florida (1170 miles)two to three times a year straight through in my Volvo 960. I would lose it if I was limited to 55 mph.

Driving 65 mph maximum with the speed limit which hits 70 mph through most of the states I gain about 45 minutes on my trip but I save close to 3 mpg. Plus I only have to refuel once vs twice if I exceed 65 mph.

I've never have seen any real time savings vs
fuel usage to justify driving over 65 mph.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Typical speed limits I see are 55 mph for cars pulling trailers and trucks with 3 or more axles. Cars at 65 mph.

IF

If traffic laws were changed such that speeding tickets were raised VERY SIGNIFICANTLY ($1000 fine, for example) and enforced, I guarantee speeding would be reduced drastically. You probably wouldn't get as much tailgating, because there woudn't be as much passing thus the emotional feeling that you are being left behind by others (pack mentality).

People do adjust their behaviors when their wallet gets involved (like they did when gasoline went over $4 per gallon....imagine with very high speeding tickets AND heavily taxed gasoline could do for people's driving habits).

Sigh, back to reality for me too.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

I don't have to imagine it, I lived through the last boneheaded 55mph speed limit. It caused driving problems, it didn't solve them

Law enforcement needs to focus on actual dangerous driving behavior, not some arbitrary number. People obstructing traffic should get ticketed right along with the more blatant speeders, tail gaters, lane jumpers and other clowns that cause problems and obstruct the smooth, free flow of traffic.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Agreed, Bob Wilson's chart seemed to say 63mpg at 55, 53 at 70. Someone please correct me if I'm reading the numbers wrong. I get much worse since there is reduced economy at the start of trips, I have hills and AC. That's about 16% savings when your on cruise. Every year someone wants to lower the speed limit in texas, or raise it, so the studies come out. Fuel consumption went up about 5% when they raised the speed limit. People go 65 in a 70, or even much slower. If you want to go slower in a high traffic area there are alternative routes.

So you like the idea so much that you want to hire a large number of police officers to catch speeders instead of violent criminals? I know many on this board will agree with you. California may very well keep raising the fine to raise money, and set speed traps, that is badly marked sections where the speed limit drops to catch those bad speeders. If you don't learn from history you are doomed to repeat past mistakes. But some people read history and think "if only we had a stronger government that could punish the guilty more. it would have worked." Right.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

If you really think 55 MPH is the "cure all" you were having a dream.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

I actually do 90% of my driving on roads posted 55, I do 61, I pass about as many folks as pass me. Mileage does not improve, however as you go through towns, have stop signs, farm equipment, etc.; losses that the freeway helps you avoid.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

$10/gallon equivalent fossil fuel cost. Everything else will naturally follow.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

we have a major loop around boston that is 55. i stay in the right lane at 55 and geet tailgated, honked at, the finger as they pass, have to deal with entrance and exit ramps with people who won't yield to the highway traffic. i get great mileage compared to 65, but you gotta have thick skin and drive defensively! and, i leave ten car lengths in front of me. really living on the edge!

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

I would rather imagine technology that allows me to safely follow the vehicle in front of me so close that I'm drafting.

Maybe a special lane for vehicles with radar avoidance systems. You all go fast and save fuel at the same time.

We can't get fly by wire accelerators right, so that vision won't happen in my lifetime.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

The Highway Institute in Texas did an analysis a few years ago that this would work if ALL cars were equipped with RADAR cruise control as then there would not be the accelerate/brake cycling - at least in rush hour. This would result in greater actual capacity of roads. This would be the case regardless of speed limit as eventually all would end up at the same speed, carefully spaced - and with that space maintained.

The muck-up would be the merging between lanes, but there would be less incentive to change lanes except when you needed to exit.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

I frequently make a 200 mile trip where the first 100 miles is at 70 MPH and the 2nd 100 miles is at 55 MPH and the MPG difference is quite dramatic. I usually see a 6-8 MPG difference with this 15 MPH change. Bob Wilson's chart has documented this as well.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Speed limits make things worse, wake up people. Grandma driving 10 under on the freeway causes backups and aggrevation. People get annoyed and more aggressive. If people followed the rules and used the left lane for passing only, everything would be better. Abolish speed limits on freeways and it would be great.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Gas at 8-10.00/gallon and this sorts itself out...

That's what's really needed.

If the market forced hybrid technology (and consumption awareness) in most drivers, we'd see much less driving - and that more efficiently conducted.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

Yep, a few observations:

-A steadily increasing fuel tax that brings our motor fuel prices in line with EU standards would / should be the first step.

-Higher speed limits, not lower, are in order in about 80% of the situations I see in my travels around the country. Again, I prefer the EU approach to this, which puts especially strict limits on semi-trailer combinations, and permits other vehicles to generally move faster.

-The 55 mph national limit was an absolute disaster in terms of both enforcement and compliance...for the simple reason that when the speed limit is not sensible for a given piece of road, it's going to be ignored. Always. Still true today - whenever the limit is set artificially low, it will simply be ignored by 80-90% of motorists.

It really bugs me to feed into the popular perception of Prius drivers as a sort of nut-job cult, who will do anything, safe or not, to squeeze another 1 mpg out of any given road situation. I drive our car like I've driven every other car I've owned - as quickly as the road and traffic conditions allow. Move with the flow, keep good lane discipline, and get the hell out of the way when somebody wants to go faster. The last thing we need from a safety standpoint is a lower speed limit - real driver training, on the other hand, is a crying need in this country.

 

Re: Imagine a 55 mph Speed Limit

For pete's sake drive your pries like a normal car. Go with the flow of traffic. You're already getting 2-4 times the gas mileage of the rest of the non hybrid cars out there. What else do you need. If everyone will have a hybrid car those tailgaters will still be tailgating you if you drive slow.if you want to drive slow get off the freeway or any roads that has a posted speed limit of lower than your speed. Wake up people.

I drive my car just like I drive any other car I owned and My fuel log says I get 65.490 mpg since I got my car 9000 miles ago.