Instead of producing more fuel efficient cars, how about a speed limit cap...

NO!

Go away.

 

Why not just reinstate the 55 mph national speed limit?

 

YES

Best idea on this forum. I have pushing for this for years. Not to save gas, but to save lives. 43,000 were killed last year in car crashes. Slowing them down alot would help stem the tide of death.
So here is my plan:
Lowered limits. 15mph in the city, 25mph on large, 4 lane or better roads, and 45 mph on limited access freeways.
Increased enforcement. $1000 fine 1 yr license suspension first offense, $2500 fine 5 year license suspension 2nd offense, and lifetime suspension with vehicle forfeiture and destruction for the 3rd offense. No hardship licenses. No grace speeds over the limit.
Driving a car is a dangerous, and destructive PRIVILIDGE. It should be treated as such.

 

Great idea ...




... but keep it in the USA.

 

I'd really prefer the government out of my auto as much as possible.

... Brad

 

YES!

 

Back in 1973 in the oil crisis I remember $3 limit on fill ups and the 55 national average. I hated it, but it did help.

And now I do it anyway!

 

This is like a re-run of a bad movie. Was anyone here driving in the 70's? We tried the 55 thing and all it resulted in was more tickets and insurance surcharges. Does anyone remember the rolling roadblock?

 

No! But that was the 70's!!:hippie:

 

" Instead of producing more fuel efficient cars, how about a speed limit cap..."

Instead? Obviously, at least one manufacturer knows how to get high efficiency without a speed cap. A built-in cap might help a manufacturer meet a fleet average, but how long would it stay in business? Enough catering!

In some areas accidents went down when the mandatory 55 went away. (The number of accidents/fatalities have stayed much the same for fifty years or so--the rates have gone down with better roads, crash resistant vehicles, seat belts (anybody else remember when Ford got burned for offering belts as an option?).

Old geezer traffic engineer.

 

Do you really only buy $3.00 worth of gas at a time?

Bob

 

I was there and it really didn't work then and it won't work now. What is so terrible about asking the manufacturers to make more fuel efficient cars? Do you actually believe the CEO's that it can't be done! Just getting people to do the speed limit now will accomplish the goal. How many times have you been doing the speed limit when some gas hog pos goes screaming around you? Lowering the speed limit to 55mph is a stupid and proven bad idea. Wake up people, you are driving a technical wonder, and we need to demand that others build them as well. When Ford, GM and Chrysler start to lose more and more business to the people that are willing to build cars that people want you can bet they will start changing their minds.

 

You're not forgetting the Escape Hybrid right? ALl in all, an exceptionally useful vehicle.

 

Wow - I sure hope that is satire! Big Brother is in my affairs enough as it is. If you want to go that route, Lets just ban cars entirely. Then I can start complaining when people die from walking. I wonder if someone was concerned about horse related fatalities back before cars existed?

Anyway, we have a job shortage at the moment; what are you going to do with 43,000 more unemployed. If we raise speed limits to 80 can we create a boom in the casket and monument industries while causing an overall decrease in unemployment through a reduced work force? Our current wars haven't done much to strengthen the economy. We need to take more drastic measures.

Seriously, how well did prohibition work? If you want to see results, put a $1/gal tax on fuel with all the proceeds going towards grants to R&D for high efficiency / alternative fuel vehicles and equipment. Personal budget demands will drive purchases of fuel efficient vehicles and cause fuel efficient behavior like driving slower.

 

^^^No satire. The reduction in deaths would be immediate, and noticeable. And once car manufacturers began producing car designed for best effeciency at lower speeds fuel mileage would go through the roof. A win-win situation.
Again-driving is a privilidge, that is dangerous and destructive. This wild west mentality about cars is sick.

 

Bad comparison, I do not advocate eliminating cars, just properly regulating their use. Just like we do with alcohol.

In the last several years gas has gone up 3X that amount and very, very little has been done to improve the situation. Drastic solutions are called for.

Raise the CAFE to 75mpg, and apply it to all personal use vehicles.
Raise the gas tax $1 every 2 months for a year until gas costs $10/gallon and then re-evaluate the situation.

 

Actually, in Montana accidents went up when they instituted the national speed limit back in the 1970s... It is difference in speed that causes the most accidents, plus the vast majority of accidents are not on highways/freeways.

As for fuel economy... With 28" tall tires and a torque converter lockup my Camaro gets 30mpg at 80 and only 22mpg at 55....

Burning less fuel is an admirable goal but I would be interested to see the results of a clean air study if vehicles averaged less running time as a result of reaching their destination more quickly...

 

Cars would be designed for the lower speed limit, and be most effecient at that limit. Cars (like your camaro) now are designed for the current speed 'limits'

Speed differential would drastically go down with very low limits and extreme enforcement. Enforcement has never been strong enough and 55mph is waaaaaay to high.

Older obsolete cars like your camaro would be heavily taxed, to the point that most would likely be taken off the road.

 

i have self imposed 60 mph speed limit and that is how i average 56 mpg in summer with NO HYPERMILE practices at all. so i dont care what the speed limit is... i will drive 60 mph on freeway anyway.

in 2004 when i started doing this i had very little company. probably 10-20% of cars in far right lane...today, there are enough of us "60 mph'ers" to fill the right two lanes.

so why change the speed limit? many have already taken it upon themselves to do so...now that might not be true in other areas... i imagine So cal (lived there 9 years) with its "me" attitude hasnt slowed down a bit... but i would not expect them to do so either