<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(200Volts\";p=\"87573)</div> That won't work. The new mandate will only detect DANGEROUSLY low pressure (that's 25% below the recommended minimum). In other words, for Prius the warning wouldn't be activated until the tire-pressure in the front dropped to 26 PSI.
For around town and commuting, I'd really rather go 55, but I remember how it just seemed to take FOREVER to get anyplace if you were traveling any distance the last time we tried this
It's easy for folks in the east who never drive more than a half hour from a city to rant on the benefits of a low national speed limit. For those of us out west where you can drive half a day and never see civilization, lowering the speed limit form 75 to 55 can turn 1 day trips into 2 days, of in my case turn a 2 hour trip to Laramie for work into 2:45 minute trip, each way. When you are heading home after a 12 hour day, that last 45 minutes can really be tough. Speed limits really need to be set by traffic engineers, not social engineers. How about a 55 mph limit for any car that gets less than 30 mpg? Now that would really save gas. Just think how fast people would ditch their Escalades!
Massachusetts figured out how to force people to go 55 mph. A couple of decades ago, Massachusetts was in danger of losing their federal highway funding because they weren't able to keep a large enough percentage of cars below 55 mph on the highway. So, they came up with a solution they called a "rolling road blocks". A rolling road block is when 3 police cars travel side by side at 55 mph on a 3 lane highway. As you can imagine, the traffic was very dense for miles behind them, but no one was going faster than 55 mph.
It is silly and wasteful for police to have to control speeders. If we ever get a national limit again, car companies should just be forced to reprogram the engine computers now that virtually all cars have them and limit the cars to that speed limit, with maybe an emergency override that lasts a minute. Then the police can work on more important things, or catch speeders in school zones etc where limits are low.
Got to vote for the 55mph speed limit. We need to slow down our gas consumption...and cars that are built for a lower top speed also use even less gas, since they can have smaller engines. I was reading about a Chinese minivan made by a GM-Chinese partnership that got 44mpg, based on a slightly smaller body, lighter weight and lower top speed (smaller engine). There was also some weight saving based on sacrificing some creature comforts, of course. Until we find a fuel that is pretty much infinite, I think that this is a good idea...given that since the last oil crisis we had in the mid-70's that we're even more dependent on foreign oil from the Middle East (and Canada and Venezuela, etc. of course), this would be helpful in getting our political interests out of the Middle East. If one waits until oil is "unavailable", that sounds a little too late to me. However, given the current political climate, it seems unlikely to happen. -Roger
in my area, i frequently drive that fast anyway because of traffic... so not much of a change. i do say that some areas might benefit from a higher speed limit mostly because of greatly reduced traffic. here in WA state, many areas have speed limits of 70 mph, however, i have extreme doubts and questions as to why some areas have had it implemented when the traffic congestion is very high. i posted an article about a Prius that was involved in an accident north of Seattle. the accident happened in an area that was 70 mph and heavily traveled. now speed had nothing to do with the accident. a sleeping driver was the main culprit, but that area has had several fatal accidents, some were probably made worse by the higher speeds.
The MPG hit seems to really begin ramping up somewhere between 60 and 65, so 55 mph would really be at the low end of the "serious loss curve". I suspect that this is pretty much the case for all vehicles, c.f. jayman's energy-percentage math; it just happens that the gross effect on the prius is a little less. If sweeping limit are imposed, I'd like to see it more in the middle of the "sweet region", so those who want to sacrifice some fuel to gain time can still do so with less worry. 60? 65? . _H*
I concur now that my son lives in Montana and drives from Helena to Great Falls to see a movie I have modified my idea of how long is long. Several years ago I went from my College in Michigan to Washington DC for a anti war rally ( you’ll can figure out the details and the year) and we left late in the day and arrived time to get a good nights rest (for a college student). Some how we need to provide for people who have to drive great distances for routine services.
"National" anything is fraught with problem. We ALL need to seriously examine what things are truly handled well by a "national" solution
How about 25 MPH, then gas would cost $.50 a gallon and we could all get 100 MPG? Realistically, let's drive what the highways were designed for and let the market control the consumption of gas. When gas becomes TOO expensive we won't need speed limits or CAFE. That's why we have the Prius and all the auto companies are racing to the drawing boards. It is happening if you haven't noticed. Good old capitalism at work.
55mph? that's what we have here in hawaii. though there is a short laughable stretch of freeway where it's 60mph. still, drivers go 10mph+ above that 55 limit. so i guess it's better than having a 70 mph limit to which drivers will be driving 80+mph.
As I recall, in the Federally mandated 55mph era, the States were not required to lower speed limits to 55. Big brother just said...if you don't, we won't give you any more highway funds! :lol: The reality is that states are beholding to the "how can I get the most Fed dollars" stranglehold. Even states that want to do the right thing are politically stuck. Does everybody remember how, during the 55mph days, the "55" was a different color on a speedometer that went up to 120!! Now, that's funny!
The answer to cutting oil consumption is not smugly trying to force everyone else to drive like they own a Prius, the answer is encouraging auto manufacturers to produce more efficient vehicles (and we are already doing are part, by buying them). We have the technology, so let's get it out there on the road already. If Prius-owners start rallying around telling everyone else how to drive by calling for another slow federal speed limit, it's really not going to win any friends. Change begins at home.
I hated it when the speed limit was 55. Here it's 70 and that's good as far as I'm concerned. If people really wanted to conserve they would all be driving cars like the Prius.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Walker1 @ Feb 17 2006, 01:22 PM) [snapback]211204[/snapback]</div> Amazing - it appears you all are missing the point - it is not because you are going to fast, or to slow, it is because obviously the broad mass of driving Americans that don't like to be limited don't want to accept that the only way to get a little "ahead" of our "wastefulness, is to simply address their own maturity. Since maturity to look ahead into the future is nothing we want to do on our own, we will have to forced to it, and that means SPEED REDUCTION to "55" is apparently the only way to get you guys to learn! Yes just like all things that are free you have to learn to handle it properly, and are you??? sad but true... Ralph
55 mph didn't just save gas. It also saved lives. People will always drive faster than is safe. Just like drunks will always drive because they think they can handle it. I concede there are stretches when driving 70 is justified. But if the posted speed is 70, there are those that willd drive 85 or faster. Yes, it might make a really long commute a little longer. But for most people, driving 70 doesn't save them more than a minute or two. Driving 55 won't cost them that much time either. So get up 5 min. earlier or skip the coffee.
I think that 55 may be OK in some places, but we must think about people in the west where distances are large. I have lived in Ohio, Michigan in the past and driven the east. I have also lived in the west Oregon, Washington. I have driven through a lot of the west, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana etc. If you have not done this you can not understand the distances involved and how far people can be from basic services. How many in the east drive 3 hours for obstetrical care? Food? Their are no more passenger trains. No more small town general stores. We need to provide transportation for these people. Those in the far west and mid west supply our food for the most part. 55 is good but affordable transportation for people, food, goods is critical.
The spirit is correct. I would love to hear a national policy to reduce the US carbon footprint as an alternative to sending kids to war to preserve the oil flow. If we can do it with cars that get triple the current fleet average, great. Regardless, if oil gets scarce enough, we'll all be driving well below 55.
I'm no expert, but when the speed limit was 55, the cars were not built like they are now, and the mileage was no where near today's cars. Even the big SUVs get as good mileage as my Dad's Chevy Biscayne station wagon. I'm for leaving it where it is, but ENFORCE. OR Raise the taxes on gas & channel it towards alternative fuel credits or research. (though, I wonder how to make it not a burden on the 'avg.' working person) When gas went over $3.20 after Katrina, there was a very noticeable slowdown by drivers. Of course, it might have been temporary, until people got used to that level gas price.. I remember people talking just a few years ago how they would change their driving habits, get smaller cars if gas ever went over $2 a gallon. YEAH< RIGHT! OHH... I'm thrilled... my current tank is at 53.5 MPG!! The warmer weather working it's charm
