 Probably what John Warner drives forth-and-back to Congress |
An influential Republican senator suggested Thursday that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices.
Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, asked Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to look into what speed limit would provide optimum gasoline efficiency given current technology. He said he wants to know if the administration might support efforts in Congress to require a lower speed limit.
Congress in 1974 set a national 55 mph speed limit because of energy shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo. The speed limit was repealed in 1995 when crude oil dipped to $17 a barrel and gasoline cost $1.10 a gallon.
Warner cited studies that showed the 55 mph speed limit saved 167,000 barrels of oil a day, or 2 percent of the country’s highway fuel consumption, while avoiding up to 4,000 traffic deaths a year.
“Given the significant increase in the number of vehicles on America’s highway system from 1974 to 2008, one could assume that the amount of fuel that could be conserved today is far greater,” Warner wrote Bodman.
The article ends with a stupid question to Energy Department flunkeys – with an even dumber answer that illustrates how the Energy Department actually is the “Butt-Kissers for the Oil Patch Boys” Department.
But, seriously, is someone bringing back the double nickels in an election year? I think not.
Supreme stupidity, again. If you want to drive 55, then just get in the slow lane!
Flashing ambers at night would be better.
note that this “influential Republican senator” is not running for reelection. therefore, he can sponsor unpopular stupid ideas, not just popular ones, like the rest of his fellows.
I wonder if all those people who bought flex-fuel cars without even knowing it realize that they could be gassing up for $2.50?
http://www.e85prices.com/
55 is long overdo. We should have kept it there in 1995.
Large gas savings, saves lives, reduced CO2 emissions.
The coming years will be a battle between personal choice and freedoms against the common good. High energy prices are not going away. It’s a different situation than the 70’s. China is at the trough now, along with other developing countries. Economics will force change down our throats. God knows what would happen if a major hurricane hit the Texas refineries and gulf platforms.
This is nothing but a ploy to boost revenue from speeding tickets for states and local municipalities. It sounds good as a gasoline saver on paper, but for the majority of people traveling over 55MPH its not because they enjoy the thrill of high speeds… they have somewhere they need to be.
Cars are better today. I’d support something more realistic, like 65 on roads with exits less than 10 miles apart and 85 on roads with exits more than 10 miles apart.
#4 RTaylor
You assume everything else will remain the same, but thats not true. People are already changing their habits and buying more fuel efficient cars. Prices always go up. That has been a constant since before the 70’s. Market demand for more fuel efficient cars in the face of higher fuel prices will force those who make big vehicles out of the market or to change to hybrids/EV/etc like others are doing. The oil crisis of the 70’s forced people to look at more fuel efficient cars and launched Japanese made cars. Those same Japanese brands are once again in the forefront of more efficient hybrid vehicle technology.
The other thing that people forget is that China is going through an accelerated industrial cycle. They are going to eventually get to where we are technologically and be able to move to cleaner more efficient technologies faster than we did in the west. They will be competing for the same resources in the meantime but who do you think has more buying power? You might think China but given that if we in the US spend all of our money on high fuel and not on consumer goods, its the Chinese economy that will suffer too. They won’t be able to afford the gas in their cars any more than we will.
Ultimately consumer demand is what will drive the solution(s). Automakers will either go out of business or adapt because they only make what people want to buy.
“Warner cited studies that showed the 55 mph speed limit saved 167,000 barrels of oil a day, or 2 percent of the country’s highway fuel consumption, while avoiding up to 4,000 traffic deaths a year.”
Warner fails to mention that going 55mph also wasted the most valuable and irreplaceable resource known to mankind: time.
forced energy conservation is an attack on personal freedoms.
I’m all for saving energy and lives… well as long as it doesn’t effect me.
WTF a republican wants to legislate fuel savings?
Doesn’t he know there is no fuel shortage. It’s just a market adjustment.
#5 Daniel
“This is nothing but a ploy to boost revenue from speeding tickets for states and local municipalities.”
Highway robbery has been going on for centuries; it’s just now the government is doing it with immunity.
This guy is 90 yrs old. He should not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle. WTF is he doing in congress anyway. He should of been forced to retire and compete with those young bucks saying “good morning” at the entrance of a walmart in some shithole Florida town.
How about speed bumps on the highways? I’m sure few people would like to drive faster than 10 mph.
That is what happens when you don’t have term limits. There are more Senators and Congressman like Warner then you know. Most are clueless to most things except for where the money is, of course.
#16 – gquaglia – That is what happens when you don’t have term limits.
Or best before dates…
Is there some statistics comparing total amount of highway and city miles? There are some people who drive in the city more than the highway so a hybrid or electric vehicle would suit them better. People who drive more highway miles probably should look at a turbo diesel vehicle.
Vehicle makers need to make more higher fuel efficient vehicles and people need to find a way to upgrade to these more efficient vehicles. This will save more fuel in the long run thatn speed limit changes.
9. “I love how Americans believe that energy conservation is an attack on their personal freedoms.”
Because it is. If the government mandated lights out at 9:00 pm, that would save a great deal of energy. Those of us who wanted to stay up and read would find our freedom under attack.
Whether the energy savings from a 55mph speed limit or a 9:00 pm electricity curfew are worth the lost freedom is another question. But they are both unquestionably restrictions on personal freedom.
#3:
E85 has lower energy content that gasoline and produces consideranly lower MPG so you are not REALLY fueling up for $2.50 a gallon. Adjusting for the reduced mileage, you are fueling up for closer to $3.75 a gallon in a gasoline equivalent…
Tom
In Canada it varies by province. Where I live 110 km/h, which is about 68 mph, is the posted speed limit on highways; 100 on the city freeways. Most people drive at 120 (which is about 75 mph) since no self respecting RCMP would give you ticket below that. It’s kind of a social contract if you know what I mean.
The only place I drive slower than Americans is in Montana. They are definitely crazy there; that’s why I like them. Americans who work in our Canadian office often tell me that they’re uncomfortable driving here, especially on the freeways. I guess ice fog and black ice scares them at 70 mph. 😉
For the record, I’ve never heard anyone up here talk about reducing speed limits, it just seems unworkable to me. We are extremely aggressive in enforcing seat belt use and drinking/driving laws here. For example I’ve been check stopped a couple of times in the last year which is fine with me. It seems to be working since our vehicle mortality rate have been steadily declining over the last decade.
As for saving fuel? Drive fuel efficient cars, or be smarter about your driving habits. The pump price is already changing everyone’s behaviour. This is a no brainer to me.
What I don’t understand about Americans is why these types of discussions always become some fundamental Jeffersonian debate on personal freedom. It’s none of my business as a “foreigner”, but honestly, don’t you have something better to do? Each to their own I guess.
lower speed limits are useless, Nixon proved it. What is needed is strict WWII style rationing with racing vehicles, RVs. ATVs and other useless toys getting zero rations
Rationing will happen someday like it or not
I’d like to see someone actually try to drive 55mph on the L.A. freeways during rush-hour (which is between 7am and 6pm).
I’d guess the average speed is more like 20mph – making L.A. drivers the most fuel-efficient and environmentally-sensitive drivers in the world. Thank you Los Angeles, for saving the planet!
Speed limits were a good thing, reducing highway deaths and saving fuel. Most who argue against have conflated ‘me go vroom’ with personal freedom. Cars aren’t freedom. Cars aren’t masculinity. Cars aren’t sexy.
Cars increase your dependence on a hundred different things. Cars take a bigger subsidy from government than anything. All the roads, all the extra hospitals, all the extra police, all the rubber, concrete, asphalt, parking lots and gas stations, all the real estate, all the finance.
And that’s not to even mention the oil wars.
So your self image is caught up in your shiny car and your pole position on the freeway.
Are you willing to kill the entire world to keep that?
Then you are a yahoo (in the Swiftian sense) a dumbass kamakaze ‘Murken.
Get a clue.
I almost agree completely with #6. But maybe surprisingly, I would be happy with 80 for ultra rural freeways. I’m not so sure the average driver’s reflexes are good enough for faster than that, not to mention that, a couple of hours after your last stop, most of us will have some highway hypnosis going on.
Otherwise I agree. I’ve never tied it to distance between exits, but that’s a good way to delineate.
#23, brucemlloyd, …Well said! That is the ultimate truth, but most here don’t seem to be able to grasp that reality.
Like all other laws – if they enforce that are already on the books then we wouldn’t need new ones. In Atlanta the speed limit is 55-65. But 80 to 90 is the norm with no repercussions. Enforce the current 65.
If there was a rationing of electricity by setting a lights out at 9pm, I would think that solar or wind generated electricity would become popular.
If the government was to mandate anything, it should mandate that all new housing developments incorporate solar or wind power. This may be necessary because I don’t think developers would provide solar or wind power even if customers demanded it.
Freedom to waste energy is heading towards anarchy but freedom of speech should be preserved and protected.
The traffic is so bad here in San Francisco that the actual speed you can drive usually is less than 35 anyway… so who cares what the limit is!
Bobbo, please expand your rant to health care.