How many of you remember when our gov. lowered speed limits to save on fuel? And it did help save thousands! This country is already 'speeding' fast enough and in my opinion, 70 mph is far too fast! Ever have a semi-truck pass You When you are going 70 yourself? Are there not more accidents involving semi-trucks then perhaps as long as far back as 5 years ago? I for one, drive only 65 mph, both saving gas and my nerves! Come on America, lets ALL SLOW DOWN!! In every aspect of our lives and a good place to start is with our speed limits. Get rid of the cell phones as well!
2007-07-21 01:34:57 · 10 answers · asked by dodv55 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Other - Cars & Transportation
I remember well when the speed limits were lowered. I also remember the change in the attitude of the public towards following the law. Speed limits used to be set at the 85th percentile. When a new road was opened, they did not have speed limit signs on it . The would study the speed that people drove, and set the limit at what 85% of the people did not exceed. The theory, and it was proven correct time and again, is that most people will only drive at a safe speed.
Speed limits were based on the road and safety. Speeding was actually considered to be a bad thing by the public. There was a social stigma to getting a speeding ticket!
When the speed limit was lowered, not based on safety but on other considerations, people did see the reason for it! Respect for the law was diminished. Instead of following the law, people found ways to avoid getting caught! CB radios and radar detectors became popular. The social stigma of breaking the law was removed.
People will obey laws for two reasons. One is they understand and agree with it. Two is fear of punishment if caught. breaking the law! Look at prohibition. People did not agree with the law, and all it did was allow organised crime to take over what used to be a legal business.
If you can not drive safely and comfortably on the interstates at the posted speed limit, and from your question it seems that you can not, the best thing for you is to take the local roads. You do not like trucks. You do not like cellphones. You think the world is going too fast! Why should the world change for you?
2007-07-21 03:17:15 · answer #1 · answered by fire4511 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I completely agree with the cell phone comment, however, the comment to roll back the speed limit is absurd. The answer isn't in speed, it's about m.p.g. of our vehicles. I have a V6 Honda that will cruise at 80 mpg all day long and return 27-28 mpg. In the 70's my Pinto would cruise all day at 70 mph and only get 25 mpg. The Pinto weighted only about 2100 pounds and the Honda weighs 50% more! Also the Honda has 2.5 times the horsepower!
Compare a 10 hour trip at 55 mph (the old national speed limit) with 10 hours at 75 mph and you've penalized yourself 200 miles for the day! You will fatique yourself driving those additional 4 hours at the lower speed to cover the same distance. I would certainly rather drive with an alert 75 mph driver than a sleepy 55 mph driver. Driving at higher speeds is as safe as the drivers. The cars and trucks are certainly capable (look at the same vehicles on the Autobahn), it's just the skills and attitudes of U.S. drivers.
We train to a very low standard here. What we really need is better quality driver training and for insurance companies to recognize quality training. As an example, my children can take driver training which involves little more than commuter style driving and this is insurance discountable training. Send them to a one-day car control school where they learn what happens when you loose control and how to correct the situation and the insurance company won't reward this new skill set. What kind of a double standard is that?!!
2007-07-21 02:11:20 · answer #2 · answered by Mark A 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
what Jay says. China and India particularly have gotten prosperous and the worlds most populous country wants the great American dream .... the freedom of the open road. Think about it. The party is over, there is no more cheap oil. Europeans have been paying double, triple, quadruple our price for years so quit'cher bitchin'. Now what do we do? Cars are only a fraction of the demand for oil. Hellooooo, plastic? Reduce reuse recycle. Pastic's made from petrol, remember? We throw out so much that there's an "island" of trash in the Pacific the size of Texas. That's a lot of wasted oil and it's horrid for the enviornment. Buy organic. Why? Traditional insecticides, fertilizers are made of what? Petrol. Yes, there are affordable options for organic food, clothing .... it will reduce the demand for oil. Eat fresh and local. Why? It's not just your cars MPG, it's your products MPG. Why buy food and items shipped from wherever when it might be made right here. This will help your local economy and .... say it along with me .... reduce the demand for oil. Not just alternate fuel but alternate power. The Chevy Volt (estimated avail '10) you could plug in at home or work and hopefully but then you're solar and go!! It's not about your car. The party is over, we need to find life after cheap oil.
2016-05-19 02:19:30 · answer #3 · answered by thersa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I take it you're against semis as well? Truth be told, most trucking companies put governors in the trucks to control speed anyway. They do this because most trucking companies lease the fleets they have and due to the lease agreement, they have to be installed in order for the fleet mechanics to be able to warranty any repair work, plus it also saves the companies as an industry millions of dollars a year in fuel costs. Most of the trucks you see passing you at 70 or higher are mainly private owner/operators. By the way, you'll see more accidents involving tractor trailers is in direct correlation of the number of trucking companies are created. There are hundreds of thousands more trucking companies now operating in the US since deregulation of the industry in the 1980's. As far as cars go, I agree with you that there should be a speed limiter installed in all cars so you can't go over a certain speed. But, this is America and you will never get anyone to install them in cars driven in America because too many people will gripe and complain about how you're infringing on their rights as Americans to drive how they want to and as fast as they think they can go, yadda, yadda, yadda.
But, personally I think you're correct. We would save a lot of money each year by limiting our speed and a governor would be a great way to do it. Plus, for all you 'greens' out there, you'll save an average of 152-590lbs of CO2 a year by not speeding.
2007-07-21 01:53:28 · answer #4 · answered by tnstdel 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Depends on the car, my car gets the best miles per gallon at 70 MPH. At 50 MPH you use less gas but you don't go as far either.
2007-07-21 05:37:16 · answer #5 · answered by Airmech 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stay off of my freeways then... I understand the 65 MPH thing, but when the speed limit is 75 mph (which it is here) and you are doing 65... people are going to "push" you OFF THE ROAD!!!
2007-07-22 08:22:52 · answer #6 · answered by az_starshine1 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
trucks are still limited to 55 mph..
as for cars well i am guessing the place you live don't have endless long straight highways.
in many states you can drive all day long on the same road.
70 works much better here
2007-07-21 02:04:31 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
55 MPH really did not work... If you are serious about saving gas---get rid of the gas hog SUV and motor home...The problem is this---rich people do not care about other low class persons like myself. .. We are on the earth to be exploided and used up then thrown away... The focus now--is to use up as much fuel as necessary before it runs out and the price goes sky rocket... The boys in Iraq are their to keep the flow of oil to the US . The benefit of the OIL Companies--Shell--Exxon--BP-- Conoco Need I go on.... Poor people are their to be used and thrown away... Talk of withdrawal --- is an electon campagn jibberish to get elected. Conoco is not paying for the war--you and I are... Oil Co get federal funds for exploration -- no taxes either...
2007-07-21 02:16:42 · answer #8 · answered by Gerald 6 · 0⤊ 4⤋
70 mph doesn't sound fast to me. What is that in kilometers per hour, please?
I'm also puzzled by the '152-590lbs of CO2' in one of the answers. I know that CO2 means carbon dioxide of course, but what is an 'lbs' please (in ordinary English)?
2007-07-21 01:58:05 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
This is an interesting theme!
2007-07-21 01:38:19 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋