THE ISSUE: 55 mph again?
OUR OPINION: Realism needed in debate about speed limit
High gasoline prices have sparked rumblings in Congress of reviving the national speed limit of 55 mph. Examining a lower limit makes sense as the nation looks to consume less energy, but leaders should put the brakes on any rush to legislate.
Sen. John Warner of Virginia has been out front in proposing a new look at a lower speed limit. He has asked the Energy Department to study the issue and propose the most fuel-efficient speed for the nation’s highways.
Warner has pushed the idea based on the national experience in the 20 years up to 1995, when the 55 mph limit begun during the oil crisis of the 1970s was cast aside by Congress. Americans saved 167,000 barrels of oil a day when the limit was lower. Considering the number of vehicles on the road now, the savings certainly would be greater.
It stands to reason that the Energy Department will find that 55 mph is a speed that will use less gas than 60, 65, 70, 75. But 45 would be even better for fuel consumption.
Let’s be real: Americans detested the 55 mph limit and largely ignored it, particularly on interstate highways. The fact is, many roads in South Carolina continue to be posted at 55, but people routinely drive up to 65.
Limits on the interstates of 70 mph — and 75 and even 80 in some states — have come to mean drivers can exceed even those speeds. Strict enforcement of the limit is nearly impossible as virtually every motorist is exceeding the limit.
With cars and other vehicles today sporting smooth rides at high speeds, taking the nation back to a 55 mph maximum is certain to spark public anger. A better idea is finding a limit that is realistic and campaigning to get Americans to buy into it. And they just might, since buying fuel has become an increasingly big pocketbook issue.
Worthy of note is the American Trucking Association’s support for a lower limit. The ATA is seeking a 65 mph national limit, which the organization says would lower fuel consumption by 27 percent from a limit of 75. That’s significant — and seems reasonable. Maybe even enforceable.
Like lawmakers who say they will take a look at Warner’s ideas and Energy Department research, we suggest that the homework be done before action is taken. Americans are angry enough now about gasoline. To lower speeds on the road by 15 to 25 mph will only raise the collective national temper.