Should US national speed limits revert back to 55 miles per hour?

No

6 of 12

by Patrick Sills

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Back in 1974, our nation was in the throes of an imagined "fuel crisis" following an Arab Oil Embargo, and as a result, President Richard Nixon convinced Congress to lower the maximum speed limits to 55 mph. This measure was adopted to save what was perceived to be "precious" oil. Many motorists, especially truck drivers whose livilihood depended on how many miles they could cover in a day, were very upset to learn of this news. The fact of the matter was that 55 mph was and still is ridiculously slow for highway travel, especially on 4-lane Interstates.

These types of multi-lane highways were built for high speed, uninterrupted driving.They were patterned after the German Autobahns and construction began in the 1950's during Dwight Eisenhower's Administration. The typical speed limits on these roads ranged from 70-80 mph. When these speed limits were suddenly scaled back to 55 mph nearly 20 years later, it was a figurative slap in the face; not only to those responsible for engineering these superhighways, but to travelers everywhere. A trip across the country would now require more hours behind the wheel; more driver fatigue, and ironically, a greater chance for accidents. All the while, we were supposed to be a nation of progress. The reduced speed limit of 55 mph was a step backwards, to say the least.

Drivers within the United States had to endure this snail's pace from 1974-1986. What is probably not well-known is that Richard Nixon's original proposal was intended to be temporary until we either settled our differences with the Arab suppliers or built a specific number of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars to offset the once-popular land yachts that roamed our roads. However, Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal, and Gerald Ford, Nixon's successor, decided to make 55 mph a permanent fixture on our highways and Interstates.

Next to nobody complied with this ridiculous speed limit. Not even Aunt Myrtle in her Buick. Sales of CB radios and radar detectors skyrocketed. Even law enforcement officials hated it; save for the most rabid state troopers itching to make an arrest. Many police officers and virtually all drivers ignored the law, making it next to impossible to enforce. Our lawmakers finally realized this in 1986, and under President Ronald Reagan's directive, speed limits were once again allowed to be set by individual states.

However, most states only raised it to 65 mph; and on Interstates only. While 65 mph is better than 55 mph, it is still too slow for Interstate travel and is still largely ignored. A few states have raised their speed limits back to pre-1974 levels, but not enough. Interstate highways should have speed limits of 75-80 mph while two-lane highways should be around 65-70 mph. Moreover, there are remote areas out west where speeds of 90 mph would not be unreasonable.

As for saving fuel, slowing down to 55 has been said to save up to 25% of fuel consumption. Suppose the average car takes about $60.00 to fill up, so you'd save about $15.00, or a quarter less fuel per tank. Here's where this savings is negated: On a long cross-country vacation trip at a velocity of 55 mph versus 65 mph, you will also cover 10 less miles for each hour of driving time. After 10 hours of driving, you would cover 100 less miles than your 65-mph counterpart. You would therefore either have to spend nearly 2 more hours to catch up or spend that $15.00 you saved plus $65.00 more on a motel room because you're too tired to go on! Now, take this equation and find out how much time (and hence money) could be saved by driving 75 or 80 mph, which is in the range of what Interstate highways were built for to begin with.

Forcing drivers to slow to a crawl is not the answer to high fuel prices. We need to build more fuel-efficient vehicles as our European and Asian counterparts have done. The 55 mph speed limit of the 1970's and 1980's didn't work. And history has a way of repeating itself.

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