Shown in the table below are some electric cars currently available for under
$35,000. Note the average top speed is 45 MPH. A 55 MPH speed limit would help usher in a new age of electric cars much sooner than waiting for speedsters that will do 120 MPH - what use is that anyway? People need useful cars for trips around 20-40 miles to carry passengers and small loads like groceries. A top speed of 55 MPH for all vehicles will allow smaller, more efficient vehicles to share the public road.
Traffic fatalities have been steadily declining for decades as technology and safety have improved, however a look at the data reveals the downward trend that mandatory airbags* brought was reversed in 1992 at the historic low of 39,250 fatalities and has been rising ever since. Had a downward trend of 2,500 fewer deaths per year continued since 1992 there would have been 991,433 less traffic fatalities by 2006.
It is little wonder folks believe speeding is cool and sexy, just look how much is invested into keeping that idea firmly implanted in consumers minds:
"In our collective view, sustainability is no longer an altruistic
or abstract notion. The need to adopt more sustainable business
practices belongs at the top of our agendas."
"But we cannot do it alone. We need the support of Congress, the regulatory agencies and our political leaders."
"Lower the speed limits. Work together to make our trucking fleets more
efficient. Encourage support for more productive trucks. We'll all be
the better for it."
San Jose Mercury News columinst "Mr. Roadshow " (Gary Richards) took up a readers challenge that he wouldn't even save 20% by slowing down to 55 MPH and published the results in his column. Here are a few key quotes:
"I got 59.9 miles a gallon going 60 or under in our Prius compared with 42 mpg at speeds that would have made me prime bait for the California Highway Patrol."
"That's a staggering 42.6 percent improvement. I drove an extra 117 miles on a tank of gas by just slowing down. That's like lowering the price at the pump by more than a third - and about 10 mpg better than Prius EPA estimates."
"I calculated mileage the old-fashioned way: gallons used vs. miles traveled. The onboard computer reported slightly different results - 45.6 mpg at 75-plus vs. 58.4 mpg at 55 and under - but it's usually a little off. Still, that's a 28 percent difference."
And my favorite,
"But when I eased off the pedal and stuck to the right lane, I felt like I was sharing the road with others. Trucker merging in from my right: Here, friend, I'll slow and you can make that lane change. Driver ahead going slow? Excellent - the guy behind me may not tailgate as much."
