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Price plummets on news of national speed limit legislation - Drive55.org update |
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Thursday, 24 July 2008 |
Upon news of national speed limit bills introduced by members of both parties in congress, in both the Senate and House, combined with the fact that American drivers have reduced consumption by over 3% in recent weeks, it is little surprise that speculators are starting to retreat and prices are falling.
Of particular interest is the mild panic this development caused in congress as members realized the corresponding reduction in tax revenue . The congressional spending binge requires ever increasing revenues, never decreasing. This is one source of resistance to our proposals.
Nevertheless, the flurry of media interest has advanced the debate and substantially fulfilled the first phase of the project. In addition to live appearances on Fox News and several radio stations, and taped interviews for TV and radio, Tim has also had dozens of interviews with reporters from newspapers nationwide, resulting in hundreds of articles in regional papers, many available online. This level of publicity is more than we could have hoped for with the proposed $1 million dollar budget in the Drive 55 Action Plan and we have accumulated some important data as a result.
Public opinion for and against a national speed limit has a surprisingly small margin of about 12-14%. (36-38% for - 64-66% against)* This is the same margin as those that opposed the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac**, which was passed by the House on July 23, 2008 and will cost taxpayers $300 billion or more because they approved a blank check for the rescue. Note, they also increased the U.S. Debt limit by $800 billion.
But I digress. Back to the status of the Drive 55 Conservation Project. While there is a vocal minority howling loudly, it is clear there is significant support for some kind of legislative action and we only need 12-14% of drivers to join us.
The key issues that have emerged are safety and impacts on productivity. Speeders cry that the roads are less safe with some of the drivers going slow and others going fast, which of course is perfectly true. Speed is right behind alcohol as the cause of collisions, and increased speeds increase collisions so it is entirely rational to ask that all vehicles observe rational speed limits.
As concerns productivity, it is a fact that reduced energy costs improve profits while speeding wastes money. Three new articles address the productivity question in detail:
With the dramatic reduction in consumption also came a reduction in traffic deaths nationwide as drivers slowed down to save fuel. Still, American roads are killing fields and speed is a primary factor involved. Of special interest is the increased risk when vehicles are traveling at different speeds, especially speeds above 50 MPH. This speed difference increases both frequency and severity of collisions. When considered in light of the passionate comments from the opposition it is now clear and documented that it is unsafe to drive at the speed limit in some cases, and driving 55 MPH on a highway posted for 65 or 70 can actually be terrifying because of aggressive drivers often speeding 15 or 20 MPH above the limit.
The next phase of the action plan calls for legislative support, and the two bills that have been introduced are great starting points. While each falls short in some ways, they both bring the issue to congress to be debated and our goal is to help inform that debate while continuing to increase public support. To achieve these goals the website now has a "Contact Congress" tool, a new Truckers section, and a new contest for bumper sticker designs . Letters and bumper stickers are being sent and delivered to state and federal officials urging them to lead by example with their vehicles and fleets. Likewise letters and stickers went to Greyhound and Amtrak.
Please visit Drive55.org soon and use the "Contact Congress" tool to make your voice heard in Washington D.C.
Tim Castleman
Founder, Drive 55 Conservation Project
* Online CNN Poll - July 4, 2008 cumulative data collected over a 24 hour period as the poll ran.
Should Congress reimpose a national speed limit to save gas?
Yes 38% 33888
No 62% 56394
Total Votes: 90282
Should Congress reimpose a national speed limit to save gas?
Yes 38% 41991
No 62% 69898
Total Votes: 111889
Should Congress reimpose a national speed limit to save gas?
Yes 36% 86904
No 64% 154193
Total Votes: 241097
Should Congress reimpose a national speed limit to save gas?
Yes 36% 97267
No 64% 175180
Total Votes: 272447
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** Online CNN Poll July 13, 2008
Should the government rescue mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Yes 36% 92376
No 64% 162530
Total Votes: 254906
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