Senator Suggests National Speed Limit

Virginia Republican John Warner Said Congress May Want To Consider Move To Save Gas

(AP)  An influential Republican senator suggested Thursday that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to look into what speed limit would provide optimum gasoline efficiency given current technology. He said he wants to know if the administration might support efforts in Congress to require a lower speed limit.

Congress in 1974 set a national 55 mph speed limit because of energy shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo. The speed limit was repealed in 1995 when crude oil dipped to $17 a barrel and gasoline cost $1.10 a gallon.

As motorists headed on trips for this Fourth of July weekend, gasoline averaged $4.10 a gallon nationwide with oil hovering around $145 a barrel.

Warner cited studies that showed the 55 mph speed limit saved 167,000 barrels of oil a day, or 2 percent of the country's highway fuel consumption, while avoiding up to 4,000 traffic deaths a year.

"Given the significant increase in the number of vehicles on America's highway system from 1974 to 2008, one could assume that the amount of fuel that could be conserved today is far greater," Warner wrote Bodman.

Warner asked the department to determine at what speeds vehicles would be most fuel efficient, how much fuel savings would be achieved, and whether it would be reasonable to assume there would be a reduction in prices at the pump if the speed limit were lowered.

Energy Department spokeswoman Angela Hill said the department will review Warner's letter but added, "If Congress is serious about addressing gasoline prices, they must take action on expanding domestic oil and natural gas production."

The department's Web site says that fuel efficiency decreases rapidly when traveling faster than 60 mph. Every additional 5 mph over that threshold is estimated to cost motorists "essentially an additional 30 cents per gallon in fuel costs," Warner said in his letter, citing the DOE data.

[u-r-right]

I don''t know if this will do any good. When I try to go the speed limit now, I often get passed by vehicles going at least 10 MPH over said limit.

[rafterman1]

Except for a few rare instances in the boonies, I can''t recall seeing a speed limit more than 55 now.

[rudy2281]

Finally! Bravo for Sen. Warner!!

[undermyboot]

A republican looking for ways to reduce oil consumption? Bush and his Oil buddies must be blowing their gaskets about now. They LOVE the high price of gas and oil. They and their buddies MAKE MORE MONEY!

Vote Republican- Vote for more oil profits!

[sasi1-2009]

Rein in the commodities brokers first, then insist that all oil refineries be back in full production, and stop all oil subsidies! Once these things are accomplished, then I''ll be all in favor of a lower speed limit. Every car manufacturer should be expected to meet specific mpg requirements, and this should be done NOW!

[cdfoxtrot]

If people drive as much, regardless of what speed limit is there, it is mathematically certain that there''s more traffic on the road at any given moment. Less throughput means more clogged roads, which means more congestion, more frustrated drivers, and I suspect more accidents. No one wants to argue for faster speeds, but I bet it could be shown that letting people go faster on roads built for speed, i.e. highways, would mean less accidents. And, in a supposedly free country I don''t see why we should contemplate having to go slower, if we''re prepared to pay for the petrol we burn up by going faster.

[frb01]

We have had since 1973 to correct the problem, instead we look to solutions like this to solve it. If we don''t do a total energy plan this time, we are all real stupid.

[gotagrip]

Except for a few rare instances in the boonies, I can''''t recall seeing a speed limit more than 55 now.

Posted by Rafterman1 at 09:14 PM : Jul 03, 2008

You do know that most of the country is the "boonies" don''t you? Can''t imagine driving across the Dakotas or Montana at 55mph. Has anyone considered that the faster you drive, the sooner you get there and the sooner your engine is turned off?

[kaylag04]

That''s a cool restriction that you city-dwellers have the opportunity to foist upon yourselves in your respective states. Don''t victimize those of us who must drive 50 miles to a grocery store, doctor''s appointment or hospital with your concept of acting for "the greater good".

[narrador-2009]

The "boonies" are officially anyplace in the US outside New York City. Didn''t you know.

[indivthinker]

I don''t care how much money I may save on my better gas mileage by going 55mph, doing so takes me a lot of extra time. Time or money... time or money. I will take time. I cannot imagine having to add 45 minutes of driving every time I drive to Abilene just so I can save $3.00 worth of gas. It''s such a waste.

I can only imagine how it would also affect the trucking industry too. Driving across the country would take perhaps an entire day extra, which ultimately means more trucks will need to be put on the road because of the low shipment speed.

This has got to be the dumbest idea ever. No, I take that back... the Democrats thought that taxing the gas companies would cause them to lower their prices. Hahahaha. Congress gets dumber every day.

[txlakeside]

OMG .... a Republican with an actual good idea? Will wonders never cease.

And all you gas guzzling fools that complain ... tough, get over it! Conservation is a reality and not some fantasy you think it is! I was driving and I had just graduated from High School. I lived through the slow down and it had little to no impact on traffic or accidents. If it did you know the Insurance companies would have fought it. They in fact are proponents of the reduced speeds because it saves lives and causes less damage.

And My Lexus IS 250 gets 30 MPH Hywy at 70 but jumps up to 33 at 50-55.

So sell your SUV and get over it! We have to change our consumption because gas will never be cheap again. Being a finite resource it will just get more expensive.

Cry babies!

[ausus-2009]

UnderMyBoot,

Didn''t you look at the years. In 1974 we had a Republican in the White House and in 1995 Bill Clinton was President. This limit is being proposed by a Republican.

[txlakeside]

linymo .... get an education. We have just had the HOTTEST June on record in Texas. Global warming does not mean on very inch of earth, but as an average across the planet idiot! The ice caps are melting more than they have ever melted. You Repubs need to stop watching FOX and explore some real science ... not Repub mouth piece talk show hosts!

[wmgranson]

First, Senetor, Senete and the House, this should be definitly be voted upon by us not decided by YOU. All of you have NOT resolved this crisis where the root of the problem really is, so get busy and do that FIRST or go home. This is NOT the answer and you all know it. We all are tired of your stupidity and V8 limos that take you to work and back in Washington D.C.

[dewey469-2009]

Maybe we should start gas rationing. For those who refuse to slow down or part with their gas guzzling suv''s I say LET THEM WALK when the gas is gone.

[rushlimpdrug]

I propose a speed limit of 145 mph.

This would take many drivers off the road
thus dropping the national gas consumption.

Ok, how about 140 mph?

[latazman]

The price of gas alone will limit travel. No use adding injury to insult. Time is worth more than petro. Both of my vehicles make over 30 MPG on the road. NBD

[hsmagst]

Posted by Rafterman1....Except for a few rare instances in the boonies, I can''''t recall seeing a speed limit more than 55 now.

Don''t get out much do you? Try driving on any highway west of the Mississippi at 55 and see what happens.

[cdfoxtrot]

I don''''t care how much money I may save on my better gas mileage by going 55mph, doing so takes me a lot of extra time. Time or money... time or money. I will take time. I cannot imagine having to add 45 minutes of driving every time I drive to Abilene just so I can save $3.00 worth of gas. It''''s such a waste.

I can only imagine how it would also affect the trucking industry too. Driving across the country would take perhaps an entire day extra, which ultimately means more trucks will need to be put on the road because of the low shipment speed.

This has got to be the dumbest idea ever. No, I take that back... the Democrats thought that taxing the gas companies would cause them to lower their prices. Hahahaha. Congress gets dumber every day.

Posted by indivthinker

Good point. In effect, forcing trucks to slow down will actually be inflationary and likely cause goods in stores to go up in price, since shipping costs will go up. Not to mention the output lost to the economy by forcing people to spend even longer in traffic.

[lloydbest1]

Posted by indivthinker at 10:16 PM : Jul 03, 2008
Posted by txlakeside at 10:17 PM : Jul 03, 2008

Wow! talk about 180 degree shifts in attitude in consecutive posts.

Thinker, I can''t believe reducing your speed to 55 will cost you 45 minutes of driving time. That is unless you typically drive at 90 or you live in Lubbock, the Midland area, Wichita Falls or just outside of Fort worth. And if you do that begs the question of why even go to Abilene.
The Texas state highway system is excellent. Arguably the best in North America. When gas was plentiful and no one had to worry about running out, pushing your rig as fast as it would go on those uncrowded highways was perfectly safe if you kept focus. Now...the world has changed and regardless of whose fault that is, the best advice you can take is to "suck it in" as it were, and eat those 45 minutes. You''ll save a bundle as prices edge past $10 to $15 per gallon (oh, they will - belive me) and the gas you don''t use, someone else can.

Txlakeside, not all republicans have the same wretched ideology and corrupt values the neocon maniacs now running (and ruining) the country have. Indeed many are far more incensed than you or I because their party had betrayed them by degenerating into the ultra right wing Christo-fascist monument to schizophrenia we see today.

[rafterman1]

===You do know that most of the country is the "boonies" don''''t you? Can''''t imagine driving across the Dakotas or Montana at 55mph. Has anyone considered that the faster you drive, the sooner you get there and the sooner your engine is turned off?===
Posted by gotagrip

Must be a west half thing. I think it''s actually a bell curve, a sweet spot where fuel consumption vs speed is maximized and that speed 30 years ago was determined to be 55. New cars may yield different results.

[luvcomments]

More and more as I read and watch the news I am wondering: is there any difference between a nanny state and a dictatorship?

[bubbabear200]

Why not make the national speed limet at 15 MPH?
TEEHEE,TEEHEE

[rafterman1]

===Don''''t get out much do you? Try driving on any highway west of the Mississippi at 55 and see what happens.===
Posted by hsmagst

Well, when I va-ca, to LA or Vegas, I usually fly, not drive 3000 miles.

[beehive21-2009]

Senator John Warner, whats he doing out of jail ?

[truthislife1]

Why should we drive slower? Why don''t we just get all the oil sitting in Alaska so we can go about our lives. Duh.

[luvcomments]

tech77usa

I bet you do, bubba :) Just don''t lose your temper and become one of "them".

[incog-nito]

I thought Republicans are all about personal freedom. Oh well.

[ringading3]

Time for States Rights, and Senator Warner needs to lobby for a law change in his own State, and butt out of my State. Does he support drilling for oil off the coast of Virginia? Repeal the laws forbiding oil and gas drilling and we can drive any speed we want!

[ausus-2009]

beehive21,

What do you mean by that remark? Senator Warner has a very middle of the road voting record. His greatest crime was being married to Elizabeth Taylor.

[ausus-2009]

"I thought Republicans are all about personal freedom. Oh well."

Liberals are supposed to be about tolerance of others, so we have lots of contradictions.

[alphaa10-2009]

Warner''s suggestion makes eminent sense, just as did the 55 mph speed limit following the Arab oil embargo.

There was a very siginificant drop in national oil imports and consumption.

As for what speed works best to conserve fuel, the cost of of pushing a car past 55 mph does not increase in linear fashion-- that is, the fuel cost at 70 mph is not 127 percent greater than 55 mph.

It is much higher. In fact, running at 70 mph consumes fuel at serious multiples of the rate at 55 mph (your mileage may vary).

Clearly, the GOP bozos wanting the US to stay energy independent should think twice about their fuel consumption rate they drive their SUVs.

Many of these patriotic specimens also shout their loyalty to America while driving at 15 or more miles over the speed limit.

[alphaa10-2009]

PS: Driving at 55 mph also makes your drive train and tires last longer.

[rudy654-2009]

Rein in the commodities brokers first, then insist that all oil refineries be back in full production, and stop all oil subsidies! Once these things are accomplished, then I''''ll be all in favor of a lower speed limit. Every car manufacturer should be expected to meet specific mpg requirements, and this should be done NOW!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by sasi1 at 09:43 PM

AMEN to all of the above. As long as we have the Enron types running the show, expect that they will get their major profits by hook or crook.

[jackobyte]

This is a pathetic idea.
Even during the Arab embargo Europeans did not lower speed limits (most limits on "freeways" are 81 mph 130 kmph).
Besides if I wanna waste my money I wanna waste it not the government in fines.
Incidently with my old 1985 corvette instant fuel readout was best at a steady 70mph (27-26/gal) it actually went down to 25 at 55mph. Nothing is linear Jacks wake up, besides there is no shortage of gas. Its those same old speculators bidding it up just like all the bubbles. Humans are the most non-linear critters on this planet...

[stn_sage]

Pardon me, but I think a lot of posters are missing the point! WHAT?! Lower the speed limit to 55 to save gas?

Leave it to retiring Senator Warner to ''reinvent the wheel''! Here''s a former combat soldier who contentedly sat back these past few years and watched his fellow Americans butchered in a senseless war! Wasting hundreds of billions of dollars to date. So, THIS suggestion by this RepubliCON doesn''t surprise me!

Instead, how about suggesting to Bush to implement ''price controls''? Put a ''cap'' on gas at the pump! How about taxing some of the enormous profits the gas and oil companies are making? How about doing away with govt welfare and stop giving them subsidies and making them function like a ''real'' business!?

It''s clear YOU don''t really want to solve the problem. And, I can''t tell you how very happy I am to see you retire! If Virginia replaces you with a senator who will act for the best interest of this country, many lives will be saved as a result!

Happy retirement to you and good riddance! There will soon be one less lousy senator in Congress. Things are looking up!

[plasmatron-2009]

Truly idiotic. How about getting off your congressional butts and passing fuel efficiency standards between 1972 and now? Or tax incentives for the purchase of electric cars? Or subsidizing Honda and Toyota in their quest for hydrogen fuel cell cars? Or subsidizing hydrogen gas station retrofits?

Why stop at cutting highway speeds? Let''s force all domestic airlines to travel at decrease air speeds. Let''s ban eBay and online shopping, so all those packages aren''t delivered individually by different trucks all canvassing the same city streets.

[lambor59]

John Warner is smarter than most Americans, he is smarter than Obama and Mc Cain, these two are pretty dumb when it come to science.

[nssherlock1]

It''s funny how Warner is all for speed limits, but he is completely against term limits. Go back to fat old Liz Taylor and leave the rest of us alone.

[lambor59]

You guys who argued that speed has nothing to do with mileage is so f,,,king stupid....just like Bush and Cheney.

[oneworldusa]

A speed limit of 55 means many people in my area might slow down to 65, 70. I put the cruise on the speed limit in the right lane and let people go ahead and fly around me. Let them spend all their income on gas, if they must. It used to bother me but no more.

When they all cry down the road about not being able to pay their mortgage or send their kids to college, I will have no sympathy.

A 55 limit strictly enforced to 60 and below would be good for fuel consumption depending on the ''optimal'' efficiencies of the majority of vehicles on the road and save lives in addition to bringing in much needed revenues to police departments operating on shoestring budgets.

I''m for it if the math works out.

[tmittelstaed]

"police departments operating on shoestring budgets" boy, for complaining that it doesen''t bother you anymore to be passed on the right, you sure sound vengeful.
Back in the bad old days of the 55Mph limit, lots of small towns along major interstates would pull in enormous sums of money running speed traps. Far from operating on shoestring budgets, these police departments were extremely well funded.
When the 55Mph limit was lifted and the states began raising speed limits along the interstate highways, there was no large increase in accidents or highway deaths along the roads with increased limits. By contrast, the most effective way to limit accidents has been to get drunk drivers off the road. The federal mandate to limit blood alcohol content has done far more to save lives than the double nickel ever did. And, to limit fatalities in accidents that do happen, crush zones and airbags are far more effective than speed limits.
At a 55Mph crash, and unbelted passenger in a car without air bags will hit the dash and winshield at 55Mph, which is plenty fast enough to kill them.

[wolf45t]

Congress is "STUPID" so is Senator Warner. I have lived through the stupidity of the 55 mile per hour speed limit; what a waste of time, money, etc...There was a representative in congress, now dead, Thank God, who commissioned the government scientists to come up with the 55 miles per hour as the national speed limit, but the scientists report stated that 65-70 miles per hour, or faster, was the "BEST" for driving. Representative Jones, now dead, squashed the report, because he wanted the "STUPID 55 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit". I say "NO" to any reduction of speed limits.

[cyberus-2009]

Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

[floydzepp2]

Naturally, a "Republican" wanting to take away State''s Rights.

[jesterbelle]

It''s all about revenue and power.They could care less about saving fuel,and they could care less about you splattering your a$$ all over the highway.The U.S.gov. needs to quit making it impossible to get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time,and get the ********* Wall St. parasites out of our wallets.*** incumbents,and *** the government if they aren''t going to do the job they''re supposed to.DC can go to hell.

[scottyusa]

We do not need to go back to the 55 MPH speed limit. It is unreasonable on highways that are designed for higher speeds. Of course it will increase speeding ticket revenue and insurance company profits but that doesn''t help the little guys. Better for congress to figure out a sane way of getting prices lower rather than throwing it on us. We are already doing our part. Consumtion is already going down and the SUV epitaph is being written. We want leadership not parenting from congress.

[whiskyrocker]

jesterbelle :

Well said. Couldn''t agree with you more.

[stick1770]

All you people with your "we need to be able to travel at whatever speed to get somewhere at a reasonable speed" are insane. Traveling at 55mph for one hour over traveling 65mph for one hour saves yourself about 8 mins for the one hour trip. Wow! I''m glad your so important that you have to drive around on a cell phone and speed just because your time is so important. It has nothing to do with revenue. They can sit out there now and catch just as many people speeding. People who speed always speed. If you make it 100mph speed limit they would go 110. Whoopie do. Big deal either way. You''re the same idiots that floor the gas, slam on the brakes from stop light to stop light only to be exactly the same spot as I am crusing along at a slower pace. Why not just ban drive thru windows at restaurants, no more idling cars wasting fuel waiting for food and the lazy, out of shape people probably wouldn''t eat so much because they are in too much of a hurry and too lazy to park and walk in for the food. Two birds killed with one stone. Less fuel used and lower health care costs as people eat less.