Can we go back to 55 again?

July 26, 2008 8:05 AM

Driving Slow I have a diesel VW Beetle, one of the cars with lowest fuel consumption that was available in USA (not for the past few years). To get the vaunted EPA figures for my car, I have to drive 55 MPH on the highway, which makes for interesting travels as the rest of traffic zooms by. It takes only slightly less time when driving faster, and though I can see the safety advantages of staying in front of traffic, I wonder what motivates people to go so fast even as it is bankrupting them. Some can obviously afford it, but I sense that the overwhelming majority just cannot conceive of slowing down despite the evaporating $$$ it causes. Can we ever go back to a US national speed limit of 55 MPH, or is this a lost cause?
posted by ackptui (7 comments total)

Please stay in the right lane when you are driving slower than the speed of traffic.

I could see 55 in Seattle and Portland, but good luck with that in LA or around NYC.
posted by b1tr0t at 8:11 AM on July 26, 2008

I've read that it's safest to drive at about 70. The average brain is fully occupied at that speed. At slower speeds, you get bored and distracted, and at higher speeds, you can't keep up anymore.

At least for the moment, I'd rather have the improved safety than the lower cost. I can always choose to drive slower if I want, but driving faster is severely punished, and even one ticket will evaporate a very great deal of gas savings.
posted by Malor at 8:11 AM on July 26, 2008

I believe Sammy Hagar settled this debate twenty years ago.
posted by boubelium at 8:12 AM on July 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

And while you are driving 55, drop your golf and get one of these. Less mass and less wind resistance will also improve your efficiency.
posted by b1tr0t at 8:15 AM on July 26, 2008

Ignorance, competition, racing traffic lights, racing to traffic lights, the firm and unshakable belief that everyone else on the road is the asshole.
posted by einer at 8:21 AM on July 26, 2008

When I read this, I seriously thought it was supposed to be an AskMe question.
posted by DMan at 8:22 AM on July 26, 2008

Plus going with the flow is safer for everyone involved when the flow is comprised of multi-ton steal gas bombs.
posted by einer at 8:22 AM on July 26, 2008