Pedal to the metal

Nobody can accuse the nattering nabobs of the nanny state of pragmatism or even of knowing what’s going on. There are those who think 200 million firearms will disappear if we make them illegal and there are those who think that a 55 mph national speed limit not only promotes safety and fuel economy, but that people actually obey it.

Although measurement after measurement has shown that only a tiny fraction of drivers on the interstates actually observed the late and not lamented National Speed Limit, but it was also shown that the same fraction were involved in most of the accidents.  Despite the head over heels proclivity of passenger trucks to kill people, the death rate has fallen very significantly since the “55 Stay Alive” mantra died. Whether or not the recent upward changes on many interstate highways results from recognition of reality, the reality is that people tend to travel at 80 to 85 on rural stretches despite the speed limit.  My own frequent observation is that the traffic on Florida’s Turnpike cruises at 80+ even as the limit varies from 55 to 70.

An article in Today’s WSJ cites a study showing that fewer people will exceed 80 if the speed limit is 80 than if the speed limit is lower than 80, meaning that it’s simply more relaxing for the driver not to have to scan the horizon and the bushes for radar traps and he will stay near the limit if the limit is reasonable.

Of course the argument that we should not be increasing speeds while fuel consumption is such an issue is still offered, although once again, everyone is driving at the speed they feel comfortable at and not at the posted limit and the difference in vehicles is far more important than the difference in speed.  In fact,  most of us burn more fuel in city or suburban traffic than places like the I-10 through Texas that now is posted at 80mph. In fact I get better mileage at 180 (no that’s not a typo) than a Hummer H1 gets at 40.  In the days of 55, one would often burn more fuel trying to get past the knots of cars refusing to pass each other, booming up to 80 and down to 55 when the radar alarm went off than one would get cruising at a steady 75.

Still we hear the nonsense phrase repeated “speed is a factor in all fatalities” which means precisely nothing as speed is a factor in transportation.  Again, the article points out that other factors, harder to reduce to a number, predominate in the safety equation; weather, fatigue, mechanical condition, intoxication, driver ability and vehicle ability.  If safety and economy were really the sole determining factor for speed limits, then why not a 15 mph national limit?