Still pissed about 55 mph limits during oil embargo?? WI-teahad goes for 70mph

[HereSince1628]

they'd like to go higher but definitely want to eliminate consideration of fossil fuel use in order to move to max limit WI freeways were engineered for...if you are a child of the 60's you'll remember that's at least 80 mph.
-----------------------------------

Wisconsin lawmakers have hit the gas pedal on a bill that would increase the maximum speed limit on some state highways and freeways.

The state Assembly approved the bill on a 76-22 vote Tuesday. The bill allows the Department of Transportation to increase speed limits to 70 mph in approved areas, up from the current 65 mph limit.

Opponents said increasing speed limits is too dangerous. Rep. Dana Wachs, an Eau Claire Democrat, said he would not support the bill because it could increase deaths on Wisconsin roadways. Rep. John Spiros, a Manitowoc Republican, warned commercial vehicles such as semi-trailers should have a lower speed limit. But their concerns fell on deaf ears.


http://www.wisn.com/politics/wisconsin-assembly-votes-to-increase-speed-limit-to-70-mph/31848156

[Cooley Hurd]

1. There should only be speed limits for cars with internal combustible engines...

Electric cars should follow the Autobahn rule.

[HereSince1628]

7. I think there are also safety issues...but yes, combustion engines shouldn't

be running down the road at 3500-4000rpm churning out oxides.

[Travis_0004]

10. I don't think any engine can run at 40k rpm.

Thats about 3 times faster than a formula one engine would run.

[HereSince1628]

12. Yes...that would be well beyond redline!

[Glassunion]

15. But it goes up to 11

[MillennialDem]

83. If you want to do this for emissions / gas mpg purposes this depends heavily on the

vehicle.

A sports car will probably get best gas mileage at 70-80 mph whereas a pickup truck or van will be closer to 55 mph.

Depends on gearing and aerodynamics.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

2. Cons hate any law that is good for the environment the way a 9 year old hates to be

told he cant have anymore cookies.

Cons possess the same level of maturity as the 9 yr old.

Cons should not be allowed within one hundred miles of ever making a single FUCKING decision about ANYTHING remotely important let alone be in government.

[HereSince1628]

4. This sort of has Koch Canadian tar-sands written all over it.

Why make people pass thru the state faster? They need to go slow and buy MANY cheese curds

[NaturalHigh]

3. Actually I think 55 mph is a good idea in theory.

It would increase gas mileage for vehicles, drive down demand, and in theory drive down the price of gasoline.

[HereSince1628]

8. Safety and energy considered...yes

[MillennialDem]

84. Not really. I do worse mpg at 55 mph (I drive a sports car) :(

[Travis_0004]

14. I'm going to go 70 anyway.

There is a section that is 55mph, I don't think anybody drives that slow. I would rather save time a long trip than save a gallon or two of gas and spend more time in the car.

[HereSince1628]

17. Do you consider that a personal entitlement/personal exceptionalism

or is that just going along to get along?

[Travis_0004]

29. I'm just going with the flow of traffic

[HereSince1628]

30. I understand. Speed difference is a source of traffic problems.

[Logical]

55. LOL, good for you. You showed them. nt

[Glassunion]

26. Actually some of today's cars are fine running at the higher speeds

They have transmissions that are geared for it.

The Honda Civic actually gets lower MPG at 55 than it does at 70.

My vehicle gets the same mileage at 43mph that it does at 68mph. Which is better than I'd get at 55mph.

[HereSince1628]

32. Yes, some. So do you set speed limits for the most efficient cars?

or recognize that isn't true for all cars and go for something less?

[Glassunion]

39. I haven't done the homework on all cars...

However, more and more cars are being manufactured with higher gear transmissions. This could make them more efficient at higher speeds.

[NutmegYankee]

96. Why not just set speed limits based on the design of the roadway?

Most people drive the speed that feels comfortable for them and ignore the posted sign anyway. The modern philosophy has been to set speed limits using the 80% rule - the speed 80% of drivers drive without a limit posted.

In fact - that drivers drive at the speed that's comfortable is so well known, the sole reason to artificially lower the speed limit is to "enhance revenue" - like in Ferguson, MO.

[HereSince1628]

99. Because it's not a safety issue.

Failure to enforce traffic laws doesn't change the unit contribution of a ton of oxides produced from internal combustion.

[NutmegYankee]

100. You have already been told that cars are more efficient at 70 now than at 55.

55 as efficient was only true in 4 speed transmissions with carburetor fed engines.

And note my comment I added above.

[Oktober]

5. A step in the right direction...

Should be at least 85 mph...

[HereSince1628]

9. Which just goes to show how far yeoman rejection of social concerns

has grown on DU.

Thanks for the alternate opinion. We need to keep it in perspective

[BlueJazz]

6. Here in Florida ours is 70 which equates to 80-95 (not kidding)

Between Tampa and Miami...usually... Left lane is 80-95, middle lane is 75-80, right lane is for regular drivers.

[pnwmom]

74. I know. If they raise the speed to 80, people will drive at 100. n/t

[hifiguy]

11. A few years back I owned an Olds Aurora

that consistently got better mileage cruising at 65-75 than at lower speeds. Optimal efficiency is not the same for all engines or cars.

[HereSince1628]

18. So do you set speed limits for the most efficient cars?

Do you try to get to the chaos of model specific speed limits?

Are speed limits of absolutely no concern to fossil fuel use?

[hifiguy]

20. Given how efficient modern engines are

I'd opine that 65-75 is a perfectly reasonable speed limit for open interstates. Many European countries have higher limits than that, and a considerable chunk of the Autobahn is still unlimited.

[HereSince1628]

23. I would sort of expect exceptionalists and centrists to support this.

[hifiguy]

25. The odd thing is that some of the highest-performance cars on the planet

have some of the smallest C02 emissions. Exotic sports cars that are not hybrids have been certified as ultra-low emission vehicles.

The coal-fired electricity plants are a far bigger problem.

[HereSince1628]

37. Exotic by definition isn't a common production car

and I think that gets to the question of what efficiencies should be targeted in considering speed-limits.

It's clear here in WI that conservatives really want no consideration of efficiencies. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this was true of democratic 'centrists' and democratic libertines as well.

[Desert805]

41. You're not playing the "who's lefter" game right.

Real democrats don't drive over 55!!1

Or whatever nonsense is being attributed to "centrists and exceptionalists."

Facts be damned!!!

[AverageJoe90]

59. What's your beef with centrists?

And why bring that here?

[SomethingFishy]

60. I agree. Keep the speeds lower in populated areas.. but the USA is a big freakin place

I have driven across it many many times. 55mph on an open interstate feels like you are walking.

[Comrade Grumpy]

13. It's 80 now on some interstates in Utah and Wyoming.

And I think 85 on a Texas toll road.

Living in the West and Midwest, I've never been a fan of 55. Too goddamned slow and boring. Takes forever to get anywhere.

[IDemo]

54. And in Idaho, on rural freeways (which is most of the state) n/t

[A HERETIC I AM]

71. In Texas, from the 480 or so to the 70 MM on I-10 it is 80

Right around 400 solid miles of 80 MPH speed limit, from near Kerrville to the outskirts of El Paso.

I have driven it numerous times in the last 14 months in trucks limited to 63 or 64MPH.

No more accidents on that stretch than anywhere else.

Fewer in fact.

And actually....the vehicles going that fast are far outnumbered by those traveling 75 or slower.

[Major Nikon]

95. One section of toll road between San Antonio and Austin is 85mph

[pnwmom]

73. That's fine for big empty freeways -- not for the crowded highways on the coasts. n/t

[Comrade Grumpy]

94. Of course. Although I've been in traffic jams on I-95 at 75 mph.

[customerserviceguy]

108. And they're not all crowded in the coastal states

I know a lot of places in Oregon and Washington that are many miles apart from other significantly populated areas. There are even places in the Northeast like that, such as upstate NY, and eastern CT, for example. Of course, folks in the NE already regard speed limits as mere suggestions.

[Gman]

16. Anything less than 75 is too slow

I love our 80 and 85 in Texas.

[HereSince1628]

19. I hope Galveston and Corpus Christi enjoy being underwater

So that the folks out in Levelland can go fast toward Denver and San Diego

[Desert805]

42. not based in fact, but it is quality scolding "from the left."

Is driving over 55 seriously gonna be the outrage de jour? Priceless.

As has been pointed out, many modern vehicles are less efficient at 55 than 70.


Maybe stop calling people names now. Or not. Entertaining either way...

[Gman]

47. I'm actually tired of waiting for the 80 mph stretch of I-10

(about 400 miles) to be brought up to 85 too. There are many other stretches of interstate that should be 80 too. We usually drive 80 in the 75's anyway because the highway patrol generally gives you at least 5.

The very insignificant amount of extra greenhouse gas (if any) this produces has virtually no effect on climate change.

[Logical]

56. LOL, TEXAS YEA!!!! nt

[Jim Beard]

68. OK in the Daytime

but not so good at night. Texas needs to work on its driving markers in rural areas.

[ileus]

21. all the way to 70....wow.

more warning of blood on the highways, only it never happens.

[SheilaT]

22. If a higher speed limit really does result in more accidents, injuries, and fatalities,

then I'm surprised I haven't read a lot of the statistics on this. And I'll right away ask forgiveness for my obvious ignorance if that information has been out there all along and I've managed to miss it.

As someone who has driven in quite a few different states, I sometimes am quite puzzled by a sudden change in speed limit when crossing a state border. I've also noticed local inclinations about just how fast to drive, which others have already noted.

And I wonder if in modern cars, say ones made after 2000, maybe even after 1990, the increase in mileage at 55 as compared to 70 or 85, is actual accurate. I am always astonished at what excellent mileage I get when on a long trip and travelling at highway speeds, meaning at least 70mph. I suppose I need to do the experiment and drive at a steady 55 until I use up a tank of gas and see what mileage I get, but if I went that slowly on the interstates in this part of the country (I'm in NM) I'd be a genuine hazard on the road.

[MillennialDem]

86. Depends on several factors on mpg

Aerodynamics is a huge one. Sports cars usually have the best relative aerodynamic/power ratios (some regular cars especially compacts have better aerodynamics overall but are not as good when you look at aerodynamic/power), then regular cars in increasing order of size, then vans, then SUVs/crossovers/trucks.

The other main factor is gearing. Cars in the 70s (and some in the 80s I think) and older didn't have overdrive gearing. Many cars made in the 90s and up have 2 or more overdrive gears especially if they have a stick shift.

But yes, most cars, whether sports or ordinary grocery getters or luxury cars are going to get best mpg at 65-80 mph.

[yeoman6987]

103. Actually the majority of accidents occur in city and suburb

Not on the highway.

[SheilaT]

110. Yes, that makes sense.

It's right up there with the "most accidents occur within five miles (or some other low number) of home."

I'm sure that's in part because the vast majority of driving is relatively close to home. Maybe (she suggested, perking up considerably) we should make much longer drives every day!

[hack89]

24. I just drove in North Dakota and thought the 75 mph speed limit reasonable

long distances with little traffic.

[HereSince1628]

28. Were you thinking about the fossil fuel you were burning or just the time

that you cut off the trip by going faster?

[hack89]

34. I was getting 37 mpg

that's the beauty of modern fuel efficient cars.

[snooper2]

82. is this your favorite thread of the day?

what do you drive-

how fast do you go-

you let your car idle for 5 minutes! YOU BAD LIBERAL

[SheilaT]

27. This deserves a second post:

I decided to do a google search to see if I could find out something about mileage, and found this chart:

http://blog.automatic.com/cost-speeding-save-little-time-spend-lot-money/

I drive a Honda Civic, so according to that its best fuel economy is right at 70mph. And I bet I do even better than that because I drive a stick.

added on edit: you'll need to scroll down a bit to get the graph I'm referring to. Oh, heck, here it is. But the rest of the article is also interesting.

[Gman]

50. You do no worse at 75 than you do at 60.

And only slightly worse at 80 than 60 b

[SheilaT]

63. Bingo. And if I go 80 mph instead of 55,

My driving time from Santa Fe to Overland Park, just about 750 miles, is a little over nine hours rather than more than thirteen and a half. That's a lot of time saved. It's the difference between being able to make the drive in one day, or taking two and needing to pay for a motel room en route.

I have always driven reasonably fuel efficient cars. A few years ago, the last time I was in the market for a car, I somewhat reluctantly passed on a Honda Accord that was just beautiful, but I couldn't get the lesser gas mileage out of my mind, and went with another Civic.

[hunter]

31. Be glad I'm not emperor of this earth...

... because I would ban artificially powered vehicles capable of 35mph or above with one exception: medical or humanitarian emergency assistance and space exploration.

You like fast? Go skydiving from a balloon, mountain, or tall building; pedal faster; ski, skate, or bike down a hill; or go sailing, land or water, in a strong wind.

[alphafemale]

45. You should be glad as well because I guarantee you would be overthrown.

And I doubt you would have a kind end.

Fuck with global and local transportation and send people back to a pre-industrial age.

Yeah.

Good damn luck with that.

[hunter]

51. Would you trade your car for a thirty hour work week, two months of vacation every year...

...year long vacations every decade, and early retirements?

I would.

Life is short, enjoy the ride. Look out the window. Open it up, and smell the smell the fresh air.

"Economic Productivity" as it is now defined is utter bullshit, a direct measure of the damage we are doing to the earth's environment and our human spirit.

We are always in a hurry to get nowhere fast. We're well down the road to an unimaginable hell.

Faster! Faster! only gets us there quicker.

I resent every last fucking second I have to drive somewhere, and I hate air travel too.

[Throd]

52. "Life is short, enjoy the ride. Look out the window. Open it up, and smell the fresh air. "

I do that every weekend in my Oldsmobile 442.

[alphafemale]

53. The utopia tyrants promise and then enforce never happens.

More like at least 30 hours of commute time alone. OR we live on cots at the workplace.

No one is ever going to fall for your fantasy world.

[hunter]

58. I'm not a tyrant, you do as you please.

When my wife and I first met we were both Los Angeles commuters. Too many days of stop-and-go traffic where we'd be lucky to go twenty miles in an hour.

By some planning, and maybe even more good fortune, we've been able to avoid the commuter lifestyle for nearly thirty years now.

And no, we don't live on cots at the workplace, at least I don't. My wife used to be able to take call from home, we live about a mile from her work as the crow flies, but now they expect her to be on site once or twice a month. But the call rooms are not bad, at least as good as any mid-range motel with a refrigerator and a microwave.

My parents are the ultimate hippie retirees. They are both artists, but my dad had a union job too. They live in a rain forest, drink and bathe in water that falls on their roof, and much of their food comes from the local farmers market.

You can't convince me my fantasy utopia is impossible.

[alphafemale]

67. Emperor-shemperor...then?

I lived within a mile of my work for about five years.

I was able to go without a personally owned auto for that time but fully understood my situation was fully circumstantial and did not make me a more moral person.

Most people we share the planet with are more concerned about whether their children will survive to the end of the week then what their damn carbon-footprint happens to be.

[hunter]

76. You've gotten to the heart of the matter.

Kicking the can forward on carbon emissions so the "children will survive to the end of the week" almost guarantees the grandchildren will not survive.

There is enough wealth in this world that it doesn't have to be that way. We can create a sustainable economy. We have all the tools, we have all the skills, we have all the labor we need, all that's left is to apply them, and all that's standing in the way is a class of uber-wealthy tyrants who are either venal and unwilling to give up their political power and control, or whose minds are frozen in a primitive ideology of "economic productivity," a sort of productivity that is a direct measure of the damage we do to this planet and our own human spirit.

[The2ndWheel]

77. That's why

Most people we share the planet with are more concerned about whether their children will survive to the end of the week then what their damn carbon-footprint happens to be.

short term self interest will always win out. If it doesn't, we die. Just the way life works.

[Travis_0004]

57. So I get a 30 hour work week but have to walk to work?

[alphafemale]

66. Your tar-paper shack will be near work.

Sewage and running water is a ditch.

[Travis_0004]

48. I'm also glad you are not in charge.

[whatthehey]

79. So a disabled guy like me should need three days each way to visit relatives in AZ?

Since for safety's sake I'd be limited to about 400 miles of driving a day at 35mph?

Fitness freaks always forget not everybody CAN do that shit.

[hunter]

80. It would take just as long for everyone else.

And I'll bet you'd be quicker and have more endurance than most "fitness freaks" zipping around on your electric legs or wheels.

Another thing to think about: If you like your relatives you create a society where it's both possible and comfortable to live near them in the same community.

If you don't like your relatives, then you can get away from them.

Like I said, it's a Utopian vision. Everyone has a good job, plenty of time to travel, and they never have to move great distances for employment purposes, either long daily commutes, or permanent relocations, unless they choose to.

And the 35mph electrically powered train to Arizona is more akin to a luxury cruise ship with fantastic scenery than diesel powered interstate bus.

[Telcontar]

97. Oh my God what an ignorant post

Do you even realize how offensive that comment about wheels and electric legs is? My God!

[hunter]

107. Do you know how offensive the automobile culture is?

Automobiles frequently kill and maim people, often people who are not even driving or riding in cars. Cars, roads, and highways destroy our natural environment.

And what does it have to do with disabilities?

Disabled people don't need fast cars any more or less than anyone else.

Please, can you explain to me how I was offensive? Is there any special relationship between disabled people and fast cars that I don't know about?

And is there any reason I should have a problem with assistive technologies, anything from eyeglasses, to synthesized voices, to artificial limbs, to mobility devices, yes even high tech legs and wheels?

I know there is resistance in the deaf community to cochlear implants for concerns about losing unique languages and culture, and that's very reasonable to me; it's the same concern of people who communicate in other rare languages. Culture and language are highly intertwined.

Anyways, I really do think the world would be a better place if we all slowed down. Our "economic productivity" and most especially our fossil fuel economy is killing us, and at the same time excludes many people from full participation in it.

[Telcontar]

111. Wow

Doubling down even.

Obviously we don't have sufficient commonality to have any meaningful discourse.

[hunter]

113. You are not arguing with me, you are arguing with my vision of Utopia.

That's like arguing with someone about the shapes they see in the clouds.

How did I offend you?

I'd like to know.

[Historic NY]

33. Virginia has 70 on Rt. 95

[DesMoinesDem]

35. Good. There are only around a dozen states still below 70 mph.

[AverageJoe90]

36. I'm not so sure how this is a RW thing myself.

BTW, there wasn't a lot of solidly right-wing opposition to the 55 miles-an-hour limits when they were first proposed, and they were kept all the way up until about the Clinton era started.....and also, there was never any real concrete proof that the 55 mph speed limits did any real good for fuel economy overall(except maybe for smaller cars).

[HereSince1628]

38. I think it's a combination of personal exceptionalism, libertarianism/Koch friendly,

and conservative rejection or purposeful dis-consideration of something that rubs environmental concerns.

[Desert805]

46. Ridiculous.

But funny. Thanks for posting.

[Comrade Grumpy]

61. Have you ever driven across Nebraska?

[SomethingFishy]

62. +1.. Or Montana, or Kansas or Wyoming... BORING!!!

[IDemo]

65. Great Falls to Boise in a rental car, years ago

I did between 90 and 100 for quite a stretch. Before the days of speed tracking by rental agencies, of course.

[HereSince1628]

93. Yes. I have, even recently, and what I saw would not be encouraging

from the point of view trying to limit fossil carbon inputs to the atmosphere.

I'm not really questioning that cars can operate safely at high speeds or that at such speed travel would take less time. I'm not questioning the convenience of point to point transportation in private vehicles.

I don't question that most cars get nominally better gas mileage that they did a couple decades ago. I can count cars and models and realize the popularity of the low end of the choices entering the fleet

[Major Hogwash]

64. Yup.

I get passed every single time that I drive on the roads here, whether it is on the freeway or just going downtown.
They must think that they are "above the law" and that speed limits are for losers.

What's odd is that most of the time when I wind up catching up to them at the stop light, a majority of them have political bumper stickers on their cars, and a great majority of those cars are not being driven by Democrats!!!

[former9thward]

43. Its not RW.

55 may work in New York City but it does not work in the West. Some people would like to impose limits as if we were a tiny European country. One size does not fit all here.

[Throd]

40. I remember driving from Sacramento to Los Angeles when it was 55 mph. Boy did that ever suck.

[rollin74]

44. Nevada is considering raising speed limit to 80

current speed limit in NV is capped at 75mph

[kiva]

49. This is an east/west issue not one of political parties.

People who live and drives east of the Mississippi don't understand distance and less crowded roads. Safety? Every interstate I've driven on lowers the speed limit going through cities, and most seem pretty conscious of issues that require slower speeds - sharper curves, for examples.

In the western states where you can go 100+ miles between towns - many of them wide spaces in the road - this is a loser of an issue for a politician to support, Democrat or Republican.

[HereSince1628]

98. I really don't think that's as true as you might suspect

but we may have different views on what is east and how common it is necessary for people to travel greater than 120 miles per day. And of course hundreds of cars sitting still or crawling along in jammed traffic does little for adjoining air-quality and overall dioxide inputs into the atmosphere regardless of whether the total commute is 50 miles per day or 150.

I'm not arguing about safety at speed or convenience.

I'm arguing from the point of view that recognizes there is one atmosphere to serve as a sink into which we can dump oxides.

Re politics: with respect to many of necessary 'freedoms from insecurity', I increasingly notice a growing divide on many issues between me-centric democrats and we-centric democrats. I think it's inescapable that me-centric exceptionalist/libertarian/yeoman decisions combine to influence politics.

[Rochester]

69. Nobody's posted it yet, so I will...

[Jenoch]

70. The freeways in Wisconsin are no different

than those in Minnesota. In Minnesota, the speed limit is 70mph outside of the Twin Cities.

Here is an interesting note about the national 55mph speed limit law, Nixon wanted it to be 50mph but many in congress thought that was too low. Some transportation professionals believe that if the national maximum was 50mph, it would have been repealed much sooner than it was.

[dembotoz]

89. the interstate in wisconsin is in pretty rough shape

last spring drove from milwaukee area to knoxville tn round trip. I was amazed at how smooth the roads were.
70-80 miles per hour just cruising along. I was literally shocked. Here is cheeseland there are parts of i-43 that i won't go over 60 on because the car shakes

if you are going to do 70 fix the damn roads first

[Jenoch]

92. I was referring to freeway design,

not maintenance. The freeways that I travel in Minnesota outside of the Twin Cities are all in pretty decent shape.

[A HERETIC I AM]

72. Jay Leno was on "Reeal Time" a few weeks ago and made an interesting and accurate point;

(Paraphrasing) "A 55 Chevy sitting in the sun, engine off, gives out more harmful emissions than a modern, non-hybrid car does at 70 MPH."

But you and your OP have taken enough drubbing, so I won't pile on, except to say....



sheesh....

[bobclark86]

75. Yay for traffic fatalities!!! YAAAY!

[alarimer]

78. Increased speed limits have coincided with increased safety of vehicles.

Which is why we haven't seen increased fatality rates. When it comes to car accidents, vehicles are so much safer than they used to be that safety is not the best argument for keeping speed limits lower. I still think 70 is about right. I have noticed in my personal vehicle (which is a 2010), I get much better gas mileage at 65 compared to 70. It is noticeably different. I would guess that other cars are similar.

I really think, though, that the best application for driverless cars is long-distance highway driving. Have you ever noticed how there are slowdowns for no reason, because people are following each other much too closely, so that when someone puts on the brakes, everyone does? I think driverless cars would end that practice and make highway travel faster and smoother. Plus, highway driving is SO boring that it would be nice to read a book or something.

But I have noticed that this topic bring out the "Fuck everyone, I'll do whatever the hell I want" crowd even among progressives. It's too bad really. It just shows how people are basically all assholes.

[ProfessorGAC]

81. They Already Did That In IL

Stretches of I-80 to the west of I-55, I-55 from just south of Joliet to at least Bloomington, nearly all of I-39, and i-57 south of Kankakee have had 70mph signs up for around a year now.

[LiberalAndProud]

85. It's been 75 across the Nebraska freeways since 55 was repealed.

I'm sort of surprised Wisconsin has been so slow.

(pun intended)

[NCTraveler]

87. I don't see how keeping it at 55 is a progressive position.

I have no science to back this up but bet it is pretty accurate. One evening of rush hour in LA, with the road system as it currently is, will generate more in emissions than any speed limit change in WI over a whole year would create. Find a way to actually keep cars moving at a reasonable pace all over the country and it will make a speed limit change in WI seem like what it is, insignificant. Bringing infrastructure to a point where it could mathematically withstand the increase in people over the next hundred years is what we should be thinking about.

[cherokeeprogressive]

88. You should move to Oregon. 55 mph max on all roads...

And all gas is pumped by gas station employees.

[MineralMan]

90. Interstates in Minnesota, except in major cities, are 70 MPH.

Even my little Kia Soul with a 1.6 L engine does fine at 70 MPH. In sixth gear, the engine is running at 3000 RPM at that speed, and the car gets 35 MPG when driven steadily at that speed, measured during a long trip.

70 MPH is a reasonable speed limit on the open Interstate between major cities.

[Aerows]

91. 70 mph is about right for most vehicles these days

There is little to no stress on the engine at 85 mph, and probably minimal loss of fuel efficiency.

Why would you want to drive slower and be more fuel inefficient than to drive faster and get better gas mileage? The main danger on the Interstate systems is NOT people driving too fast (unless it is raining or icy conditions) - it's people driving too slow.

[lumberjack_jeff]

101. After speed limits were raised, fatalities were reduced.

Somewhat reduced on the highways, but dramatically reduced on secondary roads that speeders used to avoid the highways.

Much of this is due to improving vehicle safety.

http://www.motorists.org/speed-limits/langlotz

There aren't many good reasons for 55mph. It's not any safer and it would save an insignificant amount of fuel.

In fact, highway safety isn't a function of absolute velocity so much as relative velocity. The main safety benefit of increased freeway speed is that it decreases the delta-vee between fast and slow cars.

[Ed Suspicious]

102. You're not going to find a complaint out of me about this.

[olddots]

104. I'm a motor head with a few years left

hopefully my grandson will live in a world that cares about a future .

[liberal N proud]

105. Ohio is pushing for 75 ON freeways

Still 55 on two lane highways.

[SpartanDem]

106. I've never understood why Americans are so skittish about speed

120km or 75 mph is generally the standard for freeways in most developed nations. You talk about raising speed limits to what the rest of world has done forever in this country and it sends so much of the public and politician into "won't you think of the children" panics.

[riderinthestorm]

109. My 06 Volvo shows MPG averages on my dash. My daughter's 2000 VW does the same

Europeans have always been way ahead on these calculations and have touted mpg as a selling point far longer than we have.

They've worked it into their computer systems. We can be cruising down the highway and the cars' computers tells us how to maximize our mpg.

[ND-Dem]

112. no. i'm not.