Obeying current speed limits saves lives as well as gasoline

Morning News
Published: July 18, 2008

U.S. Sen. John Warner of Virginia wants Congress to consider a national speed limit to help save gasoline.

It appears that some people have already thought about that on their own.

And that might be one of the side benefits of the increase in the price of gasoline.

Warner thinks we should go back to the federal speed limit that went away some 13 years ago.

In started in 1974, when federal legislation put the speed limit at 55 mph to help cut gasoline consumption after the oil embargo.

When the limits were dropped the cost of crude oil was about $18 a barrel, and we were paying about $1.15 a gallon for gasoline.

Current prices of course are way above that averaging in the range of $130 to $140 for a barrel and gasoline averaging above $4 a gallon.

According to a story from Media General’s Columbia bureau, Warner wrote U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman requesting the Department of Energy check on the impacts of reducing speed limits.

He is asking them to say what speed would be best to reduce gasoline use.

According to the letter, Warner used DOE data to show that gasoline mileage tends to decline considerably at speeds faster than 60 mph.

At today’s gasoline prices, every 5 mph over that speed equates roughly to paying an extra 30 cents per gallon, according to those DOE figures.

According to the Media General story, the S.C. Office of Highway Safety also said if people slow down we also could save lives.

Director Phil Riley said in that story there have been 73 fewer highway fatalities in 2008, compared with last year at this time — a 13 percent reduction.

Riley said part of the reason is that South Carolinians are driving slower to save fuel.

“Four dollars a gallon for gas certainly has contributed to it,” he said. “Lowering the speed limit would save lives, and we’re already seeing that.”

So, while the politicians argue about ways to help deal with the high price of gasoline, maybe we should just slow down.

We can save money and lives, as well.