Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ut-ngp.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!knutson From: knutson@ut-ngp.UUCP Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: "The biggest farce ever" Message-ID: <714@ut-ngp.UUCP> Date: Tue, 19-Jun-84 10:07:10 EDT Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.714 Posted: Tue Jun 19 10:07:10 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 21-Jun-84 03:32:25 EDT References: <2104@ihnss.UUCP> Organization: U.Texas Computation Center, Austin, Texas Lines: 24 Yes, you may have better gas mileage at 55 compared to 75, but did you notice that your Toyota also gets better gas mileage at 62 than it does at 55? Ours does. This was verified by a trip from Central Texas to the Virginia coast and back. The average distance was about 3 mpg. It's not much but every bit helps. The real point is that the technology exists now to produce cars and engines that have better gas mileage at 70, 80, 90, ... than they do at 55. Todays cars are designed for running best at somewhere close to 55 so obviously they do worse at 70. If the speed limit is switched back to 75 or above then auto manufactures will just change the design a little and now you have a fuel efficient car running at 75. Now, why don't we discuss why we don't go the autobahn method of unlimited or nearly unlimited speeds on limited access divided highways. Another reason for the 55 speed limit was the death rate. However, this was partly due to crossing lanes into oncoming traffic on the old highway system where highways were not yet divided and colliding head on with another car. The other factor in deaths was drunk driving and such which had nothing to do with the speed limit. Since we now have divided highways, that should eliminate the problem of head on collisions. That just leaves adverse weather and drunks. Drunks have nothing to do with the speed limit and anyone doing 70+ mph in a downpour deserves to slide off the road.