It Makes Good Sense

Poststructural Pub
1

Those of you old enough to remember the gasoline shortages during the administration of Jimmy Carter recall that President Carter appeared on national TV to appeal for conservation of energy. To help ease the nation’s gasoline consumption, a 55 m.p.h. speed limit was imposed throughout the country.

In contrast, even though President Bush has recently appealed for conservation due to questions about the supply of gasoline and other energy sources this winter, I notice that my state of Indiana has just raised the speed limit on freeways and divided highways by 5 m.p.h. Since the speed limits had been stable for years, I am curious how the increase was decided on.

Of course, I am not privy to what goes on behind closed doors at the statehouse in Indianapolis. I have heard, however, that the newly elected governor of Indiana reasoned before the highway committee that increasing the freeway driving speed would mean that people got to their destination quicker, thus saving gas in the process. My source on this might not be reliable, but the governor was reported to have said, “It makes good sense.” I supposed that there was a nodding of heads around the boardroom table, as well.

2

Doug, do you have “tolerances” on US roads and highways? Here we can usually get away with an extra 10 km/h if traffic is light. School zones or “no tolerance” zones have to be obeyed, of course, but I agree that it makes sense and saves money to get people to where they’re going faster.

djm

3

djm - it depends…

It depends on the jurisdiction - it depends on the day of the month - it depends on the individual officer. Sometimes you can get away with 5 - 10 miles over, other times you can’t get away with 2 miles over.
School zones, etc. are a different thing - those are usually pretty strictly adhered to.

4

It does? It sure doesn’t save gas… if you raise the speed you are
driving, you make the engine work harder, and you use more gas for
the same distance traveled. I believe Doug may be using sarcasm in
this instance to underscore the governer’s idiocy?

5

In many, if not most places in the US you have to be going insanely fast to get a speeding ticket. As Missy pointed out, it does depend – there are places that are favorite speed traps, and sometimes at the end of the month, patrolmen will crack down to achieve their quotas, which of course do not exist and are illegal.

And to build on what Fear pointed out, drag forces tend to take over as the dominant resistance to motion around 40 mph. Friction is constant with speed, while drag increases (I believe) as the cube of the speed, so mileage goes down quickly above 40-50 mph. Of course there are other factors – as the density of cars goes up, drag goes down, and if the cars keep moving, then that’s a good thing. OTOH, as the density of cars goes up, so do accidents, which in turn leads to the cars not moving, which increases fuel consumption and really increases pollution.

Believe it or not, to move the highest volume of cars, the optimum speed is between 20 and 30 mph. Moreover, the optimum number of lanes is three. So all of these 4,- 5-, and even 6-lane highways in fact are able to move FEWER cars than a 3-lane. (I’m talking each direction, of course.) Evidently above 3 lanes, drivers spend so much time changing lanes that it reduces flow. This was first discovered in the 60’s, and has been borne out again and again. Probably by the time we run out of oil, policy makers will begin to recognize this.

We really do need to cease driving so fast, but the first step ought to be enforcing posted speed limits rather than reducing the speed limits. I’m of the opinion that the 55-mph limit passed in the Carter years was kind of an onset of anarchy in the country. It was an unenforced law that tought people, especially those just learning to drive, that laws were to be obeyed selectively. I’m not saying that speed limits were widely enforced before that, but it really became ridiculous at that point. The DC beltway is a good example. It’s speed limit 55 all the way 'round, but you’re taking your life in your hands if you’re not doing 70, even in the right-hand lane. There are also places where it’s curvey enough that I’m uncomfortable driving above about 60, but a lot of people do 80 at these points. And, you know what? There are loads of accidents in those places.

6

Sorry, but you are not counting the value of my time in your calculations. If I can take an hour or an even a half-hour off my travel time it is worth money, to me personally, and to the economy at large. Plus - I tend to doze off at 50 mph. Its too boring. 90 mph keeps my adreneline flowing and my attention focused. I call this using my fear to my own advantage. :wink:

djm

7

Yes, but you can’t play your flute going that fast . . .

8

cruise control, long legs & power steering…

Oh, and 30 years younger…

9

It scares the bejeebers out of me. I tell my kids that these people clearly do not understand the physics of velocity and impact. I’m sure they’re listening.

10

And friction/centripetal acceleration (holding the road) and reaction time. I’m glad that I almost never have to drive around the Temple, which is where I find it the worst.

11

Well, if you’re going to be insulting, I’ll go play somewhere else. :imp:

12

Ah, not ewe! :slight_smile:

I was thinkin’ 'bout driving from Ohio to Washington in 1973…
I picked up a hitchhiker, with a guitar, just outside of Fargo.
It was 250 miles before he could accompany me…

Dang near tossed the sucker out first… :astonished:

13

Oh, I see. I misunderstood.

Just so you know, I’m six.

14

It seemed implied from your response!
six foot?

15

But you can play a tabor pipe with one hand and drive with the other…

16

Just for the record…the safest speed limit (generally speaking, for the average person) in any area is the posted speed limit; the faster you go than the general flow of traffic (assuming, of course, that traffic is generally traveling the posted speed limit) you become dangerous. If you are traveling below the posted speed limit (while traffic is generally averaging the posted limit) you become as much of a liability to other drivers as if you were going faster than the posted speed limit! (((travel with the flow of traffic. If traffic is moving at 30mph, go 30mph for cryin out loud :stuck_out_tongue: .)))
The posted speed limit is determined by folks who know a little somethin’-somethin’ about how to control and regulate traffic (I’m not saying that it’s much, mind, or that your milage may not vary…), but more important than that, through science the police can determine down to within one or two MPH how fast someone was going at the time of an impact ( in short, based on the wonderful laws of physics and our wonderful friends in the auto industry who perform so many tests for us and supply us with so many wonderful tables of results for almost any car in existance…). Traveling the posted speed limit can reduce your liability in an accident if someone around you causes one (depending on the laws in your state). Not only is it a physical protection, but a legal protection.


Edited to add…
as far as MPG goes…60mpg is the absolute optimum cruising speed for your average vehicle…for every MPH over 60 you average, your average MPG goes down 1mpg.

again…beating the dead horse…
you wanna conserve gas??? get rid of that damn SUV/pickup truck/H2/(insert your large-displacement-engined-Sherman-tank-o-matic here) and buy a smaller, more efficient car!

Wanna conserve even more gas???

Get your foot aoutta tha damned accelerator!!


Wanna save even more gas than that?


Buy a Mini. :stuck_out_tongue:

17

Been around my ex-mother-in-law, huh??? :smiley:
She drives 40 on the highway, uses her high lights continuously at night, etc. The last time I “allowed” the kids to ride with her, my oldest came home saying “I thought we were gonna die!”. I was ever so glad that my oldest got his license so that they would never have to ride with her driving again!
One of the talk radio hosts here calls these drivers “Q-Tips” cuz all you see is white fuzz poking over the steering wheel.

My mom, on the otherhand, is affectionately called “the little old lady from Cincinnati” in her brand new G6. :smiley:

18

LMAO :laughing: :laughing:
That’s pretty funny, I’ll have to tell my wife about that, she’ll get such a kick outtta that! :laughing: