Highway Speed Limits – Yes
Should U.S. National Speed Limits Revert Back To 55 Miles Per Hour? Of course they should! Will they? I doubt it very much.
As has been noted in other excellent articles presented here, the 55 mile per hour speed limit was tried before, in 1974. The 55 miles per hour law was a laughing matter. It was violated by millions of drivers. It was detested. It was not enforced by the authorities. It was a farce.
What is it that causes people to act against their own interests? I believe that it is a question of immaturity and selfishness.
What can be expected of people who ignore basic care of their own health, the need to maintain proper body weight and to perform regular exercise so that they will have a better chance of enjoying a healthy life, but instead wolf down junk food and sugar laden soft drinks and plump their fat bottoms down in front of TV's or video games for hours and hours each day? Most people are immature slobs. Their attitudes regarding driving reflect this.
Doing what is good for us as individuals and what is good for the country and the world requires some maturity. It is well documented that reduced speeds require less energy and result in fewer lost lives and less expense related to accidents.
The 1974 law was a failure because it was not observed. It seems certain that any such law now would also be very unpopular and that it would not be observed by many citizens and would not be enforced by many authorities.
Americans don't like to be told what to do. They hold freedom to be paramount even when such freedom is injurious to themselves and to others.
It has been well demonstrated that lower speeds promote both fuel efficiency and safety. Numerous scientific studies have so demonstrated.
What is the best or ideal maximum speed limit? I cannot locate any convincing report dealing with this subject. Is it 55 miles per hour? I don't know. It appears as though more study is needed in this area.
We, as citizens and taxpayers, have the right and indeed the obligation to determine the rules and regulations which apply to the use of our public streets, roads and highways. If a majority of the citizens want maximum limits of 80 miles per hour on limited access freeways in rural areas, then that is what should prevail, no matter how shortsighted, immature, wasteful and selfish that limit would be.
It seems to me that those drivers who love the thrill of driving at very high speeds should take their vehicles to a race track and pay for the privilege of driving there. I hope that they will refrain from using public roads. My kids might be out there!
For those of us who believe that speed limits should be lowered, it seems to me that the only hope for progress toward this end is through education. This education should start in the first few years of elementary school. Kids are always interested in cars. Responsible attitudes regarding vehicles should be taught to them when they are very young.
We can do better as a people. We should grow up!
