With the introduction of the automobile in the early 1900s, laws have been
instituted to protect drivers on the road. With these laws come lawbreakers who put their
agenda in front of the well being of others. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost,
billions of dollars have been spent, and pollution has grown exponentially because of
drivers travelling at high speeds on roads (Hartman). To conserve fuel and save lives, the
fifty-five (55) miles per hour national speed limit should be restored.
Driving at 55 miles per hour or less conserves fuel. Billions of barrels of
oil and gas are used up each year so that Americans can drive at high speeds across the
country. Unfortunately, with high speeds comes high expenditures of fuel. Someone
driving at 70 miles per hour uses much more gas than that of someone driving at 55.
For example, a businessman who must travel all over the United States is
forced to fill up his gas tank often. However, if this same man goes at a safe speed of 55,
then he will not need to fill up nearly as much. This is because when the speed limit is
reduced, all drivers see his or her fuel economy go up. When drivers fill up less, then it
also puts more money into their pockets.
Recently, a test was conducted to see if driving fifty-five in a normal car
would prove to be the most fuel-efficient speed. A 2009 Honda Civic was filled up with
12.99 gallons of gas and then a driver was able to drive a total of 590.5 miles before
having to stop to fill up again. While the car averaged 45 miles per gallon on 550
highway miles, the Civic received the advertised 25 miles per gallon when driving in
town. To go almost 600 miles in a Honda Civic is unheard of, but this was possible
because the driver c...
... middle of paper ...
...rom a
national speed limit of 55 miles per hour.
Works Cited
Carrington, Damian. “Speed limit rise would increase deaths and pollution, admits
Government.” Guardian 30 Sep. 2011, daily n. pag. Web. 5 Dec. 2011
Friedman, Lee, Donald Hedeker, and Elihu Richter. “Long term effects of repealing the
National Maximum Speed Limit in the United States.” American Journal of
Public Health. 3 October 2010: 1-4. Web. 5 Dec. 2011
Hartman, J.P. “Road”. World Book Encyclopedia. 16. Chicago: 1995. Print. World
Book, Inc.
“Observe all speed limits, and never exceed 55 mph.” iDrive55. iDrive55. Web. 5 Dec.
2011
“Q&A: Speed and speed limits.” Insurance Intitute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss
Date Institute. Highway Safety Research & Communications, May 2011. Web. 5
Dec. 2011
Schultz, William. “Would You Drive 55?.” Time U.S., 25 Jul 2008: n. page. Web. 5
Dec. 2011.
Drivers who speed often do not realize the enormous danger they are creating. When someone is speeding they have a higher braking time and are often going too fast to notice all of their surroundings, and fail to take all of the safety precautions a driver should use. Road conditions play a large role in the effects of speeding. Choosing to speed can also get a person’s license taken away, cost a fortune, or both.
they do to complain about. For one, cars use gas a lot more efficiently than
The desire for self-preservation is present in all people; this is why SUV safety is such a huge issue. “Ask a typic...
Cars are a fantastic invention. They make our lives even more carefree by getting us from place to place quickly while eradicating the need for legs altogether. There is no doubt that the benefits of driving from place to place are numerous. However, driving takes a whole lot of fuel, and everyone knows that fuel for cars isn’t the most plentiful (or cheapest!) of resources.
The injector needs more gas to achieve the driver’s desired speed quickly. Acceleration that is too slow is less efficient because the car remains in low gear for a long time. Drivers are aware that such factors affect the car’s mileage, but aside from awareness, they must make a long-term change in their driving.
From first-hand experience, one should easily realize that the common man would feel negativity toward raising speed limits. People fall into this trap because the general public is often mislead into believing that abolishing speed limits on highways will only cause more harm than good. People often are the victims of misunderstanding and people rarely observe the advantages offered by increasing the speed limit to a safe level.
In 1974 The United States passed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act, during 1970’s oil crisis. One of the many provisions passed was the National maximum speed law of 55 mph in order to save fuel. While this sounded good on paper, it ultimately failed by cutting back fuel consumption by only 1%. Since 1994, when it was fully lifted there has been a raging debate over whether we should really raise speed limits. Many tests since the mid 90’s have evaluated both sides, such as Speed limit increases and Accident rates by Paul Frisman.
“Have you ever noticed how anyone going slower than you is an idiot, and everyone going faster than you is a maniac?” George Carlin once, jokingly asked. However, this is not the case for drivers on the famous highway systems in Germany. When you drive in Germany you can be“idiot” in the government’s eyes if you go too slowly, drive in the wrong lane or impede the flow of traffic. This distinction is not unique in Germany but is applicable on their federal highway system, aptly named the Autobahn. Rules regarding how anyone driving on the autobahn state that a driver must go a certain speed, or that driver becomes a public safety hazard, much like that of speeders in America. Many foreigners only hear how the autobahn has no speed limit and that is not necessarily true. There are in fact many areas that are speed limited and strictly enforced by the polizei and speed cameras integrated into the guard rail or surroundings. German drivers receive up to two years of very expensive and intensive training before driving within the country. In my opinion, I believe there should be an Autobahn-like system in America because it teaches future generations not only maturity, but also discipline and responsibility.
Great gas mileage is another reason to own a Honda Civic. College students need something that gets good gas mileage because as I said before generally funds are running short. With a fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon in the city, and 37 miles per gallon on the highway, fuel cost will be one of your least concerns. How many other cars in its class get that type of gas mileage? It seems amazing that this car gets such high fuel economy with its 1.7-liter engine and 127 hp.
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
According to Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) study in which speed limits were varied at 100 locations nationwide resulted "raising posted speed limits by as much as 15mph had little effect on the motorists' speed." The data actually indicates that accident rate reduced at sites where speed limits were raised. Traveling at high speeds saves time and gets you to your destination quicker and the traffic usually travels five to ten miles faster than the posted speed limit.
Imagine driving on I-75 as cars race by you at a blink of an eye. You are driving 60 miles per hour, the speed limit; they must be doing 100 miles per hour or more. This is not an illusion; this is the reality of driving on a highway. Believe it, it happens everyday. Cars race down the road at uncontrollable speeds that cause tickets, accidents, and sadly death. Speed limits are a must for traffic control, for safety in neighborhoods and for avoidance of collisions.
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers” -Dave Barry, comedian. The number of accidents over the last ten years have drastically increased, drivers are paying less attention to the road itself. Many individuals behind the wheel of a car believe that their driving does not affect the road conditions, however it always will. The driving habits of today are catastrophic due to the reasoning that the driving will affect other lives through reckless or distracted driving, and disobeying traffic laws.
...s to make traffic more efficient. For example, the Ohio Revised Code in section 4511.21 states clearly that "No person shall operate a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or a street car at a speed greater than reasonable or proper due regard to the traffic." Road speed limits are used to regulate the speed of vehicles. Sometimes people try to get somewhere and they go over the speed limit not realizing that they are putting themselves in danger. Now every time I get in a car with a friend or a family member, I make sure that they are going by the speed limit, not texting and paying attention on the road. It is very important that we follow this rules because they are only protecting us, and keeping us safe. If we want to reduce the millions of deaths that are caused by this imprudence every year we need to start being more responsible when we get behind the wheel.