Fifty-Five Revived?
A nation-wide 55-mile-per-hour speed limit is once again being discussed in Congress. Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia has suggested that he may introduce the bill before he retires at the end of his term.
Warner has asked the Energy Department to research the most fuel efficient national speed, and points to a Congressional Research Study report that reduced speed limit law introduced in the 1970s reduced oil consumption and vehicular deaths.
While most consumers are against reviving the “Fifty-Five Alive” legislature, truckers have been the most receptive to the idea. Trucking associations would like to see the speed limit set at 65mph, which would increase truck mileage by more than 25 percent.
The 55mph national speed limit was originally enacted during the energy crisis of 1974. It was nullified in 1996 after twenty years of frustrated drivers and county court houses overflowing with speeding violations.
By now, most states have raised their speed limits to 65mph. A few allow up to 70mph, and Texas’ is as high as 80mph in some parts of the state.
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