abolish speed limits

[Franzl]

I wouldn't necessarily abolish them, but speed limits in the U.S. are a sad joke.

[Franzl]

Terrible idea. A lot of people would take advantage of that in reckless ways. Plus our oil consumption would go up even more. If anything, maybe we should consider a national speed limit again.

No offense...but national speed is just a lazy way of trying to reduce consumption. Encourage smaller and more efficient cars..that makes a much bigger difference than forcing people to drive like snails.

A small Ford Fiesta driving at 90 mph surely uses less fuel than a Dodge Ram at 55.

[Franzl]

Terrible idea. A lot of people would take advantage of that in reckless ways. Plus our oil consumption would go up even more. If anything, maybe we should consider a national speed limit again.

No offense...but national speed is just a lazy way of trying to reduce consumption. Encourage smaller and more efficient cars..that makes a much bigger difference than forcing people to drive like snails.

A small Ford Fiesta driving at 90 mph surely uses less fuel than a Dodge Ram at 55.

Why not do both? It isn't as if we have to choose between speed limits and efficient cars. Personally I think a 60 mph national speed limit plus more efficient cars would be a good idea. No speed limits are not an option, especially in areas with significant populations.

Of course there should be speed limits in urban areas.....but try driving through Montana or Nebraska at 60 mph.

It's simply mean.

Seriously though, if gas becomes expensive enough....the market will take care of people driving fast. It's not an area that I think the government should get involved. (beyond reasonable speed limits in high density areas and residential areas and such)

[Franzl]

Terrible idea. A lot of people would take advantage of that in reckless ways. Plus our oil consumption would go up even more. If anything, maybe we should consider a national speed limit again.

No offense...but national speed is just a lazy way of trying to reduce consumption. Encourage smaller and more efficient cars..that makes a much bigger difference than forcing people to drive like snails.

A small Ford Fiesta driving at 90 mph surely uses less fuel than a Dodge Ram at 55.

Why not do both? It isn't as if we have to choose between speed limits and efficient cars. Personally I think a 60 mph national speed limit plus more efficient cars would be a good idea. No speed limits are not an option, especially in areas with significant populations.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts. I'd invest a lot in alternative energy, public transportation, etc. too though. Actually I'd say the real problem is our highly inefficient (and heavily subsidized) suburban lifestyle. I can understand wanting some space from downtown but there's no reason to have endless stretches of nothing where you literally can't survive without a car.

Shouldn't it be a state thing though? Why should people in Idaho have to drive just as slow as in Rhode Island?

And in general, just because you don't have a speed limit, doesn't mean that everyone will drive as fast as they can. I see plenty of people on the Autobahn everyday (including myself) that drive somewhere around 75 mph or so. I'm extremely confident that much much much less fuel is used daily per motorist on the Autobahn than on the American interstate. I even get over 40 mpg at that speed.

I just get the impression that people that seriously suggest draconian speed limits like 55 or 60 mph are more reactionaries and not people that really care about solving the underlying problem. It's much more convenient to tell everyone to simply drive more slowly without addressing the bigger problem of huge trucks and SUVs and other parts of how people go about with energy. I've been in enough fast food drive thrus in the States. How many people turn off their motor?

It's just one of these topics that gets me aggrevated. Sorry if that sounded harsh