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From: wagner@utcsstat.UUCP (Michael Wagner)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Fast driving
Message-ID: <1695@utcsstat.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Jan-84 21:11:30 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsstat.1695
Posted: Thu Jan 26 21:11:30 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Jan-84 21:40:06 EST
References: <3122@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada
Lines: 17

One issue which hasnt (I think) been raised here yet is that we are probably
all implicitely comparing apples and orange crates here, at least across the
Canada/U.S. border.  Our (Canada's) highway system is significantly better
than the American highways that I have had the (dis)pleasure of driving on,
and I have driven a fair number of American highways.  So while it is
unsafe (perhaps) to drive above 55 on an American highway, it need not be.
A drive on our 400 series highways will demonstrate the difference.  It has
been suggested, in fact, that it is unsafe to drive too slowly on them, because
one tends to find it too monotonous at low speeds.  They are significantly
smoother, both in the micro and macro scale, and this saves considerable fuel.
We fell from 70 to 60 to mimick Geraldine Ford, and I have seen no reliable
studies that demonstrate any positive compensation for slowing down.  In fact,
in one province, the limit is still 70 (translated to metric, of course), and
I have yet to see any demonstration that consumption or accidents are any
different there.

Michael Wagner, UTCS (utcsstat!wagner)