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From: khw@druky.UUCP (WilliamsonKH)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Change the 55 mph law
Message-ID: <718@druky.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-Jun-84 11:10:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: druky.718
Posted: Thu Jun 28 11:10:30 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Jun-84 03:09:30 EDT
References: <567@ihuxa.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 53

Concerning changing the 55 mph law.
I have the following proposal which I believe could be a successful
compromise between those who wish to raise the speed limit unconditionally,
and those who wish to keep it the same.

First, the current situation:  Federal law requires states to set a maximum
55 mph speed limit or lose federal funding for highways.  Since the feds
pay 90% of new interstate construction costs, and more than half of all
remaining construction costs (excluding maintenance), this has been effective
club in forcing the states to pass and keep a local 55 mph limit.  And since
it is not strictly a national 55 law, it bypasses states rights concerns.
The law was passed at the time of the 1970's energy crisis, with the goal
of saving energy.  Since then arguments about keeping it also have cited
safety as a factor, since accidents at 55 are much more survivable than
at higher speeds.

I submit that energy savings is a legitimate national concern, appropriate
for action by Congress, but that setting a speed limit for safety reasons
should be a local concern, appropriate not for a national law, but left
up to the discretion of the states.

Now for the proposal.  I believe that Congress should pass a law giving
the states the power to set the speed limit to whatever they want on
qualifying highways.  Legalistic language would define what a qualifying
highway is, but basically the concept is one of a rural highway which
isn't in a corridor which gets a very large quantity of traffic.
I believe that if everybody in Montana, say, drove 70 for a year,
that the extra gas wasted would be less than what is used (not necessarily
wasted) in a large city, say New York, in a day.  In other words, it is
a drop in the bucket.
Now the 55 limit is a heavy burden in Montana, as in most rural areas,
and especially the West, since the distances one has to travel to get
between places is large.  It is not uncommon for distances between
places to be 500 miles.  It is not nearly as heavy a burden where to get
to the next place, you have to go less than about 100 miles, and this is
where most traffic in this country is.  To use a concrete example.  I
would not support raising the speed limit on the New York to Philadelphia
corridor, because there is a lot of traffic on this, and the distance
is not large enough to be a heavy burden for those travelling on it.

So that is my proposal.  It doesn't solve the entire problem, and will
make some people unhappy.  But it does lift the 55 mph burden from the
places where it lays heaviest.  Note that the states are free to leave
the speed limit right where it is, if they desire, for safety reasons
or whatever.

If you think this is a good idea, why not send it on to your friends
and representatives in Congress?

		Karl Williamson
		ATT ISL Denver
		..druky!khw
		303-538-4583