Another comment by Stan

We got yet another of those political newsletters by email today, this one from Senator John Cornyn. The Honorable Mr. Cornyn’s very first note was about what he was doing to help out with the fuel crisis–drilling in ANWAR, etc, etc–but slowing down was not among them. So, once again, we wrote to the good Senator to remind him of this proven tactic for reducing fuel consumption. Our letter:

Dear Mr. Cornyn:

I read the note on energy policy in your recent newsletter and would like to ask you to consider an easy, guaranteed gas saver: Lower the speed limit.

There is much research that shows that fuel efficiency drops off dramatically as speeds rise above 60 MPH and to suggest that setting a national limit of 55 MPH will immediately lower gas consumption somewhere in the range of 15 percent.

I invite you to be a hero and take a brave stand. Don’t take my word for it, though. Ask one of your staff members to spend an afternoon chasing through the research and he or she will be convinced.

Sincerely,
Stan Raines

We’ll see what Mr. Cornyn has to say beyond the auto-generated “Yeah, we got it” email. Then a little while ago, having failed in our other assigned mission to get the lawn mower running again (it’s electric and parts purchasing is a difficult issue), we ran a google on ’speed limits and gas consumption’ and, within two clicks had arrived at www.fueleconomy.gov where our own governing lords recommend lower speeds and, in fact, reduce the issue to this very simple graph with text explanation:

Observe the Speed Limit

While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.

Observing the speed limit is also safer.

source: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml

As you can see on the little graph, peak efficiency is somewhere around fifty-five. And the savings–seven to twenty-three percent? What if, by slowing down a little, adding a little leisure to your trip, you were able to cut your consumption by as much as nearly a quarter? Would you do it?

Tell you what. We’re going to try it. We must travel to Austin tomorrow and we’ll set the cruise control at fifty-five. Yes, we’ll have to hang very far right on the road to get out of the way of the unenlightened ones blurring by at seventy and eighty and we’ll have to leave earlier to make our six-thirty cocktail hour, but maybe life has been moving too quickly lately, anyway.

Further, we’ll challenge you, too. Next time you must pop out to Port Isabel or over to Harlingen or other points west or north or south, set your cruise control (or lead-foot adjustment plate) at fifty-five and compare your mileage results. Ultimately, we don’t need an act of law to cause us to behave intelligently. We could use our brains.

Of course, if we could get the Big Boys and Girls on board and by a simple act cut fuel consumption by fifteen percent, well, what happens to fuel prices? What happens to imports? Perhaps if some of our readers would take the time to point out the facts to their representatives, something bigger might occur. But in the meantime, there is always the power of the individual action.