It is MY right to decide whether to burn more gas by traveling at 75 instead of 55!

I wrote back in August about my quandary of whether to "bey the speed limit, or just go with the flow?" I want to tackle another aspect of that question, because of rumors that the federal government wants to re-establish the nation 55 mile per hour limit. The reasons I have heard are: 1) cars run more efficiently at 55 than at 75, 2) driving slower will reduce global warming, and 3) driver slower reduces the number of accidents and fatalities. There are others, I am sure, but I am only going to deal with these three issues in this post.

I think that the issue of fuel consumption is somewhat bogus for at least two reasons. First of all, when the national speed limit was set to 55 miles per hour in the 70's, the cars were not as efficient, nor were they as "clean" as the cars of today. The increase in efficiency means that I am not consuming as much gas per mile driven, nor am I polluting the air as much as 35 years ago. Therefore, I can go about my regular schedule without having to feel guilty about it.

Secondly, if I am keeping my tires inflated and the car tuned and maintained on a regular basis, driving in an economically responsible way (no racing starts after a red light, not racing full throttle up to a red light and then slamming on my brakes at the last minute, for example), along with being smarter about planning my trips around town for maximum fuel economy, then why should I feel guilty about driving? My mini-van and economy car get much better mileage than the monster trucks and SUVs that have one person riding in them.

Thirdly, if I am conserving fuel and driving responsibly, then what impact does my driving at a speed higher than 55 really have? I am still having to travel with all those monster trucks and SUVs who often want to push me off the road, because they want to go faster than me and the law. If my car burns more gas on the trip to my parents (about 7+ hours) because I am doing 75, then the extra money comes out of my pocket. That should be a decision I make, not the government. If the speed limit is set lower by the state, then my time would be impacted, but I would still have to obey the law.

It should be my decision about whether to burn more gas on trip, not a group of people at the federal level who live in the eastern portion of the country. They think nothing of driving to and back from other states for a day trip, while it takes 5-6 hours just to reach the border of the nearest state from Phoenix. However, the city of Phoenix metropolitan area comprises an area of about 50 miles East to West and 35 miles North to South, which is about the size of the entire state of Rhode Island and half the size of the entire state of Connecticut which is only 85 by 65! "Big" cities like New York (about 14 by 17), Washington D.C. (about 15 by 15), and Philadelphia (about 16 by 12) don't even reach half the size of Phoenix, and even Chicago is at least 5 miles smaller on each side. Massachusetts is either 50 or 90 miles north to south depending on where you measure, and about 180 miles across from East to West. The 180 mile distance is how far it is from Phoenix to Flagstaff in Arizona, and it is about another 150 miles to the border of the state from Flagstaff! That trip to Flagstaff is really exciting since it is almost entirely desert. Why should I have to travel 55 mph through a desert?

Fourth, I do not see the connection between the constitutional mandate for the government "to protect and defend the country", to where they are trying again to limit my speed of travel. That should be up to each state. If the easterners want to poke along at 55 mph, then have fun at that speed. Please do not tell me I should have to cross the desert at that speed!

It is MY right to decide whether to burn more gas by traveling at 75 instead of 55 (assuming, of course, that the speed limit is 75)! The right to set the speed limit in a state should be confined to the state. I think this right should even apply to any "Interstate" or Federal roads that happen to pass through the state. It is state land, and the federal government should have no say in setting the limit. All right, I am going to come right out and say it. The U.S. Department of Transportation should be limited to regulating interstate commerce (not speeds on "Interstate" highways) and national safety standards. The people in the free market should be the ones that regulate fuel economy through their decisions to buy economical cars or not. If enough people refuse to buy the gas hogs now being produced, then the car makers will be forced to produce only economical and green cars.

I would appreciate any well thought out responses, both pro and con, on this issue. No, "Your an idiot" and "Get a life" are not consider to be productive and well thought out responses. If I am wrong, then tell me where I have made an error.