Kyle Lucas
English 105H12
Proposal Argument
Speed: Killer or Partner?
We hear everyday that, “time is money,” and it seems that time is getting pretty
expensive in today’s fast paced society. Well then why must Americans waste their time
and money by being forced to abide by obsolete speed limits? When going on trips of
any great distance in the United States, the amount of time needed is sometimes more
than it needs to be. It seems apparent to me that so much time could be saved if speed
limits were raised on federal interstates, and that’s why I feel they should be raised;
primarily to save time and secondly because the conditions under which the speed limits
were lowered no longer exist.
In January of 1974, President Nixon signed into law a bill imposing a nationwide
55-mph speed limit on all federal highways. He did this in response to an Arab oil
embargo that was limiting US supplies of oil and gasoline. Experts said that cutting back
on speed would reduce demand on the already strained supply of oil. For many years
after the embargo was over, all attempts by states to raise speed limits were met with
warnings of decreased funding for highways by the government.1 Then in December of
1995, Congress passed the National Highway System Designation Act, which repealed
the national 55-mph speed limit and allowed states to set their own.2 Many states raised
limits immediately to 65-mph and some even higher to 70 or 75. Montana adopted a
“reasonable and prudent” speed limit during the day, which basically requires drivers to
1
2
“55-mph speed limit passes a milestone..” U.S. News & World Report, Jan 23, 1984 v96 p11(1).
Kaye, Steven D. “Hello 75, so long 55.” U.S. News & World Report, Dec 18, 1995 v119 n24 p71(5).
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exercise caution and still allows police to pull over motorists if their speed is deemed too
high. At night, however, there is a 65-mph limit.
The benefits of higher speed limits are many. The main one is the time that can
be saved by driving faster. The old adage of “getting there is half the fun” is just that:
old. People today, especially families, are anxious to get to their particular destination in
as little time as possible in order to maximize the often short time they have for vacation.
An extra hour could mean being able to fit in a round of miniature golf before dinner,
having time to visit the monkey house before the zoo closes, or spending extra time at a
favorite museum. People on business trips would also benefit from saved time. An extra
hour here or there could be significant in preparing for a business trip, or it could mean
having a little extra time before a meeting to relax and go into the meeting refreshed
rather than hurried and cranky after a long car ride.
But just how much time can a few extra miles per hour save? Quite a bit
actually. For example, a trip from Denver to Kansas City is 608 miles, and at 65 mph, it
would take nine hours and 34 minutes. At 75 mph, the same trip would take only eight
hours and 22 minutes; that’s a difference of one hour and twelve minutes for the small
increase of ten mph!3
When the national speed limit was first lifted in 1995, there were questions of
safety concerning higher speed limits, but highways did not become significantly more
dangerous. In July of 1997, federal officials reported 41,907 deaths on highways for
1996. This is a mere 0.2% increase in the number of deaths over the previous year. This
is not to say that those deaths are insignificant, only that such an increase could just as
3
Ibid.
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easily have occurred during any other year with lower speed limits.
The number of
deaths per billion miles traveled remained the same as it had since 1992 at 1.7, the lowest
in history. Even in Montana with its “reasonable and prudent” speed limit, safety was not
a concern as the number of highway deaths actually declined by 7.5% from 215 to 200.4
One major reason these numbers are still so low is that cars today are so much
safer than they were 20 years ago. Not only air bags and antilock brakes, but also things
like stronger overall structures, “crumple zones,” and better handling capabilities have
contributed to safer American highways. Often these new technologies came out of
higher safety standards put on automobile manufacturers by the government.
The concerns over the environment that led to the 55-mph speed limit in the first
place have become obsolete along with the speed limit itself. Along with being safer,
today’s cars are also much more environmentally friendly. They are twice as fuel
efficient as those of the mid 1970’s and go twice as far on a gallon of gas.5 Things today
are so much more efficient that even though our economy is 72% larger than in 1974, we
consume the same amount of oil.6 In addition to this, we are continuing to strive to
further protect our finite supply of oil. Automakers have been developing cars that run
more efficiently and, in some cases, without gasoline at all. Dodge, for example, is
making plans to begin production of a gas-electric Durango, Dodge’s popular sport utility
vehicle, slated to hit the market in 2003.7 Already, Honda and Toyota have been
producing hybrid cars that run on a combination of gas and electric power and get up to
Cook, William J. “A false alarm on speed and fatalities.” U.S. News & World Report, July 28, 1997 v123
n4 p36(1)
5
Kaye, Steven D. “Hello 75, so long 55.”
6
Ibid.
7
Weiser, Carl. “Chrysler to make gas-electric Durango.” Des Moines Sunday Register. November 12,
2000.
4
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70 miles per gallon. These fully functional cars are currently available with little to no
extra expense or maintenance required. The problem in the past with using electricity to
power cars was the issue of recharging the battery cells. The Honda Insight solves this
problem by using regenerative braking so that whenever the car brakes, the fuel cells are
recharged. In an effort to encourage production of such cars and to help cover additional
costs to allow for equal competition against gas powered cars in the market, the federal
government is offering tax cuts to anyone who purchases an electric car and soon for
hybrid cars as well.8
One clear example of how higher speed limits can work is on the autobahns of
Germany, where speed is limited only by the size of your engine except in cases of heavy
traffic, bad weather, or on particularly dangerous stretches of road like in the mountains.
From personal experience, these speeds can exceed 130 mph, yet the number of fatalities
is comparable to that of the United States.9 One reason for this is that, not only do
Germans know how to build cars, they also drive them in a very professional manner.
They are not even allowed to get their license until eighteen years of age and even then, it
costs between $1,000 and $2,000. Traffic laws are much stricter and more expensive to
break. A drunk driving charge can bring you dangerously close to losing your license for
life. Yes, for life. Germans take their driving very seriously; it is a job for them and a
big responsibility. As long as drivers in America realize this and their level of awareness
and focus rises with their speed, driving at higher speeds can be very safe, even with
other cars going slower. The key is simply smart, aware drivers.
8
9
Ibid.
Kaye, Steven D. “Hello 75, so long 55.”
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With only a little effort, more and more states could adopt higher speed limits or
even go as far as Montana or Germany and have no daytime limit. In some areas,
especially in the mountains or on the crowded city highways, limits would be
appropriate, but for places like Iowa and other plains states in particular, there is hardly
any reason not to let people drive as fast as they feel comfortable. With more thorough
driver education, better drivers, and continued improvement on efficiency and safety in
cars, having higher or no speed limits could be a safe, enjoyable, and profitable way to
travel.
Do you want to spend any more your vacation in the car than you have to when
you could get there and hit the pool with your kids earlier? Do you want to have to rush
into an important business meeting after a long drive and risk losing a big contract
because you had did not have enough time to prepare? And if you could accomplish this
in a safe, inexpensive manner, wouldn’t that be great? It is very possible and all you
have to do is call or write your Congress people and tell them to support legislation to
raise speed limits on our highways.
Kyle Lucas
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English 105H12