New “Commuter Crossroads” published in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, Free Lance–Star

Drive the Speed Limit Day

By Steve Dunham

This column appeared in the Fredericksburg, VA, Free Lance–Star on Jan. 6, 2008, and is reproduced with permission.

“Keep your speed at 65 mph and you can cut the rising cost of a fill-up, ease the angst of the commute and provide a bigger safety cushion,” wrote Roadshow columnist Gary Richards of the San Jose Mercury News. Since June 2007, he has been promoting the first Friday of each month as Drive the Speed Limit Day, “an idea hatched by” his readers, who “say keeping to the posted speed limit Friday is about something much bigger than burning less fuel. It’s also about saving lives.” He pointed out that “since 1968, when the [California Highway Patrol] began tracking day-to-day fatalities, there have been only three days when no one was killed on California roads.”

Speeding hurts the environment too, he wrote: “Speeding can cause a vehicle to operate for long periods putting out high degrees of smog.”

“Speeds above 60 mph can especially be a drag,” wrote Orrin Cook in his TerraPass blog. He cited “U.S. Department of Energy estimates that for … every 5 mph above 60, the decreased fuel efficiency is the equivalent of paying a $0.20 surcharge on each gallon.”

To judge by the comments of Roadshow readers in San Jose, obeying the speed limit once a month isn’t very hard, and they find it worthwhile.

“Wow, ‘Drive The Speed Limit Day’ was surprisingly easy, with fewer people tailgating me than when I go 70-75 mph,” commented Roadshow reader Jennifer Silveira.

Maybe people are nicer in California. I’ve found that in the Fredericksburg area and almost everywhere north of here, if you obey the speed limit you will be hollered at, honked at, cursed at and crowded. I obey the speed limit anyway, and stop signs, red lights and school zones too. I’ve seen speeding havoc happen in front of my eyes, including a car spinning—yes, rotating—out of control and a car smashing through the gates of a railroad crossing. I’ve seen the results of crashes and heard many more stories from a buddy who has decades of experience with a rescue squad. I’ve also seen what speeders do to pedestrians and bicyclists, especially children: speeding robs them of safety and peace when not robbing them of life and limb. I’ve decided not to be part of that, and I’ve concluded that I don’t have a right to exempt myself from the law.

Drive the Speed Limit Day? For me and some other people, it’s every day. It saves gas, it promotes safety, it pollutes less, and it gives some respect to people who are walking or bicycling and really sparing the environment and consuming less gas.

The next Drive the Speed Limit Day in California is Feb. 1. Virginia could give it a try. Gas is expensive enough, the air is dirty enough, and the carnage on the roads is deadly enough to motivate some people to make a difference. And, yes, one person can make a difference. Cook estimated that he would put 152 to 590 pounds less of greenhouse gases into the air each year by reducing his speed to the posted limit. He also calculated that he could save anywhere from $17 to $67 a year in fuel costs. If that doesn’t sound like much money, try giving what you don’t spend on gas to the Fredericksburg Food Bank or another local charity. Ask what they could do with $67 or even $17.

“This isn’t just about gas,” wrote Silveira. “It’s about treating strangers with some consideration as you share the road.”

[More “Commuter Crossroads”]

[Return to the home page]