Congresswoman Jackie Speier

HR 6458
Establishing a National 60 mph Speed Limit

The skyrocketing price of gasoline is the number one issue facing the American public today. That is why I introduced HR 6458, the "Gasoline Savings and Speed Limit Reduction Act" which sets a national 60 miles per hour speed limit in urban areas and 65 mph elsewhere.

In the 1970s, the implementation of a national speed limit resulted in a 2-3% reduction in fuel consumption and saved American drivers $2 billion a year in fuel costs. At today's oil prices, a 2 percent drop in fuel consumption would net $28 billion in savings to American drivers. An added benefit is the estimated 2,000-4,000 lives per year saved while the old law was in effect.

There is a direct and undeniable correlation between speed and fuel efficiency. The Environmental Protection Agency website (www.fueleconomy.gov) says: "While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at different speeds… gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds over 60 mph. You can assume that each 5mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional 30 cents per gallon for gas."

Businesses concerned about their bottom lines have already recognized this. Companies such as Staples, with fleets of large trucks, have voluntarily adopted a company-wide speed limit of 60 mph. The United States Postal service is redrawing routes for its trucks so they make fewer left turns, since idling at traffic signals is another big gas-waster. Asking Americans to reduce their speed by just five miles an hour is an easy, painless and patriotic way of not only saving money for themselves, but reducing our county's reliance on foreign oil, limiting our addiction to fossil fuels and cutting back on noxious fumes and dangerous greenhouse gases that lead to global warming.

HR 6458 has received backing from a wide array of organizations, including the American Trucking Associations, the Union of Concerned Scientists and Friends of the Earth.

Since the oil companies are unlikely to lower gas prices themselves, it is time for Congress and the American people to take matters into our own hands. We can all pay less at the pump by simply easing up on the accelerator and reducing their consumption of gasoline.