Editor's Desk

A lesson learned on the road

Posted by: John Beck

Saturday, April 19, 2008 4:44 PM

Here's an idea. With gas prices expected to approach $4 a gallon later this spring, let's bring back the 55 mile per hour speed limit on interstate highways. That way most drivers will do about 65 miles per hour, we'll all save some money and reduce demand, thereby (maybe) lowering prices.

Last weekend, I had a trip scheduled that took me from Champaign to Carbondale, then to St. Louis, back to Champaign, up to Chicago and back to Champaign, a total of about 720 miles.

Gas prices at $3.40 or more a gallon will make you think twice about your driving habits. Or maybe just me, if the other drivers on the highways last weekend are any indication. When I set out for Carbondale last Friday afternoon, I decided to do something out of character - observe the speed limit for the whole weekend. My thought was to calculate gas mileage for the weekend to see how much fuel I saved over the way I usually drive.

Sure enough, driving at the speed limit did make a difference. I usually drive about 72 miles an hour on the interstate. My Chrysler Town and Country minivan gets about 20 miles per gallon on a good day at that speed. Driving 65 miles per hour, I got about 23 miles per gallon for the weekend, about a 15 percent increase in mileage. I figure that observing the speed limit saved a little less than 5 gallons of gasoline, or about $17. Not a windfall, but significant. On the other hand, it did add about an hour to the total driving time.

I bring this up because from my observations from a weekend on the road, very few drivers travel at the speed limit, or anything near it. I was passed like I was standing still by all manner of cars, SUVs and pickup trucks all weekend. Truckers, on the other hand, seem to be driving at their speed limit of 55 miles an hour. With diesel fuel going for $4.15 a gallon, it's probably a matter of economic survival for them.


Recently, we asked a number of area residents how they were coping with the rising cost of living in a project we called "Feeling the Pinch." We ran some of their stories in last Sunday's News-Gazette and even more on our Web site, which you can find under Web extras. We're planning more stories about the economy and tips on how you can save money, and we'd like to hear from you if you have ideas.

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