wrote in message news
On Sat, 9 Mar 2013 10:05:13 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:



In article ,
says...


We were on the right course in the 70's when we realized the danger
of
the automobile and lowered the speed limit to 55. Many lives were
saved and many more could have been saved, too, if the limit had been
decreased even farther to 5-10 MPH or even lower. Think of the lives
that could have been saved! However, a group of hoodlums promoting
the
false god of common sense not only kept that from happening, but
returned us to speeds as high as or higher than before. Speed (like
guns) KILLS!

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The 55 mph speed limit was not put into law for safety reasons. It
was part of the 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act,
drafted in response to oil price spikes and supply disruptions during
the 1973 oil crisis.

The "safety" benefit has never been proven to be related to the
decreased speed limit. In fact, in the first few months of it's
implementation, traffic accidents actually increased. Overall
however, accidents and fatalities decreased during it's
implementation
but also after it was repealed. The decrease in accidents and
fatalities are attributed mainly to automobile safety improvements
over the years, not to a 55 mph speed limit.

I concede your first statement, however the "safety" aspect was an
unintended consequence.

Your statement that the "safety benefit" has never been "proven" is
just ridiculously false.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0716164339.htm

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It's not "ridiculously false". I won't bother linking studies that
conflict with the one you provided, but highway accidents and
fatalities *have* decreased since 1974 according to several
statistical studies in terms of numbers per cars on the road. The
"Speed Kills" campaign was a offshoot of the 55 mph speed limit by a
group advocating lowering the limits. All in all, the whole thing
was a failure. It didn't really reduce the fuel consumption rate and
it didn't reduce accidents, other than for a one year study that
turned out to be a continuation of a trend anyway. If you are
interested, there are plenty of sources of this data.