Mr. Kiefer, for himself and Mr. Wisniewski, submits the following to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

For the conservation of energy by limiting the speed of all vehicles


SECTION I: SHORT TITLE

This bill shall be referred to as the "National Highway Speed Limit Act".

SECTION II: FINDINGS OF CONGRESS

Congress finds the following:

1. We are using energy at an unprecedented rate, causing a national energy crisis.

2. In the past, Congress passed a speed limit of 55 miles per hour, designed primarily to increase fuel consumption rates.

3. This speed limit is also responsible for increasing traffic safety.

SECTION III: THE NATIONAL SPEED LIMIT

A. All states shall set their speed limits on any highway to no higher than fifty-five (55) miles per hour.

B. All states shall have the power to set a lower speed limit on any highway in their jurisdiction.

SECTION IV: ENFORCEMENT

1. All states shall have three months to bring their laws into compliance with this law.

2. Any state found not to be in compliance shall be penalized by having their highway transportation funds revoked.

SECTION V: ENABLING SECTION

This law shall be in effect upon appropriate passage and / or the signature of the President or his designate in accordance with the Constitution.

Madame Chair,

I'd like to ask the sponsor, coming from Texas, how would he explain this to his constituents and the rest of Texas. I doubt taking away our 70 mph speed limits will go over well. I'm mean our unoffical state motto, according to Molly Ivins, is "Mississippi with Good Roads". As well are there any other solutions using energy conservation that wouldn't be so drastic?

I yield

Madame Chairwoman,

I wish things weren't in such a state that we could avoid something like this. Sadly, such is not the case.

This law proved to be beneficial in two ways:

1. Fuel Consumption was drastically reduced, making such things plentiful. It also allowed companies to lower the price of gasoline.

2. Accidents on the road were greatly reduced, and survivability of an auto accident increased. This was an unexpected benefit.

I yield.

Madame Speaker,

My apologies for forgetting to answer the first part of that question:

I estimate that my constituents would be less up in arms than they are now, given that the current average of a price of gas is now hovering between $1.70 and $1.90. I would ask them each and every time they use their vehicle if their trip was really necessary, but I don't think I'd get an answer to that.

I yield.

Madame Chair,
I thank the gentleman for his comments. The fact that national speeed limits went away is one of the more shameful episodes in the rape of our national energy policy.

The increases in consumption at speeds over 55 mph are geomoetric as opposed to linear. The paybacks are huge, not only in energy but in safety as well.

Mr Kiefer has a bill here that is just too much common sense to not pass it heartily.

I yield.

Madame Chair,

I would like to ask the sponsor if he has any scientific data that proves a 55 mile-per-hour speed limti reduces pollution. There is a litany of data on environmental studies, and no data proves this ascertation, only questionable studies put forth by those with an agenda.

I yield.

Mr. Speaker,

I do not recall making any assertions concerning the reduction of pollution in relation to the proposed speed limit, nor am I aware of any such study concerning that subject. My purposes are two-fold: Energy conservation and safety.

However, if the gentleman from California is willing to wait momentarily, some data on that subject will be forthcoming.

I yield.

This post has been edited by Rapierman on Dec 8 2004, 02:08 PM

Madam Chairwoman,

I have several questions for the sponsors.

1. Which states currently have speed limits over 55 MPH or no speed limits at all?
2. Is 55 MPH used as the speed limit in any other countries?

Thank you.

Rep. Dave Anderson
Republican
11th District
New Jersey

Madme Chair,

I thank the Gentleman from Texas for his clarificatin and will gladly review any scientific data provided before this committee.

I do have an additional question for the gentleman regarding scientific data; do you have any data concerning an increase in safety with lower speed limits? Data that I have seen in the past indicates that there are fewer incidents per capita, both in statistical data concerning the United States and European nations, with higher speeds than lower speeds.

I yield.

Madam Chair,

I would like to ask the distinguished author of the bill a question.

Does this bill include interstate highways?

I yield.

Madame Chair,

Data will be forthcoming in a moment. The Texas Department of Public Safety, our state law enforcement agency, does have data on this question covering a period when 55 was the de facto national speed limit.

This post has been edited by Rapierman on Dec 8 2004, 04:14 PM

Madame Chairwoman,

The proposed speed limit will include the Interstate Highway System.

Madame Chair,
To respond to the question on speed and safety from the gentleman from cailf:

My sources include, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, The Nat Inst for Health, and other agencies esily found on the web:

The effect of vehicle speed includes a number of factors intutitve to the debate here and cited in numerous studies on speed limits and safety, these include:
Reduction in the amount of available time needed to avoid a crash, thus increasing the likelihood of a crash as well as the severity of a crash once it occurs.

In 1986, the 55mph speed limit was forst repealed under rhetroic from the Reagan admin. Without debating the wisdom in that, here are the facts:

the IIHS and NIH looked at 31 states. 24 states had raised speed limits, and 7 states remained at 55 mph.

Fatalities on interstate highways increased 15% in the 24 states that raised speed limits, and after accounting for changes in vehicle miles of travel, fatality rates were actually 17% higher following the speed limit increases. Similar increases were reported on rural interstate highways. These numbers have been replicated by a number of highway safety organizations.

It needs to be stressed that these increases in fatalities have occurred dspite the great advances in vehicle safety sonce the late 1980's, which makes the numbers even more compelling to this observer.

An interesting side effect is that when sped limits are raised, the number of "speeders" increases significantly. To look at but one example:

When the state of Texas increased its speed limit from 55 mph to 70 mph, the average speed on urban freeways and interstate highways increased substantially. Prior to the increase, 15 percent of cars on these roads were exceeding 70 mph and 4 percent were exceeding 75 mph.

After the speed limit increase, 50 percent were exceeding 70 mph and 17 percent were traveling faster than 75 mph. (IIHS, 2003). The same general trend holds in a number of other states.

What are the effects of these increases in speeding in this whole equation?

Speeding is defined as exceeding the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions and is a factor in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes.

The economic costs of crashes that involved excessive speed were $40.4 billion, representing 18 percent of total crash costs and an average cost of $144 for every person in the United States. (NHTSA, 2002)

When speed increases from 40 mph to 60 mph, the energy released in a crash more than doubles. (IIHS, 2003)

I did not readily locate any information that supported the gentleman's implication that speed limit was not a factor in auto safety, or that higher speeds actually decreased fatalities.

If Mr Kiefer should need me to do so, I will supply even more compelling information as to the gentleman's question about speed and fuel efficiency.

I yield.

Madame Chairwoman,

I thank the gentleman from Connecticut for his efforts.

I have the information on fuel efficiency at hand. This website-- http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question477.htm --explains how fuel efficiency is calculated and indicates that a target falling somewhere between 40 and 60 miles per hour. At those speeds, fuel efficiency is at its optimum level..a "sweet spot", as they call it.

Furthermore, this page on the same website-- http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?p...nning/speed.htm --shows a table of what kind of fuel efficiency one can expect on different types of cars at 40, 50 and 60 miles per hour. It seems to be at its best when a car is running at 50. In fact, it goes on to state that the estimated speed at which fuel efficiency is at its maximum is FIFTY-FIVE MILES PER HOUR.

At this point, fuel conservation is at its best and benefits our country. This is why the speed limit was previously at 55 miles per hour, and that is why we need to return to that standard.

Madame Chair,

to quote a popular song:

No no no no no no no no no no no no

Congress has no authority to do this.

No authority at all.

General Welfare doesn't mean "What we think is good"

It is "What is good"

Enacting a national speed limit overrides the authority of the states to decide these matters.

I motion to table this bill

and I yield the floor