Those who choose to drive at sensible speeds save money and fuel, which is worth the risk of being mocked on Top Gear
Good news for those in a hurry: our thrustful transport secretary, Philip Hammond, has hinted that speed limits on motorways may be eased, permitting the 80 mph which so many do already, rather than the 70 mph that they ought to. A poignant contrast, this, with the situation in Spain, where ? in response to an oil price now historically high and likely to go historically higher ? the government is clipping maximum speeds from 120 kilometres an hour (75 mph) to 110 (68). One aim is to benefit the nation's flagging economy, since money saved at the petrol pumps will be spent elsewhere. But it's also a shift from which drivers will benefit. If you want to cut costs, the optimum speed for most drivers is 56 mph. Mr Hammond's own department has published figures which show that driving at 70 mph uses 9% more fuel than driving at 60. Other estimates indicate that cutting your average speed from 75 to 55 can bring savings of 20% or more. AA research suggests that many drivers are already curbing their speed; but what is striking, as you see every day on the motorways, is how many still aren't. If your car dashboard indicates, as most new ones do, your current consumption in miles per gallon, you can cut your speed and immediately see that you're saving money. That doesn't make driving cheap, but it makes it significantly less expensive. True, those who choose sensible, energy-saving speeds risk being mocked on Top Gear, but in present conditions that might well be considered a badge of honour.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/16/in-praise-of-speed-limit
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