I Don’t Drive 55. Do You?

Back in the good ol' days when President Nixon was in the White House, a bill that required states to lower the maximum speed limit was signed on this date in 1974 to help conserve fuel during a gasoline shortage. According to the Yuma Daily Sun on 2 January 1974, all states had 60 days to fix a maximum 55 mph speed limit on all highways and to enforce a uniform speed limit on all other roadways. If this bill wasn't followed by any state during that 60-day time frame, the state would lose federal highway funds. Speed limits remained at 55 MPH for years, mainly because people believed that highway deaths dropped along with the speed limit. But, when President Clinton signed a $6 billion road bill in 1995, this ended the federal 55 MPH speed limit and gave states the power to set their own limits. Many states, such as Kentucky, still are flexing their speed muscles. That state bumped their 65 MPH to 70 MPH in March 2007. My question is this: Although I can't stand to drive 55, aren't we still in an "energy crisis"? I mean, isn't that what we're doing in Iraq, or am I mistaken? Isn't that why everyone's all over alternative energy, or am I mistaken? Isn't that why we're trying to develop energy efficient cars, or am I mistaken? Can I be that wrong? I don't think so.