![]() ![]() If you want to drive at higher speeds (77 mph with cruise control on) but you eliminate midrange acceleration, lane changes and harsh braking, your fuel economy will improve from 12.5 percent." The website wrote to readers: "If you are currently an aggressive driver (cruising speeds from 75-85 mph, constantly accelerating and changing lanes and braking sharply) and you decided to calm down (driving with the cruise control set to 65 mph), your fuel economy would improve an average of 35 percent. The test found that driving at a higher speeds decreased fuel economy from 12 percent to 30 percent, depending on speed and driving style. In 2008,, a website for automative consumers, did a fuel economy test that looked at speed and other factors to determine fuel efficiency. "The cars that will be less impacted are newer vehicles that are geared for higher speeds." And the effect will have a strong reach, he says, affecting every vehicle. "We could be talking about increases of between 5 to 10 percent, depending on how much they drive," says DeHaan. Residents paying an average of $3.60 a gallon might add an additional cost of 30 cents for the daily commute, since a higher speed limit could mean fewer miles per gallon.įor travelers on a lonely road, that gas usage could rise by double digits, depending on traveling methods. In Texas, the impact on the wallet could be high for travelers as gas prices continue to rise. There's no highway in Texas today allowing for 85 mph, but we didn't to close the door on tomorrow." Speed Limit Rising to 85 MPH Could Mean Pricier Daily Commute "With gas prices what they are, this would only be an option in the years ahead, and certainly only after a great deal of study. Kolkhorst said in a statement to ABC News. Our state's Texas Transportation Commission would still need to approve this measure, only after a future highway was designed and built to handle the higher speeds or weights," Rep. "We are allowing a few ideas to continue: that is, the option to build designated truck lanes, and the option to build 85 mph lanes for passenger vehicles. We'd have to do engineering analysis before raising the speed limit on any roads in the state. The Department of Transportation "would have to conduct extensive speed studies. Once something is law, then we can look into what we need to do about it." "Technically, we cannot talk about pending legislation. ![]() "Though this bill has passed the House, it's still not law," says department of Transportation spokeswoman Kelli Petras. A similar plan is being considered by the state Senate, according to the AP.īut first the measure, which is part of a larger transportation bill, must pass engineering testing and other studies before the Texas Department of Transportation authorizes it. Kolkhort, would make the 85 mph limit the highest in the country, according to the Dallas Morning News. April 7, 2011— - A bill to raise Texas highway speed limits to 85 mph could have motorists getting there faster but shelling out much more money at the gas pump.Ĭonsumers will see an "increase in demand for petroleum because as we go faster our cars get a lot less fuel efficiency," says Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst for, a gas price sharing website. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |