We just drove a 6,000 lb. camper van from Nevada to the San Francisco Bay Area. We stuck to 55-59mph in order to save on gas. And over hundreds of miles of freeway we were like a stone in a stream. Small cars, big cars, SUVs, trucks, cars pulling tailers--everyone whoshed by us.
And this is people who are paying the highest prices for gasoline in the 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii are even higher). We paid between $4.35/gal. in Carson City NV and $4.84/gal. in th Bay Area (that is premium, which our van requires, but Regular is only $0.20 cheaper.
I've found with our van that gas mileage varies from 13-23 mpg, depending on how fast I drive. And this isn't a linear function--above 55mph it goes way down, with most of our power working to overcome wind resistance.
So even though gas prices are really high...they aren't high enough to change mot people's driving.
Face it--we, as a country, need gas prices to be high enough to make us conserve. Right now it's enough for SUV sales to start tanking. What will it take to make people slow down to save gas? $5/gal. for Reguar? $6? $7?
Nothing we say about getting off our oil addiction will matter until this happens.
BTW I love driving fast--so I'm not one of those slow lane weenies who doesn't feel the need for speed, and talks about slowing down with that smug moralizing tone of people who live in their heads and don't understand the thrill of going pedal to the metal.
I've diverted my fast-urge into bicycles. I've had my bike up to 48mph (at a zillion miles per gallon), and it's a serious thrill. Try getting your rocks off on a bike next time you want to drive fast.
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