Letters to the Editor: 55 MPH Speed Limit

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oncerning the 55 mph speed limit: I’d like to know what effect it had on safety.

It would seem — at least in theory — to slow everyone down and level the playing field. If it was reinstituted, safety and service would soon be front and center. Construction zones might get a bit safer. Revenue for states would increase considerably with the writing of tickets to drivers in noncompliance.

With the price of fuel soaring and more and more safety issues, it makes sense to try this drastic action.

Increasing numbers of drivers are adopting a “me first” attitude, making it even more dangerous on the roads. Everyone driving at a slower speed would benefit the whole industry.

Name Withheld by Request

i>Director, Risk Management and Safety

onghaul Driver

t. Louis

Here in Tennessee, in some of the cities the speed limit is 70 mph for vehicles but for the big rigs, it’s 55 mph on the same highway or interstate.

I want to know what happens when a vehicle comes up behind you at 70 mph and you’re doing only 55 mph in your semi? To me, this is very dangerous for everyone.

Who is to blame, the regular vehicle or the truck driver of the semi, if there happens to be a wreck? Who is at fault?

It appears to me that it would be hard to stop a vehicle at once.

Joyce Starkey

i>Owner-Operator

&J Transport

cMinnville, Tenn.

These letters appear in the June 26 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.