Sen. Warner raises issue of reimposing national speed limit

If you knew how to drive safely then I wouldn't complain, but you don't. The 55 MPH is a good idea to save fuel and hopefully reduce traffic accidents. You weave in and out of traffic going 90 MPH, yack on your cell phone and don't pay any attention to what you are doing, and you drive right on the tail of the vehicle in front of you. Life's too short slow down!

Let each American drive according to his or her own wallet. The airlines are about to mothball 10% of their fleet by the end of this year anyway and the cost of building mass-transit in Southside Tidewater would equal just giving each passenger a Rolls Drophead Coupe instead. How's that for economic stimulus?

This is the same man that will vote against drilling for oil off the coast and in ANWAR. Although I supported him for years, this senile way of thinking shows it is a good time for him to go.

I agree with previous posters who identified the risks to people who drive the speed limit, whatever it may be. We need better enforcement of aggressive driving laws, which should include tailgating. Insofar as changing all the speed limit signs again, I believe that would be a waste of money. What would be more helpful would be information about fuel economy for the different vehicle classes at normal driving speeds. An engineer told me that above 55 mph, wind resistance is pretty much "the decider," all else being equal (properly inflated tires, well tuned engine, etc.). With aggressive drivers kept on a short leash, those who wish to save money by driving at the most fuel efficient speed for their vehicles could do so without fear of tire tracks running up their backs. The deep-pocket folks can drive the legal limit until they max out their credit cards and can't buy more fossil fuel.

During the 30 years that John Warner has been in office, only 4 annual budgets were balanced.
When he took office 30 years ago, the national debt was $700 million. Today it's approaching $10 trillion.
During Warner's 30 years in the Senate, millions of illegal aliens were granted amnesty, and because he never led a charge to secure our borders, there are an estimated 20 million illegal aliens in the country which will have to be dealt with.
He recently supported cap and trade carbon credits. Voodoo policies to say the least.
And now he wants us to drive 55. Do I hear 35, like it was during WW II?
As he leaves office, many will say that Warner is a statesman. I say that John Warner is a self serving professional politician who played the "go along to get along" game for 30 years. The citizens of Virginia and the nation are not better off for his 30 years in the Senate.

After all, I'm not smart enough to choose whether to incur the marginal increase in cost in trade for the marginal savings of my time.

We common folk need the elite, like the aging Senator, to decide those things for us.

The marketplace already exacts a cost for wasting fuel, I am perfectly capable of weighing the costs and benefits on my own.

Would the elder Senator kindly sit down and shut up until time for his goodbye party? Even if Warner the Younger wins, it can't be any worse.

Won't this man PLEASE retire? He's the textbook definition as to what's wrong with the Republican party.

who donates radar equipment to "poor" municipalities??...insurance companies. You write the tickets and we raise the rates, a great "back scratch" deal.

Make the driver's test very difficult (in fact, weed out at least one-third of the current drivers)...then the remaining drivers will be tested on their ability to drive at different speeds. Those who can display their ability on the track, etc., at higher speed driving will be issued a different license and a plate that allows them to drive faster...others will have a sticker, etc., that indicates they must drive slower and remain in the right hand lane. Not all drivers are equal! Heck, the Germans know what they're doing...they always display lane discipline and can roll at higher speeds. Our problem is that we hand out driving licenses too easily...make it hard. And if you're one of those who just doesn't cut the mustard, then it's public transportation for you, too bad. Less traffic on the roads for those of us who do.

When has a Senator (or their driver)ever drove 55mph on the interstate coming and going from home to Richmond? Do they really think everyone on the interstate will drove 55 other than those who are on a cell phone? Sen. Warner is getting old with failing health so I guess we should only blame him for so much on.

"I would have expected this overreaction from Mark Warner D-Va, but having it come from John Warner R-Va makes me doubt EITHER party has all synapses firing."

So if we are republican our IQ's rise? Cool. Do I get any points for being a Laker's fan?

On the insurance thing. Since it is a fact that insurance companies make more money investing your money than what they could actually make by just charging more; where is the logic in that? If accidents and personal injury are their largest concerns then why would they want a higher speed limit? I think your griping should have occured when the lawyers were legislating the change to be able to advertise more openly and lure in nonsensical claims for injury. How about the legislation this year to disclose your limits BEFORE they chose to file suit? There were not many comments on that one.

If people knew how to drive safely, then I wouldn't agree with Senator Warner. But the fact is they don't.

Check Warner's "contributors" for auto insurance companies. The #1 proponent of the "old" 55 mph speed limit was auto insurance companies. In the name of "safety , of course. The reality was that they WANTED people with violation free driving records to accumulate a ticket or 2...so they could push up your rates..don't fall for this nonsense again...

How about just enforcing the speed limits already in place ? You want people to drive 55 ? You would have to lower the limit to 40 on the interstates to get most cars down to 55 .
We need some tough judges and dedicated police .
I'm all for enforcing 55 or 60 and not a mile over , make the penalties stiff enough and people will slow down . Why not a $1000 ticket for 60 in a 55 zone , $2000 for 65 . Don't have the money , confiscate the gas guzzlers . Driving is not a right , it is a privilege . What is a right , is not to be run over by some knucklehead on their cel phone , running 70-80 mph on the interstate .
If you just brought back the parallel parking test , you could get rid of over 35% of the legal drivers out there . Now that would save some gas !

Ever try to drive 55 down I-64? East, or West - your choice. Ever try to drive 55 down ANY interstate these days without creating a traffic hazard or getting run down? Not gonna happen.

Let's enforce existing laws aggressively. Make speeding tickets really painful for those who think they are above the law.

I'm flabbergasted that this rehashed waste of time has originated from a Republican. Modern vehicles are designed at the factory to get good mileage at higher speeds. Both my car and my motorcycle are very fuel efficient at 65-70 mph, going 55-60 mph does not increase mpg but would definitely decrease traffic flow. A national speed limit is not going to help in any way, all it's going to do is aggravate drivers already paying out the wazoo for fuel. I would have expected this overreaction from Mark Warner D-Va, but having it come from John Warner R-Va makes me doubt EITHER party has all synapses firing. What's next - another attempt to legislate seat belts for my motorcycle? If you want to save fuel try upgrading the highways around Tidewater to reduce gridlock and idling time but kindly refrain from introducing counterproductive restrictions on driving.

Sen. Warner - where we need your help is to help the nation adjust to these extremely high gas prices. We are spending 50% more on gas.
Congress needs to encourage more fuel efficient vehicles, retrofit of older vehicles with fuel saving equipment, drilling in Alaska and coastal area to provide more future supplies, and stop the oil profiteering by oil market speculators.
We also want Congress to get that deer in the headlights look off their faces and actually help the consumers for a change. All they seem consumed with is politics, politics, and politics. Frankly, you could replace both the senate and house and we would not miss any of them. Actually, the country would be better off for it since they have a lower approval rating than Pres. Bush!
Leave the speed limits alone!