Why is California's speed limit set at 55?

Somebody’s been drinking again.

 

Nope it's 45 that is the sensible speed. I'm sure the equations for stopping distance will prove this to be a fact. Or would it be accident rates at various speeds on highways? I have no idea. All I know is that somebody, somewhere decides that 80 mph is okay and somebody somewhere decides that 55 is mandatory, and we have to just shrug and go with it....risk takers aside.

 

Cali isn’t bad. You just have to learn where you can get away with running faster. Used to get 4 or 5 of us cow trucks together heading east on 40 and CHP wouldn’t even bat an eye at us running 70+.

 

1974.
They sold it as a fuel conservation effort, then turned into an all about safety campaign. Then used erroneous data to back it up.

If what a few people I know at caltrans have told me is true. During the 1970s a lot of roads were rebuilt and lanes added. The road bed for the original/ old lanes did not get updated to more modern specifications, the new an added lanes did. They are better designed to carry the load of heavy vehicles. That is when the right line restrictions started to get really heavily enforced. This and California’s bridge laws also play into the speed limit. That speed limit number was the engineering basis for road construction.

In 1974, the National Maxim Speed Limit law was a part of the Emergency Energy Conservation Act. In 1975 the NMSL was fully signed into law. It was going to be the law for the long term foreseeable future. No need for over engineering roads and bridges, the cost of construction would be higher.

 

We grew up in the Arab Oil Embargo, speed limits were 70 prior to that all over. After that morning hit, gas pretty much doubled if you could get it at all, then rationed to where you aint got enough and speeds were posted 55 everywhere. American cars geared to 65 found themselves lugging a little bit at 55.

We don't import hardly anything from the ME anymore. Certainly not Iran after the Shah was overthrown.

The best solution to California is not to run there if possible.

 

I'm glad I don't ever go there. Hopefully your not there when their battleship sinks haha.

 

Yup..so was Pennsylvania back in the 70's on some 2 lane roads..45mph.

 

California has some really good ideas. We should implement them nationwide.

 

But wouldn't it be fun if all trucks just actually drove 55 for a month or so? Cali would be so snarled up, it would take a year for the traffic jams to clear up........

 

I thought about that before ^ all trucks suddenly driving 55 would be justice lol