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• May 3, 2008 8:46 am US/Central
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  In The Know: The Benefits Of A Slower Drive

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In The Know: The Benefits Of A Slower Drive

(WCCO) A number of states are taking a long hard look at an old solution to the high price of gasoline: the 55 mile-per-hour speed limit. Don Shelby said at current prices at the pump, he doesn't need the government to tell him to slow down.

It hit home when the big airlines started flying their planes slower to conserve on the cost of fuel.

You may arrive five minutes late at your destination, but over a year, the airlines will save hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel costs, and maybe keep the price of tickets within reach.

The 55-mile-per-hour speed limit was the law of the land from 1974 until 1995. It was repealed when cheap oil was once again widely available.

Lots of folks say they don't have time to waste going slower. The math is pretty simple. It will take you 65 minutes to go 60 miles driving 55 miles per hour, and 55 minutes going 65. 10 minutes. I got 10 minutes.

Who else is getting the savings picture? The North Dakota Highway Patrol reports a marked decrease in over-the-road truckers' speeds. Their reason is simple. They are saving fuel and money. But who needs a law when we've got common sense.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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