Have we seen this before?

Here's a question: Why aren't the speed limits changing?

I was just born the last time gas prices were this ungodly. And that's when we got the 55-mph speed limit (which lasted until the 90s).

Now, I know that a modern vehicle can handle those high speeds a lot better than a 1970s-vintage hunk of Detroitness. But can the drivers? These days, we have Hummers zipping around at 80 mph or more; all the windows are rolled up, the air conditioning could freeze a polar bear, and odds are good that the driver is on a cell phone.

So we've got a distracted speeder in a gas guzzler.

What's the harm in slowing down?

I've been doing a little experiment in my Subaru Forester (2006, 5-speed manual, 173 horsepower). When I drive for performance and keep my RPMs high, I get about 300 miles to a tank. When I back off and choose to drive 5-10 mph slower on the highway and shift to a higher gear on city streets, that figure goes to about 340. I'm going to do a nice, long highway run to see if I can bump that even higher this weekend. By the way, I rarely use my air conditioning, even in the summer heat. I've lived in Arizona for nearly 30 years - scurrying to the nearest source of AC is the best way to ensure you never get used to it.

Anyway, I can handle driving a little slower. How 'bout you?