Dear Editor:
I, like everyone else these days, have been very frustrated with
the gas prices.
Dear Editor:
I, like everyone else these days, have been very frustrated with the gas prices. Watching my wallet be emptied out every week because of the rising prices was driving me crazy. I’ve also been going nuts trying to figure out why it is that we as consumers are being blamed, in most part, for consuming more fuel than the oil companies can put out.
I disagree with the oil companies’ position on this issue but I do agree with the part that our cars and trucks are consuming more fuel these days. Thanks in part to whoever was responsible for raising the speed limit to 65 mph and our own advantageous behavior (give an inch – take a mile) always trying to get away with driving faster the legal speed limit, the morning commute average speed is 75 to 85 mph.
Now, this may not be true in everyone’s case but as is evident during my early morning commute hours, even the CHP officers heading to work on their motorcycles do at least 80 mph. Now, let’s look at your cars and trucks out there on freeways of this nation. The so-called estimated gas mileage was not based on 85 mph, 75 mph or even the legal speed limit of 65 mph. So, even in my own case, driving a car that is supposed to give me 27 miles per gallon, I was going through almost two tanks of gas every week commuting to Sunnyvale and back.
Well, to my own shock and awe, I decided to slow thing down a bit and accept being flipped off on the freeways by speeding drivers because I now drive the speed limit. The result was a shocker. I have cut my gasoline consumption from 30 gallons a week to only 17 gallons. Dollar wise, I’ve cut my gasoline spending from $50 per week to $30. I now am convinced that to a certain extend we are to blame ourselves for being in the mess that we are in with the gasoline prices.
Imagine what would happen if the speed limit was set back at 55 mph and we had more enforcing of speed limit laws. Would our vehicles be consuming less fuel? I think so. You’ve got to hurt the oil companies where it counts, in their wallet. You’re not going to accomplish anything by making them richer and richer. Take action, slow down.
David Kaeini, Gilroy
Submitted Tuesday, April 20 to ed****@****ic.com
