Dear Editor,
I have never understood why vehicles needed to be able to go so fast.
First, it could cut down on high-speed chases and crashes. For police, this could mean less time monitoring for speeders and focusing on more important things.
Obviously you can go 60 mph in a 25-mph zone and still injure yourself or others, but I believe the ability of the vehicle to go so fast enables such recklessness.
Second, and more important to me, is efficiency. I am no engineer but it would seem logical that you could optimize gearing, shifting and engine size if, for instance vehicles had a max speed of 80 mph.
Our Odessey has no need of going over 100 mph, which I know it could (no, I have not tried it). I ask, is there a vehicle made that can’t go 100 mph?
It seems odd to me the government has focused on mile per gallon standards but nobody had thought of speed regulation. My guess is that someone said it would impinge on their rights.
I say all this in the context of Vermont and the U.S. not being ready anytime soon for all-electric vehicles. Currently our grid is not capable of keeping up with the air-conditioning; how does one expect it to charge vehicles?
I haven’t even taken into account all the other appliances that they want to get rid of to add to the electric grid. I am ready and willing to reduce our carbon footprint but in a realistic timeline.
Shayne Olmsted, White River Junction
