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Are Drivers in Maine Going Slower? Maybe Not

July 02, 2008 - Despite reports of drivers slowing down on federal highways to squeeze more mileage out of their gas, Maine law enforcement officials say they have yet to see the trend.

Maine State Police Lt. Donald Pomelow, who serves in Franklin, Somerset and northern Kennebec counties, said he has not seen any evidence to suggest drivers are going the speed limit to save gas. He said the trend is one that has not "quite reached the state of Maine yet."

"I have not received any notice that there's been any slowing down of vehicles," he said.

According to some news reports, state police in New England, the Midwest and the South have been issuing fewer speeding citations this year. Some authorities, particularly in North Dakota, are equating that with drivers wanting to save gasoline.

"I'm sure there are people out there being prudent," Pomelow said. "(State police are) doing the same thing. We're watching how we stop at lights and take off from lights, especially since last fall when (gas) prices started rising."

From his own experience within his troop barracks, however, he said troopers are "doing the same amount of traffic work we did last year."

Justin Poland, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maine in Orono, said the idea of driving slowly to save on gas is "generally true."

"It is true to say the faster a vehicle goes, the more energy is takes to operate, and would require more fuel," Poland said.

But drivers who opt to go below the speed limit should not expect to save gallons. "The savings from it are very small," Poland said.

What does prevent gas from being wasted is if the engine is performing at its most efficient speed.

Vincent Caccese, a colleague of Poland at the Orono campus, said that when engines exceed their optimal speed, drivers start seeing less gas in their tanks.

"If (the engine) were to run at 80 miles per hour ... it won't run as efficiently as it would at 60 miles per hour," Caccese said.

Both professors noted that the optimal speed is different in many makes and models; 60 mph should not be a "universal threshold," Poland said.

Not only are some drivers slowing down, but some are spending less time on the highway altogether.

U.S. drivers drove 1.4 billion miles less in April than they did in April of last year, and 30 billion fewer this year than last year, said Doug Hecox, a spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration. "It's a pretty significant amount," he said.

"I cannot speak to the issue of people slowing down, but I can say they are certainly driving less," Hecox said. "I think, generally speaking, people have become more aware of conserving gasoline and are now driving sensibly."

By MEGHAN V. MALLOY, Portland Press Herald, June 29, 2008


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