Key facts
- Obeying speed limits could save US drivers $22 million daily.
- Compliance could save over 25 million liters of fuel daily.
- Adhering to speed limits could cut 57,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions daily.
- The time added to average commutes by obeying speed limits is less than one minute.
- The study analyzed over 120 million real-world vehicle trips in the US.
Drivers in the United States could save millions of dollars and significantly reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by adhering to posted speed limits, according to a new study from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. The research, published in Communications Sustainability, analyzed over 120 million real-world vehicle trips and found that if all drivers complied with speed limits, it could result in daily savings of approximately $22 million, over 25 million liters of fuel, and 57,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
These savings are attributed to light-duty engine-powered vehicles (LDVs), which constitute 14.6 percent of total energy consumption in the US. The study highlights that while vehicles have become more efficient, driving faster is easier than ever, and reducing speed is a readily available method for substantial fuel savings without requiring vehicle replacement. William Northrop, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota and a corresponding author on the paper, emphasized that driving slower is a difficult-to-implement intervention for major fuel savings.
The research also noted that sticking to speed limits adds less than a minute to the average daily commute. Future research will expand this framework to include diverse roadways and analyze the impact of aggressive accelerations on fuel use and emissions. Separately, the report touches upon the surge in electric vehicle (EV) sales across Europe, driven by factors like the disruption of global energy supplies and various incentive schemes, with Italy, France, and Germany leading in battery-electric vehicle registrations.