A recent study published in the Nature journal Communications Sustainability found that driving at the speed limit can save U.S. drivers millions of dollars at the gas pump and eliminate millions of gallons of fuel each day. The research analyzed 120 million vehicle trips across the United States and found that more than 43% of the studied trips included at least one instance of speeding.

Benefits of Driving at the Speed Limit

According to the study, if drivers of light-duty, conventional internal combustion engine vehicles actually drove at posted speed limits, it could save an average of $22 million, 6.7 million gallons of fuel, and 57,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every day. The researchers also found that driving at or below the posted limit corresponds to only about 54 seconds longer per day, based on an average daily driving distance of 28.6 miles.

The study considered battery-electric vehicle efficiency only in California, given the level of EV adoption in the U.S. at the time. The researchers found that driving slower is beneficial for EVs as well. The study also found differences among states, with Nevada seeing elevated speeding prevalence and high speed excess, while Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and South Dakota showed both low speeding prevalence and speed excess.

Cost of Faster Driving

Driving faster increases a vehicle’s energy use and the emissions from its engine, as well as reduces efficiency. Accounting for the average cost of gas today and more vehicle miles traveled, that increases to roughly $26 million and 7.2 million gallons of fuel that Americans collectively could save each day this year just by not speeding.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.