55 MPH Speed Limit Day

55 MPH Speed Limit Day is January 2nd

On January 2 1974 President Nixon signed the National Maximum Speed Limit into law, making it illegal for any road to have a speed limit higher than 55 mph. The law was created to help American citizens use less gas and to make the roads safer. It succeeded in decreasing fuel use throughout the country and fatalities in automobile accidents also decreased after the law was passed (though the lack of fatalities cannot be proven to be a direct result of the speed limit change and not increased safety measures or other possible factors). Regardless of the success or failure of the law, it was wildly unpopular among most people and was repealed in 1995. Some people still remember the positive effects of the law and favor making it a law once more. Those people celebrate the passing of the law every year on January 2nd.