Tuesday 28th November 1995

President Clinton signed a bill that ended the federal 55 mph speed limit. The limit set in 1974 to force Americans to drive at speeds deemed more fuel-efficient, in response to the OPEC oil crisis. With it, Nixon ushered in a policy of fuel conservation and rationing not seen since World War II. speed limits across the US vary between 35 and 40 mph in congested urban areas and 75 mph on long stretches of rural highway. U.S. drivers now drive almost as fast as their European counterparts, who average between 75 and 80 mph on the highway. On some roads in Italy, it is legal to drive as fast as 95 mph.